WHAT DOES YOUR TREE LOOK LIKE?

LUKE 13:6-9...."A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any.  So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, For three yours now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any.  Cut it down!  Why should it use up the soil?  Sir, 'the man replied, 'leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it.  If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.'"

        As we all know, God is the owner of this tree that was being spoke of.  This passage reminds me of how I want to live my life. I used to be so quick to serve and praise God for the good and the bad in my life.  Everyone could see the changes I was going through, but were quick to tell me it wouldn't last for long.  As the years went by, God was able to show me so many wonderful things, but I began to stop doing for him.  I was also able to see that I was starting to slack off. I didn't want those people to be right.   I began to notice that I hadn't been serving in the church as often I had been in the past. I began to take for granted my hours of breathe.  I began to take for granted the time I have here on earth and my purpose in life.   

     Just recently, God has shown me that, that is not the person that I want to be.  I want to bear much fruit on my tree.  I want to be able to walk in a room and people see the light of Jesus in the way I behave, speak and live.  Too often I wake up and forget to give thanks to HIM for one more day to take in the air from the morning day.  This passage is a reminder to me that God is not as tolerant as  we think him to be, but because his mercy is unfailing, he is willing to give us just a little more time to repent.  Jesus loves me so much that he was willing to bear so much pain on the cross so that I wouldn't have to.  Because he had faith that I would come know that immense love he fought to give me.  

    The caretaker said to the owner... "I'll dig around it and fertilize it."  Jesus is that caretaker.  He is molding us each and every day that we chose to let him in and take over.  Every time we give him our problems, every time we chose to live for him, every day that we wake up with him on our minds.  He is supplementing us by giving us his precious words and his presence.  He asked God for the chance to give us more time, so that he could do his work in us.  When we have ultimately let our guard down and given up on HIM, his patience ultimately wears thin and he gives up on us. 

    One thing that is very clear in this passage though, is that God will eventually cut down that non bearing fruit tree! God gives us the chance to accept Jesus into our hearts, and Jesus is constantly knocking on our door, but so often we refuse him.  Let's just give up what "religion" brings (customs, hypocrisy, perversion).... and let us just live for Christ... let us just let him in and have that perfect relationship, friendship, brotherhood with him.  I want to my life to prove that my love for HIM is, in fact, ALIVE and that he is ALIVE in me.  I want to bear fruit on my tree that shows that Christ's perfect sacrifice was not made in VEIN.!!!!