Where’s the beef?

Some years ago, there was a popular commercial where some bought a burger and found little meat on the bun, “Where’s the beef?” I thought of that this morning as I meditated on life, family and ministry, and the question, “Where’s the fruit?”

When Jesus went to an area surrounded by farmers, he spoke of knowing the seasons, seedtime and harvest, sowing the seed on different kinds of soil, different yields, pruning for greater fruit, and the grain of wheat needing to die completely in the ground to bring forth much fruit. And in this is glorified the Father that we bear much fruit.

I grew up with parents that grew up on farms and loved to plant and harvest. My mother had a garden as big as many have a house, and boy did she work it! It had to be tilled, dirt clods removed, and furrows prepared. She looked for the right seeds for the biggest, juiciest beefsteak tomatoes, lettuce we grew and cut and grew again, cucumbers and squash of every kind imaginable. We took turns weeding long rows, so the seed wouldn’t be choked out, and harvest time meant tomato sandwich and fried zucchini dinners, big kettles of sweet corn, and so much more. So good.

While other kids were out and about, we canned hundreds of quarts of pickles- sweet, bread and butter, and dill… whole, sliced and spears… tomatoes stewed, sauced, spaghetti sauce, vegetable soup… frozen corn on the ear and off and canned. And so much more. Then there was the fruit, from strawberries and raspberries (those were the fast ones) to planting trees- peach, apple, plum, cherry- and waiting a couple of years for the first. There was a year we had to hunt down a squirrel that would go up the peach tree, pick the fruit just before it was ripe, eat it, and throw down the stone. That was too much! Some corn went the same way, shucked and eaten on the spot. Amazing really, but quite frustrating when you are anticipating enjoying that fruit. And peaches are my favorite, until mangoes came into the picture. Anyway, kind of reminds me of those that wanted to discourage Nehemiah from rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, who said even little foxes would tear it down. Sometimes they can.

By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

Jesus (John 15:8)

There is no doubt that God expects to see fruit in our lives, because He created man and put us in a world primed for growth and said, “Be fruitful and multiply”. In the natural, we are made to reproduce and nurture the fruit of our union to maturity. That’s children in case you didn’t get it. And we are responsible for bringing them up in the way of the Lord for eternal purpose, not just a degree and a name. Even if for some reason you aren’t able to have children, God will use you to nurture others that need what he puts in you, naturally and spiritually.

Have you examined your life lately to see what fruit is there? Jesus said, “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” What kind of fruit is He looking for? Some will say fruit of the Spirit and others go straight to winning souls. I think it is both and so much more. One look at nature makes it clear that God loves variety and abundance. So also God’s word tells us to have fruits of righteousness, fruits consistent with repentance, fruit of our lips that is sacrifice of praise, fruit of the Spirit, fruit of our service, ministry and fruit for eternity.

The fruit of the Spirit such as love, joy, peace, kindness and patience grow in our lives when our spirit is joined to the Spirit of God through salvation, and we present ourselves as a living sacrifice (Galatians 5:16-26). That’s how our heart becomes fertile for the Spirit’s seeding, cultivating and producing of fruit in us that happens from the inside out until visible to all. And you can’t make it happen, believe me. If you’ve ever tried to “help” your spouse produce this fruit, you probably know that will usually backfire. Don’t nag or try to open his eyes. Don’t try to do what only the Holy Spirit can. Love, pray, and speak words of faith. That’s the best water and fertilizer in our own lives and others.

One day we will stand before God, and He will ask us an account for the time lived on earth, and the bottom line is whether we lived it according to His plan and lead or not. Paul worked hard and influenced pretty much the known world in his lifetime, but he knew all fruit came from God. “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.” (1 Corinthians 3:6-8) God requires of us as stewards to be faithful (1 Co. 4:2), using our time, talent, and treasure where and how He wants, when He wants it, and in the way He wants.

Strawberries or avocados?

I like big, juicy strawberries, and strawberries and cream, yum! Plants are good to plant in all kinds of areas, and you may harvest as soon as 2-3 months. Honestly, I enjoy them but don’t eat strawberries often. But avocados are another story. I could and do sometimes eat them every day, all year around, and with just about anything. My appreciation has grown since learning that an avocado tree may take 13 years to grow from seed, fruit from a sapling 3-4 years, and an avocado I chuck down maybe 12-18 months to grow and mature. That’s a lot of caring and waiting, but then a tree may produce 200-300 in a year for anywhere from 25-80 years. That’s a lot of fruit.

He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. (2 Corinthians 9:10-11)

Maybe you have seen great fruit in a short time in one area and then been discouraged in another. I know women who have prayed for their husband for years before he came to the Lord, and others saw it in days. Maybe you have shared with friends and co-workers left and right, but none have come on your invite. I recently had the great joy of seeing a neighbor’s household transformed by the Lord and discipleship, after 30 years of resisting, the grain of wheat finally sprouted. Go to the master gardener, act on his direction, fertilize the seeds in the Spirit, and trust that God will give growth and fruit in due time. “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9) I pray this be a time in which “the plowmen overtake the reaper” (Amos 9:13) and the “sower and reaper may rejoice together” (John 4:36), all for the glory of the Father.