Fruit After Its Kind
Our lesson tells this amusing story. Two young boys were using a fruit tree to climb out of their second-story bedroom window and go to the swimming hole without their parents' permission. One day they heard their father say he was going to cut the tree down because it was dead. Fearing they would lose their escape route, they went to the store and bought artificial apples, which they tied to the branches of the dead tree. The next morning their father expressed amazement that apples seemed to have grown overnight, especially since the tree was a pear tree!
A tree, plant, vine or brush, can only yield fruit after its own kind. This is the way God designed it. We know this from Genesis 1: 11 – 13
Genesis 1
11And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
12And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
13And the evening and the morning were the third day.
This is also true within species. A tree of one variation of the fruit will not yield another variation. A Pastor was sent as a missionary to Africa. The house he was assigned had a little bit of land. On this land there was an orange tree. The oranges looked good, but were very bitter of taste. The Pastor thought that maybe the tree needed nurture, so he dunged (fertilized) the tree. But, the next year's crop was as bitter as before. His son thought that maybe the tree needed sugar, to sweeten the oranges. So the Pastor put sugar in the soil. The next year's crop was still very bitter. No doubt the tree was a bitter orange tree. This could not be changed. It was the tree's nature. As the Bible says, 'For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush' (Luke 6:43, 44, NKJV).
Our nature will be revealed by the fruit we yield. We cannot escape that. And, we cannot change our nature. That is the bad good. The good news is that God can change our nature if only we let Him. He can make "our apple tree" bear oranges. And, He can make our "bitter oranges tree" yield sweet oranges. We are by nature sinners, therefore we Sin. But, God can transform us into righteous beings. However, for this we must abide in Him. This is what Christ is advising is in this parable in John 15: 1 - 10
John 15
1I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
3Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
4Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
6If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
7If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
8Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
9As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
10If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
Ellen White concludes in the following quote,
" 'By their fruits ye shall know them' (Matthew 7:20), the Saviour declared. All the true followers of Christ bear fruit to His glory. Their lives testify that a good work has been wrought in them by the Spirit of God, and their fruit is unto holiness. Their lives are elevated and pure. Right actions are the unmistakable fruit of true godliness, and those who bear no fruit of this kind reveal that they have no experience in the things of God. They are not in the Vine. Said Jesus, 'Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. I am the Vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing.'' John 15:4, 5."—Ellen G. White, Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, p. 329.
My prayer is that we allow God to abide in us and that we continue abiding in Him.
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Raul Diaz
www.wolfsoath.com
