Always Be Ready

Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” (Matthew 21:18-19)

 

When Jesus encounters the fig tree, He finds it fruitless, and He is displeased, because He was hungry. His disappointment with the tree is actually quite surprising, considering the fact that it was not the season for figs — When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. (Mark 11:13b) Yet, He cursed the tree for fruitlessness anyway! Jesus was obviously expecting figs, even though it was not fig season. The only conclusion we can come to is this — when Jesus is looking for fruit, we had better have fruit. In other words, Be ready in and out of season. (2 Timothy 4:2)

 

The Lord does not view times and seasons the way we do. He is not bound by the clock on the wall, because He is sovereign, and His reign is eternal. When we were born again in the Spirit, He placed eternity in our hearts, and we began to understand life in the Spirit. We are no longer limited in our thinking and doing, because we have entered a realm where we understand spiritual things, where nothing is impossible, and the impossible is nothing!

 

When we rightly esteem the Spirit-filled life, we will always be prepared for the divine moments and encounters Jesus engineers. We are always ready to glorify our God, and we are true to Him no matter the cost. May the Lord find our branches laden with the fruits of the Spirit, and may Jesus be refreshed and glorified in us no matter the season. 

 

Let's Pray - Father, I realize You will return like a thief in the night. Therefore, I am to be ready for Your return. May You find acceptable spiritual fruit on my branches, and may that fruit refresh You and bring You glory. Amen. 

Come Follow Me

Now the Lord had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, from your family, and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you." (Genesis 12:1-6)

"If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple." (Luke 14:26-27)

 

Every man God calls to Himself will face the challenge of leaving what he has for what God has for him. For the Lord to draw us to Himself, He must draw us away from the familiar, and we must lay down the life we know and love to receive the life He promises.

 

Abram is a picture of true worship and devotion, which moves beyond words and good intentions and manifests in obedience, especially when it is difficult.

 

God was not asking Abram to leave an unpleasant situation for a good one — any fool knows to do that! He's asking him to trust and believe Him, to leave all and follow Him, to prefer and prioritize Him, to go to a place without knowing what or where that place is, and to walk by faith and not by sight. 

 

"Sell all you have . . . and come follow me." (Luke 18:22)

 

A crowded life is one God cannot and will not use. We cannot bring our schedules and possessions; those things will not fit through the narrow door entered by the few.

 

You will notice that everyone who profoundly affects your life for Christ is one who is “sold out.” That is the one God sends, because he or she will be faithful with the strength He pours into them. The Lord is looking for the one He can trust with souls, and that one is willing to forsake all to receive all the Lord would give.

 

Jesus will not share His disciple with anyone or anything else. Are you His disciple? His and His alone?

 

Let’s Pray – Lord, I will respond when You call, and I will do so without doubting. I have learned that You are trustworthy, and You always lead me in the righteous path. Here I am, Lord, at Your service. Amen.