21 March 2014 - fruit that lasts

21 March 2014 - fruit that lasts

Today we are admonished to be sure that we are producing the fruit of the Kingdom of God.

Therefore, I say to you,
the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you
and given to a people that will produce its fruit.”

It isn't enough to have a great vineyard, well defended from the world by a hedge and tower, and to then keep the produce to oneself.  God is not pleased with the situation since the vineyard ultimately belongs to him along with all of its produce.  God sends servants to us, opportunities to open up and share the fruits which are in any case his.  But we are happy in our sheltered world.  We are afraid to reach out and to share.

We want the fruit of the Spirit, "love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (cf. Gal 5:22), but we are content to see others without them.  This is a problem.  A servant comes to us requesting the fruit of joy and we fear that we won't have enough to share our joy with him.  A servant comes needing gentleness and while we insist on gentleness for ourselves we excuse ourselves as being too tired to make the effort for his sake.  And so it goes.

But we are warned by Jesus himself that the Father "cuts off every branch of mine that doesn't produce fruit".  We are warned that the vineyard will be taken away from us if we try to horde the fruit for ourselves.  We must say with Paul, "Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel" (cf 1 Cor. 9:16).  We might say that it is our obligation to preach it.  These fruits of the Spirit are not our own by any natural effort of merit.  They are a gift which must be shared, as others deserve them no less than ourselves.  But we ought to say that preaching it is a privilege.  We are allowed to share the very love of God with those around us. 

The Spirit is powerful enough to ensure that we bear fruit in due season as yesterday's psalm told us.  Even the circumstances of Joseph, hard though they are, can't stop him from bearing the fruit which God intends to give to the world through him.  No matter how empty and dry the cistern that held him, no matter for how much he was sold, no matter with how many fetters the Ishmaelites bind him, none of this stops the LORD from raising him up to fulfill his plan:

The king sent and released him,
the ruler of the peoples set him free.
He made him lord of his house
and ruler of all his possessions.
We do indeed see what come of the dreams of "that master dreamer".  We learn from him that our true dreams must be in God.  Then we won't be afraid to share the fruit he gives us. 

He sets Joseph as a cornerstone in Egypt, even though he is first rejected.  When our dreams are in God he will be able to use us as stones to build, no matter what the builders around us think about it.  And when our dreams our in him we run no risk of being like the tenants of the vineyard, killing even the son when he comes asking for produce.  Remembering the marvels the Lord has done for us we will trust him.  He will guide us beyond our selfishness, our need to always protect ourselves, to be comfortable and secure.  He will guide us in spite of the hardship of difficult circumstances.

For though the fig tree does not blossom,
and no fruit appears on the vine,
Though the yield of the olive fails
and the terraces produce no nourishment,
Though the flocks disappear from the fold
and there is no herd in the stalls,
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD
and exult in my saving God (cf. Hab. 3:17-18)

Even when there seems to be a famine we rejoice in the LORD knowing that what he does with Joseph during that famine he can do with us by the power of his Holy Spirit.