BY JACK WARD
PASTOR, TOMAHAWK MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH
In a backyard, there once lived an apple tree and a thorn bush. The apple tree produced nice juicy apples that everyone liked to eat. Kids would climb up the tree and pluck the apples. Worms would eat the ones that fell on the ground. Birds would peck away at the fruit from the top. The owner would also prune and spray the tree to make sure it produced lots of fruit for the neighborhood.
In the corner, about 50 yards from the apple tree stood a thorn bush. Nobody messed with the thorn bush. One day old Jimmy Johnson ran his bike into it, but after he got all cut up, he never made the same mistake again. Nobody picked any fruit off it; everyone left it alone.
At first the apple tree liked all the attention. But after about 10 years, it started becoming envious of the thorn bush. It said to the thorn bush, “You know, I’m sick of everyone always climbing on me and picking my fruit. The master is always trimming me, putting smelly manure around my trunk, and making a fuss over me. I wish they’d go somewhere else. Better yet, I wish I was a thorn bush; then everyone would leave me alone.”
The thorn bush then looked at the apple tree and said, “Don’t be a fool! Bite your bark! Look at me! I don’t do anyone a bit of good. I feed nobody. I look ugly. All I do is harm. The master didn’t plant me here. I’m just a wild weed. The only good I do is to fill up some space in the yard. I would trade all the thorns in the world to have one child climb my branches – to have the Master trim my branches – and produce some fruit.”
There are many, and shockingly even those who claim to be Christians who more resemble a thorn bush than an apple tree. They don’t want to give anything to anyone most of the time. They give only when it is to their advantage. They want to be left alone most of the time unless they can use someone. They really don’t care about anyone but themselves. The Bible says that their life is thorns. Hebrews 6:8: “But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.”
A life of thorns is rejected by God and left without hope in the world to come. According to God; thorns are good for nothing but to be burned.
As Christians, we should be like the apple tree. Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
A Christian is to love others always and not abuse them. A Christian is to have joy and peace in their heart; be patient, have faith in God alone; have strength but always under control. And A Christian is able to say “no” to those things which may harm them or others. None of these “fruits” is against any of God’s laws. Just like the apple tree gives good fruit and is approved by those who see it and partake of it, God approves of a fruitful life.
Just like the apple tree, a Christian is taken advantage of by the world. People ask us for our fruit and then walk away without saying thanks. People climb us, abuse us, and do all sorts of things to us and expect us just to take it all the time. And we do because, like the apple tree, we stand firm, solid and faithful to produce fruit day after day, week after week, year after year for the glory of our creator and for the love of His creation.
Christian, does your life more resemble a thorn bush or an apple tree?
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