Lessons from Fig Tree

People take pride in many things! People take pride in their education, in their jobs, and in their possessions! Some take pride in the number of times they have read the Bible or how they read it. Reading the Bible is important, but obeying the Word is far more important. Some take pride in how they observe Sundays too! Observing Sundays with Godly activities is good but what we do on all the other six days is far more important to God.

We read about Jesus cursing the fig tree in Mark 11:11-18. Of all the miracles in the ministry of Jesus, this is the only destructive miracle. If this was the only miracle of its kind, then there must be an important lesson in it! Jesus encountered the fruitless fig tree the day after the triumphant entry. Why did Jesus look for fruit in that tree? There are many varieties of figs in Israel. Usually, the figs precede the leaves. By the time the leaves appear on the tree, these figs are pretty well developed. So, when Jesus saw this tree full of leaves, He expected to find something edible on the tree!

Here is a warning for us. Our life may appear holy on the outside. We may be doing all the right things, but if our life does not have fruit or good works or personal holiness, then we can be assured of the wrath of God. There were other trees, without fruit and without leaves. Jesus' anger was not directed against them. God is not pleased when there is a profession without practice, talk without walk. It is then just hypocrisy. We can learn three lessons from this event that is recorded in the Bible:

• People appear to be holy, but sometimes their lives are far from it.
• Everyone will be inspected by the Lord
• And the result of that inspection will be very terrible.

My friend, let us take life seriously and apply the WORD to every area of our life. Where obedience is needed, let us obey; where we have to turn from our sinful ways, let us return to the Lord; where we have to forgive, let us forgive. Let us repent and return to the Lord. Only then the Lord can find acceptable fruit in our lives when He returns. May God help us.

Categories: Weekly DevotionalsAuthor: Hephzibah StephenDate: 12th May 2019 Share: newsletterDisplay date: 15th May 2019

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