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By Fred Kerr
From my window I can see the proud branches of a fig tree. For several years I have raised these trees that are mentioned in the Bible. I have discovered some spiritual principles from them.
For example, most fruit trees bear only once a year. Under the right conditions fig trees will bear twice, once in June and again in September. Like God’s people they have the potential to be very fruitful. Jesus talked about fruit bearing people in one of His parables. He said, “But what was sown on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown” (Matt. 13:23).
Also, bananas, peaches and most other fruit continue to ripen after picking. Not so the fig. It matures no further once it is removed from its nourishment (food). And figs disconnected from the tree soon perish. They shrivel quickly and go bad. You cannot eat them.
This reminds me of the words of Jesus when He said, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me” (Jn 15:4).
I understand that unless apples get late summer rain, they will be small and not as juicy. But fig trees are hardy; they are tough! They produce bumper crops in dry, hot summers. Can Christians like the fig tree be content in the heat of difficulties? The Apostle Paul said he had learned that lesson. “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances” (Phil. 4:11b).
Besides surviving the hot summers, fig trees prosper in very average soil. In fact, I used to fertilize them and they didn’t produce. Neither do I need to spray them. Fig trees adjust to conditions. We believers too can be fruitful and thankful wherever we are. We are commanded, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (I Thess. 5:18 NKJ).
Fig trees do have a very vulnerable (open to attack) area—their roots. Nematodes (worms) in the soil can secretly drain their strength. The trees stop growing and do not produce fruit. There is no remedy for this underground killer. Diseased soil is deadly.
Our roots as Christians also need protection and nourishment. Anything besides Jesus Christ and the pure Word of God invites doctrinal “nematodes.” “Just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness” (Col. 2:7 NIV). As our inner man is strengthened, our spirit grows and we can better fight off the “nematodes” of worldliness and carelessness. We need our spiritual food from the powerful, changeless Word of God. The Psalmist prayed, “...Strengthen me according to your word” (Psa. 119:28b).
Some time ago I was digging in my yard far from the fig and apple trees. What did I discover there? Not the dark roots of the apple tree, but the yellowish brown roots of the fig tree. Like a pipeline, the fig tree’s roots will travel a long way for nourishment (food). Likewise, our spiritual growth may cost us in time and effort because growth takes commitment (ongoing effort).
Figs are unusually sweet. Fresh figs are as sweet as honey. Yet, as sweet as they are, they aren’t the most popular fruit. A taste for them may need to be acquired (learned).
The Psalmist writes that the Word of God is sweet. “How sweet are your words to my taste” (Psa. 119:103). Sweetness here means the Bible is good! It suggests satisfaction with God’s Word. Finding the Word of God sweet is evidence of a man’s wisdom. Desiring God’s Word shows a hunger for God.
I’m expecting another bumper crop of figs this year, whether the weather is hot or cold. And I am very grateful for the spiritual lessons I have learned from my fig trees.
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