This morning, as I lay in my warm bed, snuggled up next to my peacefully sleeping husband, I began my quiet time and I loved what God showed me this morning. I wanted to share it with you.
I read out of Luke and I John, but what caught my eye was the parable of the fig tree told by Jesus in the book of Luke in the New Testament.
Luke 13:6-9
"6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years 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?’
8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”
There are three main figures represented in this parable:
1. The owner of the vineyard - God
2. The gardener or caretaker of the vineyard - Jesus
3. The tree - Israel or the individual listener or reader
After the owner returned for three years in a row and saw no growth, no fruit, he ordered the tree be cut down.
What happened next was beautiful. You see the caretaker (Jesus) asked for more time, pleading on behalf of the tree (us) - offering to water and fertilize it to help it along in growth. He asks the owner to return in one year to see if there is growth and fruit. If not, then the tree can get cut down.
This parable is scary and beautiful all at the same time. God can grow weary and impatient of our lack of active participation in his kingdom, but Jesus is still fighting on our behalf.
God is patient, but he has given us ample time to grow and to produce fruit. After a while, according to Luke 13, God can, or will, grow impatient with our lack of growth and our complacency.
But.... there is a God - the Son of Man - (Daniel 7:13), (Mark 10:45) - who came to earth, a perfect human being, who took on the full weight of ALL of humanities sin, who died on a Roman cross for all of us, and praise God (!!!), rose victoriously!!!
That God, Jesus, yet again, shows great love and compassion with his act of patience. In this parable, the caretaker asks for more time. I can hear his small gentle and compassionate voice now, "Shhhh, patience, Father. Growth is on the horizon, just wait and see. I will tend to them diligently this year. I will water them and give them food to grow. If you do not see growth in a year, then you can cut them off. Give me time, Father."
Isn't that such a beautiful portrait of our Father in heaven? He cares so much for us that He sent his son as a protector and caretaker. We are so unworthy of the love God pours out on us daily, and yet, even through our sin and denial, through our lack of growth and through or complacency, God still chooses to have patience and to send his son out to work on our behalf.
When God calls to us, we need to be able to hear his voice. We need to be able to hear where he is calling us to grow. Where is God asking for growth in you?
Hebrews 5:12-14 tells us this, " 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil."
God wants to see growth in his children. For those who don't call Him Father, he wants to see them turn from their ways and turn to Him. God wants to have mercy on us, but he is requiring work (not good deeds, but hard work to be more Christ-like) from us.
Isaiah 55:6-7,
"6 Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon."
May the peace of your caretaker fully overtake you. May you truly know how much God loves you that he would send a caretaker for you.
If you do not know God as your Father and Jesus as your Savior and you want to know more about Him and his wide-open arms waiting to greet you, please email me. I am always here, waiting and ready to answer any and all questions you have. I would be happy (over-joyed) to help you with that process and welcome you into the Kingdom of heaven.
~ Bethanee
