The Old Apple Tree

Fruitfulness

John 15:16

you did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.

When we moved into our house there was an old apple tree at the bottom of the garden. The house was built in the 1930's, and I think the tree had been there since then. It did not have a straight trunk, and started life as a dwarf tree variety. Consequently it grew quite twisted with gnarled lumps on its branches and knots of wood. In the early years half of it lost its bark and became dried and rotten. The  rotten branches dropped off eventually. It produced large sour green cooking apples, in late Autumn and I would slice and freeze the cooked slices of apple to use in pies throughout the year. Then we had a series of dry summers where the crop was sparse, and the tree was largely ignored. Then when the stubble fields, left from harvesting wheat,  were set alight after being harvested, the tree caught fire, and half of it was burned down. It recovered though and the next hot summer there was a plague of wasps around it, so no one went near it. That summer I had never seen so many woodpeckers: green and spotted, lesser and greater. All came to the tree to rest. I realised then, that they were eating the wasps - where there had been a wasp nest in the ground, next to the foot of the tree, the green woodpeckers had eaten every one them.

It made me think that in human terms our lives grow through different seasons of fortune and misfortune. For example, the greatest joy is having a new baby in the family, but the responsibility for keeping it safe, having sleepless nights and worrying over the little ones future is a huge pressure on parents. When you struggle in this new phase of life, and realise that your carefree life has ended, it can seem that this stage will never end, you have to mature, become less selfish, more motivated to care for your children. Isn't it true that each stage of of family life brings new treasures, but also new aspects of it, also create stress and worry?

This year we had an unusual amount of rain in the Spring, then a warm and pleasant summer. We also had an 'Indian Summer' in September with the warmest temperatures ever known.  I noticed that the apple tree and huge apples; each with a blush of pink colour on one side - they looked appetising. I picked one and risked taking a bite. I could not believe it, but the apples tasted sweet! They had transformed from cooking apples, to eating apples! 

Our church has had major building work done on the inside - the largely dark and dusty interior, with it's Victorian pews, and old iron gratings and cold, tiled floors have been totally renovated. It has oak floors, under-floor heating, new comfortable chairs and clean stained -glass windows that let in light. The Bishop came to rededicate the building to the service of God. Following this service there was a lunch for the church members, and all the architects, builders and renovators so that we could all celebrate these achievements.

How proud I was to take a huge apple pie, to the lunch event, made from apples from that craggy, old apple tree. The recipe needed barely any sugar. If that tree had ever had a diary written, about its life, this occasion, would have been its highest accolade - to have its  produce, the most luscious, sweet and rosy apples, to grace the table, of a Bishop's lunch, well that would have been unthinkable in the early years.

Is your life like the tree? Which stage is it at? Is it dry and barren? Ask Jesus to be your Saviour, to set you free from the burdens of Sin, so that you can live your life in freedom and filled with hope for the future. 

Is it scorched and burned by arguments, unhappiness, and a feeling of being powerless? God's love has the power to transform situations, to move mountains of disappointment, to heal the damage that other people do. Pray and confess your part of the damage, pray for the power to forgive others who hurt and abused you, even if you were innocent of any wrong, because He is the God of justice. His Holy Spirit will grow new branches, that will rewrite your personal history so that you can live a happy life once more.

Is it that, no matter what you do to try and change things, you are beset by failure and problems? Like the wasps, too numerous, like one powerful enemy. Keeping you away from the best that life has to offer? God sends solutions that we could not begin to imagine, like the woodpeckers - blessed by a feast of insects! We need to pray with honesty, be open with Him, tell him what you need, rather than want. His answers are more than you could have earned by trying to solve problems by yourself. They always surprise and delight, those who are willing to ask Our Loving and powerful Father in Heaven.

Galations 5;22

But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

There is nothing to stop us being fruitful, whatever stage in Life we are. Ask Him to show you how your Life may bless others today. Like this Year's apples, large, abundant and ripe, may God place in us the courage to face the future,  and fill us with the fruits of the spirit,  that our friends and families may experience the joy of knowing Him.  Amen

Ephesians 5:8,9

Live as children of light (for the fruit of light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases God.

Purchased

Purchased

An idea really struck me today, in a way I hadn't really thought about before. I wasn't on one of my lovely walks but in the supermarket. Whilst I was busily filling my 'shopping bag for life' and saving the planet from plastic bag overload, one of the items fell off the belt, a piece of shrink wrapped fish. I considered for a moment whether the food had been spoilt at all. Unusually, the item had fallen after the checkout girl had passed it over the light. At that instant, I  realised, that I now owned that fish, whatever state it was in. 

Isn't that like being a Christian? Well Jesus has purchased us, once and for all. His great sacrifice saved us from eternal damnation; we cannot be ’unpurchased’. Once that commitment to follow Him has been made, we are forever part of His kingdom. Some folk may lose their way, and whatever Sin is committed after coming to Christ will have to be reckoned up; hopefully before their life ends as it wasn't in the original account. A bit like starting an unexpected overdraft at the bank; it is putting off the payment as a kind of goodwill deal. If a Christian finds faith once more those sins need to be brought to the foot of the cross. Not just by saying sorry to God, but having to make real and often difficult changes, to enable the forgiven person to walk that narrow path to  spiritual fulfillment once more. Once you have passed through the light, that is making a commitment to Christ, you have to keep short accounts with God; if your life falls by the wayside, you need the support of other Christians to help you back up again, you cannot lose the Lord from your life. 

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; for you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your body.

Revelation 7:13,14

Then one of the elders asked me, "These in White robes - who are they, and where did they come from?"

"I answered, "Sir, you know."

And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

 He watches over and waits, full of love, not judging, even the angels in heaven say prayers for you. It is always about choosing Him and not the other way around. Also, it is not in the spirit of, what's in it for me if I do, but choosing to live for Him, is freedom. The knots in your situation, the parts in Life you cannot change, the sad feelings, frustrations, and grief, begin to unravel; through prayer and an increase in faith. How does Faith increase? By the Grace of God, it is a gift that gathers gradually, like feathers developing on a chick; the feathers change, become stronger, more like quills. Stick with Jesus because one day, you will open those wings and fly!