The Sweetest Fruit

He said to his disciples, "The harvest is great, but the workers are few.  So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields."
Matthew 9:37-38

There are many steps leading up to a harvest of good fruit. Prepare the soil, plant the seed at the right time, water, sun, wait. Protect the seedling, water, sun, wait for growth…years of growth. Fertilize, prune unwanted growth. Protect the buds, protect the flowers, and finally…fruit!

While the fruit is the ultimate goal, that is not where the majority of the work lies.

Our Father is the overseer of this orchard. He needs our help to get all of the work done, but there are so many trees! Where do we start?

All you have to do is to show up, ready to start working. He will give you the plot of land he wants you to work. He will show you when it is time for each step of the process. He will send experienced workers to train you. And he will send other workers to take over some of the tasks.

For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God's power.
1 Corinthians 4:20

I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead.  I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!
Philippians 3:10-11

We can’t just stand around talking about the seeds and the trees. We need to get out there and get our hands dirty doing the work. It’s not easy work. We need to be willing to get just as dirty as the Son if we want to join in the celebration of the fruit harvest.

We need to be on guard for pests that destroy, for predators or robbers. We need to be vigilant, brave, and strong to protect the trees in all of their various stages. Some pests are small and easy to swat away, some sneak in and try to destroy from the inside out. Larger predators will take courage to drive out.

Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives.
Galatians 5:25

We get our strength, courage, and nourishment from the Spirit. He is the expert grower, sent to teach us where to look, and what to do. When we try to do things our own way, we soon discover that his way was, in fact, the right way all along. When He says that the fence is strong and secure, that it’s time to move on to the next job, believe him. Don’t keep going back, trying to fortify the fence, when you are needed somewhere else. Follow his guidance. Let Him manage the crops and the other workers.

Beware of others who claim to be experts. Some claim that they know a better way to care for the trees, and end up damaging them instead. Some claim to care about the trees, but are actually just waiting for us to turn away for a moment, so that they can destroy them.

Imagine how many seeds could be planted and nurtured to production if we had more workers. If there were workers who would take over the care of the trees that you started. If you would take over the care of a tree someone else had started. If everyone was dedicated to their assigned task. If none of the trees were overlooked or forgotten. What a harvest!

There is a lot of ground to cover. We need more workers. The fruit that is ready will lead to more seeds that can be planted to expand the orchard.

We will get to experience the sweetest fruit at harvest time, if we agree to join in the hardest work.