Several years ago I planted two clementine trees in my yard. I was so looking forward to the delight of their sweet nectar. To date, however, the only crop they’ve produced is disappointment. Whatever the reasons, this much is clear: both trees are unfruitful.
Once Jesus told about seed that was unfruitful. It was rendered so on account of choking thorns. The story was an analogy to make His point:
(a) We can actually make the gospel message—as powerful as it is—unfruitful in our lives.
(b) This will happen if we let the thorns take over. The thorns are, broadly, worry and wonder.
Worry hammers us with fear that something bad will happen; that someone will hurt us; that we won’t have enough for our needs; that we’ll lose our health and die in pain; that we’ll be disliked or maligned, or forgotten and all alone…
Wonder, in the sense of awe and fascination, describes the heart that is enamored with “wealth, the desires for other things, and the pleasures of this life” (Matt 13:22; Mark 4:19; Luke 8:14).
Exactly how do worry or wonder choke out fruitfulness? Here are a few ways:
· Worry screams that God can’t be counted on in the things that concern or frighten us. Wonder doubts whether He will really deliver the things and pleasures we want. So we’d better see to our concerns and desires ourselves.
· Worry and wonder compete with God for a person’s worship. A person worships what matters most to him or her. And worrying about things or fixating on stuff or pleasure makes evident what’s most important.
· Worry and wonder are consumed with this world. And they’re agents of this world’s prince. So there will be all-out war against any kind of fruitfulness for God.
How serious is unfruitfulness? According to Jesus, fruit is the outward evidence of a transformation that takes place when a person becomes a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven. If we do not bear a Kingdom crop, there is no life in us. There must be a yield from our lives.
May the Lord find us fruitful!