Friday, July 19, 2013

Fruits Fit For Repentance

Then Jesus told this story: “A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed. Finally, he said to his gardener, ‘I’ve waited three years, and there hasn’t been a single fig! Cut it down. It’s just taking up space in the garden.’ The gardener answered, ‘Sir, give it one more chance. Leave it another year, and I’ll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer. If we get figs next year, fine. If not, then you can cut it down.’” Luke 13:6-9 NLT  Jesus was using this story to illustrate that we ought to bring forth fruits fit for repentance, because the ax is already laid at the root of the tree (See Luke 3:9) and God's patience has a limit.  In the parable, the garden owner grants another year of life to the tree. In the same way, God in His mercy grants us another day, another hour, another minute, but His patience will at one point come to an end, and the fruitless, unrepentant individual will be cut down. Therefore, we should repent and stop living in the sins of sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these, and bring forth fruits fit for repentance which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (See Galatians 5:19-23)

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