In the farming industry, plants that don’t produce are cut down and replaced by one that does. To a farmer, a non-producing plant costs him profit. They don’t have the time to nurture it back to health because the costs of water and fertilizer are too high. As Christians, we are to produce fruit in our lives as well. Don’t waste your life on trivial pursuits.
Matthew 3:10
“The ax is already at the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
Avoid a Hollow Life
John the Baptist spoke this message to the Pharisees and Scribes of his time. They looked good and healthy to everyone, but they were living fruitless lives. John is telling them to repent from their hollow lifestyle and to turn back to God. This was offensive to them because they were considered the spiritual superstars of that day. John told them they would be cut down like an ax to a tree and eventually all of Israel was cut down by the Romans because they didn’t turn to Jesus.
Turning Up the Heat
We can’t go on living our own life and give off the appearance of living for Jesus. He won’t stand for it and will take measures to turn our hearts back to him. If we resist those efforts, he will use the trials and troubles of our lifestyle to get our attention. He won’t cause the trials, but as a consequence of our choices, he will allow us to go through difficulty so we will trust in him again.
Produce Fruit in Your Life
Don’t waste your life on things that don’t matter. Follow Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to do a work in your heart. Live an obedient life by doing what Scripture says and put your trust in Jesus. When you do this, you will start to see the fruit of the Spirit grow in your life. Resisting it and doing your own thing could cause you some heat down the road.