When I went into school this morning one of my colleagues said, “I have a lilac bush that hasn’t blossomed for two years.” Immediately I thought about Jesus and the fig tree. It was Monday of Passion Week when Jesus and His disciples came upon a fig tree in full-leaf. It should have had fruit amidst those leaves but had none. The whole story seems so out of character for Jesus except for the fact it was a great teaching opportunity. He cursed it. Too curse something is not that He did something bad to the tree other than to remove His own life sustaining power. Nothing on earth lives of itself. Moment by moment, breath by breath, heartbeat by heartbeat we do so because of His life flow to us. Cut off that connection and we, animals, trees, flowers, everything dies.
The lesson of the day, the lesson for history was that each of us is here for a reason. In Ephesians 2 Paul tells us we have a work to do, a special work prepared just for us. We might never know what it is. God knows what it is. If we allow He will guide our lives and place us in the right place at the right moment that we might do what will advance His kingdom. How grand it is going to be, to someday be told by God Himself, “Well done.” We will be amazed because not only might we not remember the moment but if we do we might have thought it was nothing much. There will be the surprise. The smallest act can have huge implications in history. We are here to blossom, to bear our fruit.
Written by Roger Bothwell on May 12, 2011
Spring of Life, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org