LIFE SCRIPTS

The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it. In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!” “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
Mark 11:12‭-‬14‭, ‬20‭-‬25 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/mrk.11.12-25.NIV

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
Psalms 1:1‭-‬6 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/psa.1.1-6.NIV

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
John 15:1‭-‬2 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/jhn.15.1-2.NIV

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22‭-‬23 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/gal.5.22-23.NIV

What is it about the fruit that God is so interested in?
The story of the fig tree seems to give us a glimpse into what Christ does not expect of us.
We are figs trees in His kingdom figuratively.
He has placed us in this world to bear fruit.
So when we don’t, we are cursed.
But Psalm 1 reminds us that we are not only to bear fruit but to do so both in and out of season.
How? Because we are planted besides streams of waters…we meditate and are hinged on God’s word which nourishes us even in dry seasons.
Dry places produce the sweetest fruits. Why?
Because the heat concentrates all the natural sugars so well.
We thrive even in dry seasons because we are planted by the rivers of water.
An analogy that is related to the ‘true vine’ in John 15.
We thrive because we get our nourishment from Christ who is the True Vine.
Ever wondered how leaves in dry places are green?
Because they draw their moisture from the the tree they are on.
We are like branches fixed on the true vine, Jesus Christ.
It doesn’t matter the wilderness we’re in, He will nourish us.
But as He nourishes us, what kind of fruit does He expect from us?
Galatians 5 highlights the component of the fruit of the Spirit…
These are virtues that stand the test of time even in the midst of difficulty:

…love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control…

Even when treading through the wildernesses of doubt, persecution, hatred, envy and being schemed against, God expects us to demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit…

To love those who hate us…
To be joyful even in difficulty…
To demonstrate peace in the midst of turmoil…
To have forbearance on those we don’t agree with…
To show kindness to all…
To be good to all and sundry…
To be faithful to Christ…
To be gentle in correcting others…
To demonstrate self control on things that are not beneficial to us.