Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. It’s a new day in this Journey called Life, and if I want to be sure that I’m Prepared for whatever the Lord has for me today, I need to begin with Him. So, I sat in His Presence, I gave thanks for who He is and what He does for me, I poured out my Heart, I confessed my sins, and I sang a few songs of praise in my Heart. When I opened my eyes to take in the beauty around me one more time, I saw that the sun shining through the leaves on this very full tree, and it left light on the ground where it managed to break through. I could see some big breakthroughs and some little breakthroughs, and the sun beat down on this tree as if to illuminate each breakthrough. The breakthroughs in Life come by way of the Light too, and everything we need to grow and bear fruit is found in the Living Word. The Author and Perfecter of our Faith is ready to “light it up”too anytime we desire to be Taught. Isn’t it just like God to use His own sun to drive home a message to me this morning?

Most people in this world are content just to be average, but I’m not one of them. It was never enough for me to be an average worker at the office…I put in the effort to be the BEST, and I was rewarded with the fruit of my Labor. It wasn’t enough for me to be an average Mom…I put in the work to be the BEST I could be for my Treasures, and I Know that the fruit of my Labor will last for generations to come. I did not labor in vain. As a child of the Living God…hand-picked to be one of His own…I want ALL that God has for me. I see warning signs all over His Word about what the future looks like for those who are just along for the ride – content to sit on the sidelines – so I make sure that’s not what the Future looks like for me. I pour Him into me and before you know it, He pours right back out of me…I BEAR FRUIT. I have no interest in the sidelines – I want to be on the Frontline, so I put in the work to make sure that my Heart is Ready and that my Life is bearing Fruit. The Journey of Faith is “evidenced” by good fruit being born day in and day out. If there is no fruit, that’s a pretty good indicator of someone content to just go along for the ride…and the Future isn’t nearly as bright for them as they think it is.

When a tree stops bearing fruit, the grower gets busy trying to figure out what went wrong. The grower has a lot invested in each tree, and he will never be content with a tree that’s not bearing fruit. Most of the time, the tree stopped producing because it was somehow malnourished, lacking the nutrients it needed to have the strength to bear fruit at all. Once the grower takes the steps to give the tree the nourishment it desperately needs to be a good bearer of fruit, the tree will become part of the land of the living again. If it never bears fruit again, it is removed so that it doesn’t take away from the rest of the orchard. A dead tree has no purpose whatsoever. It’s too bad we don’t look at the Journey of Faith the way a farmer looks at a tree. If we notice a tree isn’t bearing fruit, we should do everything in our power to give the “tree” what it needs to Mature so that it can bear fruit. After that, if there is no fruit naturally coming forth from the tree that has been Given everything it needs to Grow, it’s safe to assume it’s dead, and it’s time to plant seeds all over again. What’s true for nature is True for the Journey of Faith…if there is no fruit, there is no sign of Life.

I Nourish my Faith with the Living God the same way a farmer nourishes his crops. My Life depends on Him, and I have no future without Him, so He is the center of my world, and I refuse to be content or to labor in vain. I give the Living God the First and the Best of me because I LOVE Him more than anyone or anything else – as a result, my Life bears fruit. There isn’t anything “average” about my Journey of Faith, and you won’t find me on the sidelines hoping for a Future with Him…you’ll find me Living out the Purpose He created just for me instead. Besides, with so many seemingly dead trees out there, there is plenty of work for me to do in His Name. I want everybody to Know who I know and to have what I have, and I want the world overflowing with beautiful Fruit that will someday be Transplanted to Heaven. What I have isn’t rocket science, and it can’t be intellectualized even though plenty of people try to do just that. All it ever really takes to bear the Best Fruit FOREVER is the Right seed, and Proper Nourishment all the days of your Life.

Are YOU bearing Good Fruit? If not, we need to talk!