There are Goats in Your Orchard!

            Have you ever been to a fruit farm and picked fruit; apples, cherries, peaches or pears?  You may have been in the southern states where you picked your own oranges or grapefruit.  I’m sure you have noticed that not all the trees in the orchard bear fruit. Some trees appear to have dried up and died; others look perfectly healthy, but have no fruit.  However, I have come across very old abandoned orchards that are still bearing fruit.

 In the northern regions of our country there are thousands of apple orchards.  It’s quite common to find deer feeding on the fruit. Farmers find it difficult to keep them out of their orchards and consequently thousands of dollars of profit are eaten up every year by the deer.  However, it would be a rare sight to see goats feeding in the orchards. Goats are very destructive. They will eat anything in sight, so farmers are keep them away from the trees.  Generally, you will find fenced in pastures where the goats graze along with sheep and cows.

Like Christians around the world, we are much like orchards filled with fruit trees, and the goats are those who are lost in sin, but are desperately looking for fruit to fill their emptiness.  There are a lot of fruit trees and many goats that need to be fed from them, but sadly, not all the trees are bearing fruit.

When we confessed our sin and asked Christ into our heart, we were appointed, or commissioned, to bear fruit.  “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit; fruit that will last.” (John 15:16)

What is this fruit we must bear?  It is so important that Jesus warned of the necessity of bearing fruit that was compatible with citizenship in the kingdom of God.  “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. (Matt. 21:43)  As you can see it is of vital importance we bear fruit.  If we don’t, the opportunity will be taken from us.

What kinds of fruit are there? : “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”  (Gal. 5: 22)  This fruit needs to be visible in the life of every believer.  Why?  There are goats in the orchard and they are watching to see what these trees are producing. 

The lost are standing in the wings and keeping an eye on the Christians; the way they live, their attitudes, actions and reactions.  Do they see the Christian reach out with love, or, with anger?  Jesus was teaching his disciples about this very thing. “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.”  This fruit we bear is so important, that Jesus went on to say in verse 19, “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

Listen!  Bearing good fruit as a witness to the lost is the same as bearing fruit to God. “So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God.” (Ro. 7:4) 

                Have you ever taken a bite out of a big, red, juicy apple, only to find you bit right through a worm hole and you didn’t see the worm?  You didn’t know whether to swallow what’s in your mouth or spit it out.  This is what the lost (goats) are thinking when they see the Christian say one thing, but live in ungodly ways.  You can witness to a sinner, from now until Jesus comes, but if you are not representing Christ with the fruit of the Spirit, they won’t know what to do with it.  They’ll be thinking, “I don’t know if I should swallow this or spit it out.”

In Col 1:10, Paul tells the Christian, “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work.”  There are many people in this world who do good works.  It gives them a feeling of self-worth and they use their good works as a way to show others how great they are.  Good works are wonderful, but where is the fruit?  Are these works done with the love of Jesus, with joy, peace, patience, kindness, or are they done grudgingly, out of guilt, or to make oneself look good.

Let me tell you this story about a king who had the richest kingdom in the world. He had a daughter, Princess Hope, who was not beautiful to look upon, but was of a sweet and gentle nature.  She had reached the age to be wed, so the king sent invitations to several princes of the kingdoms, inviting them to visit his daughter.  One after another they came from the four corners of the world.  They brought wonderful gifts they were sure would please the princess.  They bowed and scraped before her, trying to win her favor, whomever she chose to be her husband, would become the richest prince in the world.  They kissed her hand and told her how beautiful she was.  They promised to slay dragons, kill giants and do all sorts of great things for her, if she chose them.

However, none of these pleased the princess.  She knew she was not beautiful and therefore was aware that they were trying to win her hand for wrong reasons.  They bragged so much about their bravery and exploits, she tired of them all.  Would she ever find a prince who was of a true heart and would love her for herself?  In her despair she decided to dress herself as a poor servant girl and wander throughout the countryside looking for a prince with a true heart.

At the edge of the sea was a very small and poor kingdom, called “The Kingdom By The Sea”.  It had once been lovely, but there had been a famine in the land.  The kind and loving king sold all that he had to buy food for his people.  Soon there was barely enough food for the king or his son, Trueheart.

One day, Trueheart decided that he would no longer be a burden to his father, but would make his own way in the world.  He set off across the land and in time came to the great kingdom of the rich king.  He was walking down a dusty road when he met the princess.  She had become quite faint and was resting under a tree by the side of the road, looking tired and dirty; not at all like a princess.  The prince stopped and asked if she was all right. She told him she was very hungry and tired and longed for a soft bed and a night’s rest.  The prince took the last crust of bread from his bag and gave it to her to eat, even though he thought he would probably starve to death.  When Princess Hope regained a little strength, he took her to a nearby village and with his last coin,  paid for a room so she would have a place to spend the night.

Once settled in her room, she thanked the prince and told him how grateful she was for his kindness.  She explained she had a place to go nearby and would return there the next day. He bowed low before her and lightly touched his lips to her small delicate hand telling her how privileged he was to do anything he could for such a beautiful maiden.  The prince looked beyond the dusty appearance of the plain little princess and could see her inner beauty.  He fell in love with her, but as he had nothing to offer, he bade her good-by.

Alas, her heart was smitten with Trueheart and she grieved that he was just a poor traveler and not a prince, for a true princess could only marry a true prince.  As she leaned from the window to watch him leave, a rider came galloping up to the prince, and shouted to him, “Your father, the king, has been searching for you. He would rather starve than to have you gone from his side and begs you to return home to The Kingdom By The Sea.

When the princess heard that Trueheart was a prince, she cried with joy and called to him from the window.  She asked if he would wait but one day longer before he returned to his father and visit her at her home.  Trueheart agreed at once, for his love was great for the princess and he hated to leave her.

The next day following the princess’ directions, Prince Trueheart went to visit her. He thought there was some mistake, for her directions led him to the greatest castle he had ever seen.  Its richness and elegance were beyond description.  As he turned to leave, a servant came running up and asked if he was the prince, Trueheart.  He said he was and the servant invited inside the castle. He was taken to a room where a handsome suit of clothing awaited him.  The servant helped him bathe and then dressed in the new suit.  He was confused and frightened when he was taken to the great throne room of the king of the castle.  His heart beat quickly as he was led down the red carpet towards the throne where the king was seated.

Beside the king, a small figure sat quietly, her face covered with a veil, as was the custom.  The prince bowed low before the king and was more than startled when the king stood, took him by the hand and said, “Welcome to the kingdom, my son”.  The princess threw back her veil and with great joy bounded down the steps and told the stunned prince, she was Princess Hope and how at last she had found the prince of her dreams.  Prince Trueheart declared his love for her, even if she was still the dusty maid by the side of the road.

The whole kingdom rejoiced as the princess and prince were married.  The Kingdom By The Sea was in time restored to the lovely place it had once been, due to the generosity of Prince Trueheart and Princess Hope and they all lived happily ever after.

This may be a fairy tale, but a scriptural truth is revealed.  “Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them”. (Mat. 7:20)  The good fruit, the fruit of the Spirit, will draw people to you. If they do not know the Jesus that lives within you, they will recognize the fruit, the true heart of one who bears good fruit. There was a time when you bore bad fruit, just like the lost now do.  Rom 7:5 says that “when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death.”  Let us now bear fruit for life.  Take care of your orchard and allow God to prune your tree, so you will produce not only good fruit, but abundant fruit.

You can have goats in your orchard; open the gates, let them come in and offer fruit so good and so pure; they’ll want to be “filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ -- to the glory and praise of God.” (Phil 1:11)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY

             Over the years I’ve written several stories and poems about Thanksgiving; some funny and some nostalgic and some spiritual.  We all know why Thanksgiving is a holiday and the history behind it such as the story of the Pilgrims and Indians so what can I say about Thanksgiving that’s different?  We’ve heard all the sermons about a thankful heart and to give thanks in all circumstances. Why is it so important to understand scripturally what thanksgiving means?    

In the NKJ version of the Bible, the word ‘thanksgiving’ is used 31 times and ‘give thanks’ is used 75 times. The number of uses seems to give these words a great deal of importance.  Why should we be so thankful when there are times that nothing seems to work out, nor we see God’s hand in action in our lives. 

            First of all, we need to be thankful for all the amazing things God has created and all the things he has done; even giving life to us humans.  Psalm 26:7 says, “That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all Your wondrous works.”  Where would we be without the sun and the moon; the oceans, lakes and rivers; the green fields to grow food; the animals and birds; the fish of the sea?  These are the physical things to give thanks for.  Also included in His wondrous works are spiritual things such as salvation and eternal life; the fruit of the Spirit, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”  Galations 5:22-23 

            Secondly, Psalm 97:12 “Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.” This scripture is very interesting because it tells the believer (righteous)  that when we remember the Lord, which should be quite often, we should give thanks!  As a believer, I think about the Lord all through the day, but don’t always say ‘thank you, Lord’ when I do think of Him.  And yet the bible clearly states that we should.  I have a feeling if we did that; we would receive a great blessing as well as a closer walk with Him – the Lover of our soul.

            Thirdly , when we have a great need we must call out to God, the Father in prayer and supplication, which most Christians do.  However there is one key we may omit in these prayers.

Phil 4: 6 tells us what that key is, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”  We may be desperate in giving God our requests, but how often do we approach Him with thanksgiving at these times.  How often do we become so involved ours or someone else’s troubles that thanksgiving never enters the picture.

            Fourthly, we must be thankful to God even when facing death because we love God more than ourselves, like Daniel did.  Daniel 6:10 “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days”

Daniel just received the news that anyone found praying to God rather than King Darius would be thrown to the lions.  Was Daniel just trying to be a martyr?  No, he trusted our heavenly Father and gave him thanks whether or not he survived.  Give me that kind of courage, Lord, to give thanks and rejoice in God, the Father in times of facing illness or death.  That is the mark of a true Believer.

            So this Thanksgiving Day, when we set down to an abundant table with family and friends, let our Thanksgiving not be just for the food, but for all God has done for us from the beginning.  Be thankful for His Word [The Bible], because in it you will find everything and every answer to life’s problems.

This song puts it so well:  “Give Thanks”

Give thanks with a grateful heart, Give thanks unto the Holy One
Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son.

Give thanks

Give thanks

THE THRILL OF THE RIDE

Have you ever ridden a roller coaster?  It might have been a very frightening experience for you, but at the same time, a great thrill.  An amusement park does not hold the attraction for me that it once did when I was younger.  I loved all the different rides, no matter how dangerous they looked; the thrill was greater than the fear.

Of course you could not get into an amusement park without it costing something.  We saved our money for the time we could go and then our rides were limited, so we relished every tingle and goosebump we experienced.  In a few minutes the ride was over and so was the thrill.  The only way you could make it an all day thrill, was to ride over and over again and who could pay the price. It’s funny about amusement parks; it costs a great deal to run them.  If everyone rode for free, it wouldn’t be long and the park would have to close.

Have you ever heard the term, “Cruisamatics”? These are Christians that go from church to church, fellowship to fellowship, conference to conference.  They just cruise around looking for a spiritual thrill and after a while, they get bored and say, “Where is the thrill?  I don’t feel anything anymore.  I’m not being ministered to.”  Then off they go. It reminds me of going to an amusement park for thrills.  When the ride is over, where is the thrill?

There is a missing element here - cost!  The ride was free, but was it?  If it was free, why didn’t it last?  If we are to grow spiritually and keep the thrill, there is a cost.  The bible says in Luke 14:28-30, "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.”

It seems as though new people come into a church or a ministry and they get excited.  They just love the Praise Team and the music.  They are so thrilled by the move of the Holy Spirit.  Perhaps what makes them the most excited is the pastor.  It may be his preaching, or it may be his vision.  Whatever it is, they are ready to jump in, get on the band wagon and go for the ride.  This may thrill them for a while, because in the short term, there is no cost, no commitment, no digging in the trenches.

Time passes and some weeks or months later, they begin to grumble and find little things they don’t like.  They’ve lost their zeal and begin to back off.  You can almost always tell when someone is getting ready to cruise on to another church or ministry.  They move back a few rows, instead of sitting as close to the front as they could.  The next move is generally in their giving. They feel if they give, they agree, so they hold back part of their tithe, maybe giving to another ministry.  The next step is they move to the back rows.  Let’s face it; they don’t have so far to go when they leave.  It just makes sense to sit closer to the door.

About this time, they hear of another church or ministry where things are really happening.  Why not go over there.  The thrill is gone from here.  They don’t “feel” anything anymore.  I guess I would have ask, “Did Jesus pack up his presence and go to another place?”  Even the Lord knew about people’s restlessness.  He said in Matt. 24:23 “At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it.” Of course there is more to this scripture, as it speaks about following false gods and religions, and that is truly a danger for those who are always looking for a greater thrill.

I once heard Kenneth Hagin say, “People are so busy looking for the spectacular, that they miss the supernatural.”  They are not content with the things of God.  We were not called by God to go to church to be entertained or get goosebumps.  We were called by God to love and worship him with our whole heart, strength and mind and to love others as ourselves.  This is the cost of serving God; love and worship.  When we do this, we won’t be looking for the thrill, but as Ps.119:165 tells us, “Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.”

There are some who when they are saved, believe that all they have to do is sit back and wait for heaven.  They forget that Jesus paid it all; the cost was great!  Can we get off that easy?  Its true - salvation is a free gift from God.  You might say that it took faith to believe; to accept Christ as your Savior its true, but there are two things you need to know about faith. 

The first is this, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--” (Eph. 2:8) Even the faith to believe is given to you by God, so you can’t pat yourself on the back for that. 

The second is, “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.  But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder.”

(Eph. 2: 17-20)   My friends, there is a cost for belonging to Christ.

The cost is this - we must give of ourselves; our time, our talents and our money.  Yes, God does expect us to give more than a couple of hours on Sunday morning.  There are 168 hours in a week and if we tithed our time that means that we would give 16.8 hours of our time and talents to God’s work.  It also means that we would give 10 percent of whatever we earned into the storehouse (church). 

Just like an amusement park, the church cannot function or keep its doors open, unless the people share the cost.  The thrill of the ride is over when people get bored.  They become bored when they aren’t doing anything.  Busy hands and hearts make work light.

Why do we have pastors, teachers, and leaders?  (Eph. 4:11-14)  “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,  to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.”

If you’ve ever had small children, you know they can wear you out with their running here and there, or crying for a bottle. You wish they would grow up enough to stop the whimpering and crying; at least be able to eat some solid food.  After a length of time, you become tired of fixing formula and bottle feeding these babies.  Some of them may already be walking and talking, but still want their “baba” (translated bottle).  One of the hardest parts of raising these children is when they learn to walk and talk, they want to wander off.  You have to keep your eyes on them constantly or they will get lost.

Christians who are not mature behave the same way.  They want to be bottle fed and as soon as they think they can walk the walk and talk the talk, they’re off running.  The problem is, one or two shepherds do not have time to bottle feed or constantly watch all of these people.  It’s an impossible task.  It takes others to help. It takes committed, mature Christians who are willing to give of their time, talents and money to further the work of the Kingdom.

No one said it would be easy; no one said it would always be fun or thrilling.  Even a roller coaster has its ups and downs; that’s what makes the heart race and the goosebumps rise up.  If the track was flat and level, there wouldn’t be any reason to ride it.  If you want whatever God has for you, climb on; buckle the seat belt and hang on.  Enjoy the thrill of the ride, but remember this, it will cost you something.  Are you willing to pay the price?  Jesus did!

A Pattern for Living

During the years of World War II, finances were very tight and my family was no exception.  We did without many things; sugar, coffee, gasoline, chocolate, to name a few.  Clothing was passed down, taken in, and let out.  Nothing was wasted.  My mother had an eye for fashion and did everything possible for my sister and I to be well dressed.  She would go to the feed mill and buy feed sacks, which were of various patterns and colors, at that time.  From those feed sacks, she fashioned very pretty and stylish clothing for us. 

Mother never bought a pattern, but would create one from newspapers or grocery bags. Then she would cut and fit until it was just like an original she had seen.  When dresses with matching pinafores were popular, I would be sure to have one or more within a few days.  My sister loved ‘broomstick’ skirts and she must have had at least six of them, all different colors and patterns.

Today, no one would sew without a pattern, and many don’t sew at all, due to the availability of clothing in stores. Sometimes I think today’s standards have taken away much of our creativity.  I often think of my mother making a pattern; then cutting and fitting.  It reminds me of life and the cutting and fitting we go through.  Many people, the world over, are searching for a pattern for life.  Once they looked to storybook heroes, and then to the super heroes in comic books.  Today, they fashion their lives after the pattern of what they see on television. Who do you pattern your life after?  Is it Superman, Robert Redford, Madonna, Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts?  Is it the heroes of the Bible, or is it Jesus Christ who was and is the greatest pattern of all?

When Jesus was talking to the rich, young, ruler who was searching for eternal life, he told him how to achieve this, “Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."(Matthew 19:21)  When he called to the fishermen at the Sea of Galilee, his words were: "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." (Mark 1:17)

What Jesus was saying, in essence to these people, was to go with him, watch him, and do what he did;  in other words, to pattern their lives after Him.  In fact, this perfect Man, was the only one who had the answers to life.  He was an example of Holy Living.  There was just one problem to following Jesus; in looking to him as a pattern of living, it was going to take a lot of cutting and fitting to be like the original. 

I remember my mother saying, as she was fitting a dress on me, “It’s going to take a little tuck here and a little tuck there, for it fit right”.  This is true of all those who answer Christ’s call, “Come, follow me”.   At times, I can hear a quiet voice speaking to me and that voice says, “You’re going to need a little tuck here and a little tuck there”.  Then I wiggle and squirm with impatience, until I realize that a Holy Life won’t fit if I don’t stand still and let Him do the cutting and fitting.

What is this pattern for living like?  First of all Jesus had great Compassion.  We find the word ‘compassion’ linked with Christ throughout the New Testament.  (Matthew 9:36)  “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”   (Mark 1:41) “Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man.”   (Mark 8:2) “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat.”  He had compassion on the people because they were lost, they were sick and they were hungry.

We need to ask ourselves if we have that same compassion for people.  If He is our pattern, we need to reach out to the lost, the sick and those in need.  It may be here that we must be fit a little better to become more like the original.

The second part of the pattern is Consideration.  Perhaps, without realizing it, we are a pattern for someone else.  Paul wrote to the Corinthians regarding this.  “Everything is permissible--but not everything is beneficial.”  “Everything is permissible--but not everything is constructive.  Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.  Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, for, "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it."  If some unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience.  But if anyone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, both for the sake of the man who told you and for conscience' sake--the other man's conscience, I mean, not yours. For why should my freedom be judged by another's conscience? If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?  So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.  Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God--even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.” (I Cor. 10:23-33)

Having concern and consideration for others is part of the pattern.  We must realize that we have weaker brothers and sisters, in the body of Christ, and in order to help them grow up spiritually, we must be that example. (Colossians 3:17) “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”  If we follow the pattern of Jesus, we can be an example to those who are weaker.

Paul used himself as a pattern for the Philippians, (Phil. 4:9) “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” We, also, must put into practice the things we have learned from our Lord.  However, we can only put into practice the very things we have been fitted to.  It may be that we still need some adjustment, “a little tuck here, and a little tuck there”.  Let us become very aware that we are God’s tools in working with the ‘new babes in Christ’ and ‘in those who are weaker’.

The third part of the pattern of Christ is being a Servant.  (Rom. 15:1,2)  “We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.  Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.”   For some, being a servant is a natural gift and they are always ready to help others.  But, to others, becoming a servant takes a lot of cutting and fitting. Paul teaches us in the book of Galatians, that being a servant is not something bad, but is an opportunity to do good. “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (Galatians 6:10) 

In Matt. 12:18, God, the Father, spoke of his Son, as a servant.  "Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations.”    We are also God’s chosen and as he loves the ‘servant’ in Christ, he also loves the ‘servant’ in his people.

Salvation does not come through good works, but only by accepting Christ as our Savior, who died that we might be forgiven and cleansed of our sins.  However, there are rewards for those who have a servant’s heart, and we must not give up on doing good deeds.  (Galatians. 6:8, 9) “The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

As we grow into the likeness of Christ, let’s remember that in order to look like the original, it takes cutting and fitting.  It may also need ‘a little tuck here and a little tuck there’.  If we set our course to become like Him, we need to have compassion, consideration and a servant’s heart.  Jesus Christ is the pattern for living and our Hero for all time.