Do you begin your days asking for His help, teaching, and guidance? Do you seek Him out for His agenda for you each day? Or is your schedule so tight that you don’t have room for Him each morning?
This morning I was chewing on the lesson I received yesterday from Him. As usual it was on my morning walk with Him and I observed things that were … interesting. And as like Jesus with His disciples His parables and teaching were from the examples right around them. Yesterday I observed pistachio trees in the orchard that looked more vibrant, the leaves were bigger, greener, shinier, … but the tree had zero pistachios on it. The trees next to it were filled with nuts and their leaves almost looked like they were starved for nutrients especially next to the tree that had zero produce on them. There are certainly lots of lessons that could be taught from this example.
I right away thought of this scripture when Jesus and His disciples were passing the fig tree.
“In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once. When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”” Matthew 21:18-22
If a farmer plants a tree or any other produce what is it that he wants? Seems obvious. But what if the plant or tree never produces anything but just looks nice? If the farmer is relying on the plant to produce so he can eat or provide for his family, how long will he allow that plant to remain before he pulls it out and plants another one hoping the new one will produce?
In this current culture it only seems we need to ‘look’ good, it doesn’t matter whether we produce anything or not. Surface and skin color is more important than what the heart and character is like in the individual. That’s definitely not in line with God’s purposes. We were created to produce. What? That is the life pursuit. What are we designed to do? What were we created for? What is He calling us to do? You will never know completely until you have established real intimacy and depth with His Holy Spirit. Sure we can get glimpses, but real fulfillment comes only from Him. He IS our designer. He is the One who knit us in our mother’s womb. Only He knows our real potential and purpose.
Don’t be trapped in spending all your time just trying to look good. Work on producing, creating, and providing what you were designed to do. How do you find out what that is exactly? I guess you’re going to have to ask Him… your Designer.
Often times He only gives me my ‘daily bread’ … meaning only assignments for the day or week or a project to complete .. and as I’m actually working, struggling, and shaping that produce with His help …I begin to see what exactly He designed me for. I begin to feel joy and peace knowing I’m actually doing what He created me to do. But it is definitely a process and a struggle in the path to discover these things. We actually need struggle to grow and mature.