One More Year...

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.’” Luke 13:6-9

The parable Jesus told has always been that reminds me of what Jesus does for me every single day. The first time I understood this parable was when I was in college and my pastor preached on this passage. 

The story takes place in a vineyard. The Owner of the vineyard came to check one of his fig trees to see if it had any fruit. He had been checking it for fruit for three years and it didn't have any. He tells the caretaker to cut it down; its taking up room and not producing. But the caretaker of the vineyard pleads with the Owner to give him one more year to fertilize it, dig around it, and do everything he knows to do to help the tree produce fruit. And then, if it doesn't produce fruit, the Owner may cut it down. 

The Owner is God and since He is in His vineyard, the trees are Christians. One "tree" was not producing fruit so it was to be cut down. However, the Caretaker - Jesus- makes intercession and asks the Father to give Him "one more year" to do everything He can to make it produce fruit. But, then if the "tree" doesn't produce fruit, God can cut it down. 

I don't believe the time limits are exact (three years of no fruit, one year of fertilizing), but I do know based on His Word He has called me to produce fruit and if I am not doing so, I am taking up "soil". What does it mean to be "cut down"? That is a scary question. One interpretation I found was to lose our lives.("There is a sin that leads to death".1 John 5:16) I have known of people who went down a path of sin and other could see evidence of  God doing everything to bring them back and then suddenly they lost their life. I don't want to use that as a scare tactic or anything - however, it is one interpretation. Another is that a Christian who is not producing fruit is rendered ineffective. This might be an even worse fate - to live the rest of your life completely ineffective as a Christian. A meaningless life. 

When I look into the face of my Savior, knowing that He "lives to intercede" for me (Hebrews 7:25), I do not want Him to say "I did everything for you. Why didn't you live for me? Produce fruit? Fruit that would last?" 

He lives to intercede for us, to give us abundant life, to allow us to produce fruit - Let's not waste it. 

Being and Staying Ready

"He said to the crowd: 'When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does. And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?" Luke 12:54-56

There are people who really like to study "end times" and there are also people who seem to think is doesn't matter if we understand them or not. However, in this passage, it appears Jesus finds it very important for us to know what TIME it is. We keep up with the weather, the news, politics, conspiracy theories, and what's new on Netflix, yet some Christians have no clue what TIME it is on the actual cosmic calendar. 

This morning, I found those verses quite convicting in light of the verses right before it: 

 35“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. 38 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak.39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

41 Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?”

42 The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? 43 It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. 44 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45 But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. 46 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

47 “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows.48 But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. Luke 12:35-48

When Jesus returns, what will He find me doing? Will I be ready? Will I have invested the time to read, study, and interpret the scriptures to know what TIME it is? To realize He is close? Or will He find me sitting on my couch looking for something else to watch on Netflix because I didn't realize He was close? 

As the Church, especially in America, we are the servants who have been given much. We have the entire Canon of scripture in any and every translation we could desire - you can even find them at thrift stores for 50 cents. Therefore, much will be demanded and much, much more will be asked. 

God has given us everything we need to be who He has called us to be. However, we do have to make the decision to invest in our relationship with Him. 

I know its been a long time since I have written anything on my blog, however, I was so convicted of this today, I felt He may be speaking to others in the same way. As the conspiracy theories swarm around us, let us be people of His Word and not be taken off guard.