Fruit of Repentance Fruits of Repentance Can be Hard to Produce

 

Fruit of Repentance

Fruits of Repentance Can be Hard to Produce

It takes the work of repentance not just once, but every day

McQueen’s Orchard brings in thousands of people every year

Who are looking for good fruit

They are well known and loved for their fruit

The reason is they work hard to prune, feed and protect their trees

McQueen’s trees left alone would be like my trees with no fruit

Fruit trees need work to produce good fruit

Or, they will return to poor or no fruit trees

James 5:16 says

Therefore confess your sins to each other

And pray for each other so that you may be healed.

 

Fruits of Repentance Can be Hard to Produce

 

I planted 5 fruit trees a number

of years ago in my yard.

 

The first year was the best year when

they were small and humble looking.

 

Like these fruit trees, when sin catches up to us,

when we are in suffering and humbled,

 we tend to make changes that produce good fruit.

 

As the years have gone by,

 my trees have not produced well.

 

All my trees produce beautiful flowers in the spring.

 

My peach tree is amazingly beautiful.

 

It has grown large and full and those spring

blossoms give it the glory over all

the other trees for about a week.

 

But as summer comes, the tree cannot

handle all the fruit being produced.

 

The fruit never gets bigger than a large marble.

 

The problem is it needs to be pruned.

 

I have tried to find out how to prune,

 but I like the look of its fullness.

 

I am not sure what to

cut out and what to leave.

 

I know a radical change needs to take

place for this tree to produce good fruit.

 

Too often, we are not willing to

take the radical steps for change.

 

Note the tree never prunes its self, it needs

a master pruner to cut the branches.

 

2020 had a freeze in April and all the

blossoms fell, never giving the

tree a chance to bear fruit at all.

 

McQueen’s Orchard, a local orchard, hired

helicopters to hoover over their trees and

took other very expensive measures to

protect the trees so they could bear fruit.

 

Producing fruit of repentance can come

at a great cost and the help of others.

 

My cherry trees produce very sweet cherries,

 but the worms and birds always

beat me to the good fruit.

 

When we produce fruit of repentance,

 we need to make sure God

does not get robbed of the glory.

 

My plum trees need each

other to produce fruit.

 

They should help each other

by pollinating each other.

 

The first years the one tree produced

very little flowers and no fruit.

 

 I questioned whether it was a plum tree

and have thought of removing it.

 

The other tree did not look as good

and less flowers, but did produce fruit.

 

Two years ago the tree that produced fruit died.

 

Its dead branches stand with no

leaves, no flowers and no fruit.

 

But at the roots some sprouts are shooting up.

 

At first I thought the tree may grow again

and produce good fruit.

 

 But I am told the tree was a grafted tree

and anything growing below the point

of the graft will only produce

what its original nature is.

 

It may not produce fruit at all or

may be something other than plums.

 

I am watching to see.

 

God is long suffering,

 waiting for us to produce fruit.

 

The other plum tree now produces

lots of beautiful flowers.

 

But if it continues as it has in the

past years, there will be no

fruit, but I will watch and see.

 

Fruit is not easy to produce.

 

Righteousness is not easy.

 

To produce fruit of repentance

 we need a master pruner…

 

Caretaker, to see we get the right nutrition’s.

 

We need God’s work in our lives.

 

There may need to be severe

action and we need to accept it.

 

We need others to cross pollinate us.

 

We need to fight off the birds and worms.

 

 Repentance starts when we

embrace the work of Christ on the cross.

 

Repentance never stops.

 

Because you and I were not plucked

out of the world when we came to

the cross, we still have roots in it.

 

With those roots, we can product the

works of the world or the fruit of the Spirit.

 

It takes the work of repentance

 not just once, but every day.

 

McQueen’s Orchard brings in thousands of

people every year who are looking for good fruit.

 

They are well known and loved for their fruit.

 

The reason is they work hard to

prune, feed and protect their trees.

 

McQueen’s trees left alone would

be like my trees, with no fruit.

 

Fruit trees need work to produce good fruit

or they will return to poor or no fruit trees.

 

James 5:16 says…

 

Therefore confess your sins to each other and

pray for each other so that you may be healed.

 

 

Scripture Reading  NIV

 

Matthew 3:1-10

 

3:1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea 2 and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."

 

 

James 5:16

 

16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.