Luke 13:1-17
The vinedresser speaking: And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’ (vv. 8-9) I was thinking of this manure (fertilizer) application around the fig tree and thinking of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives, working on our inner selves so that we can be more fruitful. And when I think of manure, I have a vivid picture of Carol’s alpacas and what they do to the soil when they all choose to dump in the same spot. Everything in this dumping area dies and nothing sprouts for months on end. Then when something does grow, it comes up weeds. There are two problems with this alpaca dumping – it’s a large amount of manure in a small area and it’s never worked in properly. We could make better use of alpaca manure if we spread it more thinly and applied it to soil elsewhere that was in need of nourishment. I see the same picture for Jesus’ work in us – His Spirit is readily, abundantly available to us and His grace can easily eliminate evil (weeds = sin) in our lives. And then we need to spread His Spirit onto other soil in need of nourishment – our friends and relatives who need the Lord. It’s His desire and our calling.
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