The he told this parable: “A man had a g tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any.” – LUKE 13:6
The Lord expects His children to bear fruit. A life without fruit takes up space instead of being an expression of God’s grace.
Our heavenly Father is patient, but He draws a line in the sand of time and says to individuals, institutions, and nations, “Repent or lose My favor.”
What fruit is your faith producing? The fruit of peace comes after you plant the seeds of trust in Jesus. The fruit of patience appears as you prayerfully water the seeds of God’s grace. The fruit of perseverance is produced when you fertilize God’s goodness with faith. The fruit of humility ripens when your heavenly Father sows His loving-kindness into your soul.
The mercy of the Lord does include a pruning process (John 15:1-2). Instead of immediately removing a fruitless faith, He gives it time to grow by the shears of suffering.
Pain is meant to purge us from unhealthy habits and remind us of our undeniable dependence on Christ. The Father cuts back our branches diseased by sin. Jesus, our vine of spiritual nutrients, feeds our faith. Then the Holy Spirit nurtures the blossoms in our life, known as the fruit of the Spirit.
A harvest of good deeds—enough to fill a barn—occurs when death to self brings your love to life!
