Today in the back yard I noticed something very interesting. I have two cherry trees. They have grown very rapidly over the past three years and their limbs have spread out and may beautiful leaves appear on the branches but there is no fruit. On the other hand, I have two little apple trees that I planted at the same time. The trees are smaller, their branches are fewer, their leaves aren’t quite as green, but in contrast the limbs are covered with apples. I saw something similar with my raspberry plants. There were some that were tall, green and beautifully green, but there were very few raspberries. Yet there were several straggly looking plants with drooping stems and yellowing leaves that were covered with berries.
As I pondered this for a few minutes this morning a parable came into my mind. I thought of the statement “By their fruits ye shall know them”. The cheery trees and the tall healthy looking raspberry plants appear to have focused all of the nourishment from the soil on themselves. Selfishly they diverted their efforts toward their outward appearance and not on producing fruit. On the other hand, the apple trees and the straggly, “more humble” raspberry plants gathered nourishment from the soil and sacrificed their personal growth and appearance for their fruit.Now here is the question . . . Are you a self-centered cherry tree or prideful raspberry bush? What will be the quantity and quality of your fruits at harvest time?
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