Sunday, May 30, 2010

Give it a little more time...

As a preacher of the Gospel, I have had the idea that at a certain point one should be at a certain place and doing "A", "B", "C". I mean this is what is said without being said by those who are of the same vocation I am, and yet there are those of us who haven't measured up to the said status quo, and this is tends to give me fits more than anything else. Why have I not...? What is it that...? When do I...?

There is a parable Jesus used in Luke 13:6-9, and I know this maybe a bit of a stretch to use this passage of scripture to show my point but if you bare with me I think you'll get what I'm saying, or at least I hope you do. Jesus was telling us about a man who planted a fig tree in his vineyard and after coming to see if the tree had produced any figs he didn't find any, so he told the gardener to cut the tree down. The gardener; who in this case is a representation of Jesus, tells the owner to wait just a little while longer and let him, the gardener, spend more time with the tree, and if after a time it doesn't still produce then OK we'll cut it down but if it does then it's all good.

This parable help me to understand that though the status quo says, "...at this stage in the game you should be here and if you aren't then..." that there are times when certain 'trees' aren't going to bring forth fruit right away and that it's going to take just a little more time perhaps than most, but as long as I'm in the hands of the Gardener I know that I will continue to receive the proper nutrients necessary to promote the growth needed to bare the fruit required to feed those in need.

Have you produced fruit at every stage in your development? What parable or passage of scripture have you found beneficial in helping you produce?

3 comments:

sue hanes said...

I.H.S. - I have thought of you many times and wondered how you were doing.

Like Z - I was taken by surprise when you suddenly appeared on her blog.

I promise to read your blog now that you are back.

I know you have always been here, but to tell you the truth, I have poor concentration when it comes to sermons. :-)

(But I'll give it a shot.)

Nice picture.

sue hanes said...

I.H.S. - What I get out of this is that we are to have 'hope.'

For me, although I work hard on my Faith Journey, I never feel that there is lack of hope for myself, but I always feel concern for those that others tend to give up on.

As for the Scripture that you ask for, I need to give that some thought and answer later.

Thanks, I.H.S., for coming back into my life.

sue hanes said...

I.H.S. - I know that it has been over a year since you posted, but I feel that your comment on Z's blog is a 'sign' for me.

I will be using this post's comment section to say some things about Scripture.

Thanks.