Matthew 21:43 – Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. (ESV)

In the five years since we moved to our house, I have pruned, dug up trees, and replanted or planted anew bushes, plants, and trees. I am not an inborn gardener — unlike my mum who was — but I must have gleaned something from helping her over the years.

By trial and error, I have sought to coax growth, organization, and vigorous life into our little plot of land and to let things progress annually. Depending on the weather and its timing, each year has been different.

One of the trees is an apple tree. On arrival, it had two boughs and a few leaves, but it gave no flowers or fruit. Looking like a large, old, wooden catapult, it was in a sorry state. I have selectively pruned and lopped its growth to improve its shape and transform its lean existence into a rounded tree bearing large red apples — something that was hard to imagine when we arrived.

It reminds me how God has taken our lives and patiently lopped and pruned to improve our lives and our understanding of His love for us.

Today, if we believe that something is holding us back, stunting our growth in the kingdom, then we need to ask the Lord of the harvest for His helping hand to prune and clean us so that we can become even more fruitful.

In my imagination, I can hear Jesus saying to the destroyer, "They are now mine, and I have redeemed them. Look at them bring forth fruit.

"How do you like them apples?"

Prayer: Lord, we rejoice that even when we are down and out, You are our Champion and Saviour. You are the One Who patiently lifts us up and trims off the lifeless wood so that by the power of the Holy Spirit, in due time, we can bring forth fruit in keeping with Your kingdom. Hallelujah! Praise the name of Jesus! Amen.

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About the author:

Rod Marshall <roderickhenrymarshall@gmail.com>
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England
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