By Jenn Weiser
Psalm 1:3 “He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.”
Spring is waking up around us from the long slumber of fall and winter. The season of renewing, growing, and production. Streams and rivers are starting to have a continuous flow of life in it and to it. The fruit trees are coming to life, one leaf at a time. Soon they will start to bloom and there will be a give and take relationship of pollen with the help of friends, the bees and the birds. They will bring the pollen and leave it or take pollen to other flowers and trees which will help in other production of growth. The roots will soak up the rain that has saturated the ground and carry the nutrients to the limbs and the leaves that hold the flower. The warm sun will shine its light on the leaves to create an energy of life through the tree and start to grow the fruit. At just the right time in peak season, we will reap the sweet reward of the fruit. The fruit that gets picked will provide nutrients to the human or animal that eats it, helping in their growth and purpose. Isn’t God’s network of nature amazingly complex and simple at the same time?
Proverbs 8:17-19 “I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me. Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold, and my yield than choice silver.”
God’s word is the continuous living stream of water that feeds our soul. We have a choice to plant our roots firmly by the stream and soak it up to help produce the fruit that God has called us to grow. It is helpful to be surrounded by those who can inspire us to want to be hungry for the word of God. When we begin to digest the spiritual food, our soul begins to go to work constructing our hearts for the Holy Spirit. Our hands and arms will begin to reach out to the light of the Son. Jesus will shine his light on us and He will create a spiritual energy that we can use to design the fruit and let it grow to its peak. Then, when it’s ripe for the picking, we can distribute the fruits of our labor by sharing His love with others and what He has done for us.
However, there won’t always be sunny days. There will be storms that will blow through. High winds that will try to blow you over and break some branches. Hard rain that will knock off your blooms and uncover the top of the roots and heavy flooding that will try to keep you under the rush of the water, but there is hope. There is hope because you made a choice to keep your faith rooted in Jesus. He will come along and prune your branches, wash away the debris, and you will begin to produce again.
John 15:1,2 (Jesus says) “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
What choice are you making? Are you planting your roots deep by the stream of life, or are you just barely covering them with the topsoil that will be washed away?