As I was walking with my children recently, I thought to
myself of how it felt more like mid to late March than it did like April 30th.
As I looked at the trees, I was perplexed by the fact that there were not even
the beginning signs of leaves on any of the trees in our neighbourhood. Because
our winter was longer and colder than we have seen in many years, the trees are
behind in their growth for this year. You see, trees go into a state of dormancy
over the winter triggered by the shortening of sun exposure. However, it is not
the increase of sun exposure that wakes a tree out of dormancy. It is the
change in temperature in the spring that signals to a tree whether or not it is
time to “wake up”. Unseasonal
temperatures can cause a tree to bud leaves early in years that we have a warm
spring and they can also cause a tree to delay budding of leaves in years that
the spring is cooler than normal.
As we were walking, I began making connections between the trees and us. I began thinking about how many Christians, including myself, find themselves from time to time in a form of spiritual dormancy. By dormancy I mean, inexpression, underdevelopment, unconsciousness, inactivity. When we are in this state, increased exposure to the Son is not enough to spur on a season of growth. The number of people sitting in churches every Sunday without seeing any change in their lives can attest to that. A faith that isn’t totally dead is in survival mode attempting to brave the cold state of our hearts, holding out for that moment when our hearts become warm and hospitable for growth once again.
***I recognize that dormancy is a dangerous word to use when it comes to our spiritual state. The origin of the word “dormant” originates in Latin as “dormire” – to sleep. I refer to Ephesians 5:14: “Arise, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light”. Those who are spiritually “asleep” and those who are spiritually “dead” show no visible difference. The only way to know the difference is whether or not they ever wake up. ***
Let’s take a step underground for one moment and acknowledge that for warmth to trigger growth in a tree, the tree must first be rooted into good soil and plugged into a source of life-giving water. Without water, the tree will wither and die. Jesus is the source of this life-giving water to us. John 4:14 says, “Those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life”. How do we get this water? John 7:38 says, “Anyone who believes in me may come and drink!” It is our belief in Jesus that draws us near to the “rivers of living water” that flow from His heart. Psalms 1:3 also talks of the importance of being near this river: “They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do”. This is a stark contrast to the next verse, “But not the wicked! They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind” (Psalms 1:4).
It is the love that we share with others that bears witness to us also loving God and having had tasted the living waters. Proof of this is found in 1 John 4:8 – “But anyone who does not love does not know God – for God is love”. We are called by Jesus to ”love one another” with “agape” (or unconditional) love (John 13:34). Though we claim to ”love one another”, this love is usually limited to those who share our beliefs, interests, or bloodline. This is called ‘Philia’ or brotherly love. In Matthew 24:12, Jesus talked about how agape love would grow cold. I believe it is the cold hearts produced by the lack of agape love being given to others that brings on a state of spiritual dormancy. It is the love of God, His unconditional love, which has the ability to warm our hearts. It is this agape love being given to back God and being shared with others which will build an environment of warmth that initiates growth. This is why fellowship is so important. In the metaphor of Ecclesiastes 4:11 we are shown how “…on a cold night, two under the same blanket can gain warmth from each other. But how can one be warm alone?” Fellowship is the way in which we can share our love with others and with God. 1 Peter 1:22 says “love (agape) each other fervently”. I love the definition of fervent:
1. having or
showing great warmth or intensity of
spirit, feeling, enthusiasm
2. hot; burning; glowing.
Loving others fervently literally brings warmth of spirit!
It is when a tree is exposed to adequate warmth that buds on the branches begin to break open with sprouts which will later grow into leaves. The leaves that develop are important in accelerating growth of the tree through exposure to light via photosynthesis. A healthy, hungry tree can be identified by the leaves that it produces. The energy absorbed through the leaves allows the branch to grow. Similarly, as we are exposed to warmth and begin to wake up, we will also become hungry. We will desire to be exposed to the light (…and Christ will give you light) to be fed and to sustain energy for our growth. Yes, Christ is the source of light. John loved to talk about the light of Christ. John 1:4 says, “Life itself was in Him, and this life gives light to everyone”. Later on, John 8:12 quotes Jesus as saying, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t be stumbling through the darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life”.
It is when a tree is exposed to adequate warmth that buds on the branches begin to break open with sprouts which will later grow into leaves. The leaves that develop are important in accelerating growth of the tree through exposure to light via photosynthesis. A healthy, hungry tree can be identified by the leaves that it produces. The energy absorbed through the leaves allows the branch to grow. Similarly, as we are exposed to warmth and begin to wake up, we will also become hungry. We will desire to be exposed to the light (…and Christ will give you light) to be fed and to sustain energy for our growth. Yes, Christ is the source of light. John loved to talk about the light of Christ. John 1:4 says, “Life itself was in Him, and this life gives light to everyone”. Later on, John 8:12 quotes Jesus as saying, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t be stumbling through the darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life”.
Now, we know from John 15:8 that, as disciples of Christ, we
are to bear spiritual fruit so it is safe to say that we are fruit bearing
trees. All fruit bearing trees grow flowers. This is necessary to the process
of a tree bearing fruit because pollination must happen to produce the fruit. Through
pollination, these flowers will give way to fruit. These flowers are a pleasing
aroma to the ones who are capable of pollinating the flowers. Paul, in 2
Corinthians 3:15, calls our lives “a fragrance presented by Christ to God”. The
most natural of ways that pollination happens is that the wind blows the pollen
from flower to flower. The Greek words for wind and Spirit are the same –pneuma.
John quotes Jesus as using “pneuma” for both in John 3:8, “Just as you can hear
the wind (pneuma) but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so
you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit (pneumatos)”. As the wind
gives life to fruit, so does the Spirit give life to us. Again, in John 6:63, Jesus
is quoted as saying, “It is the Spirit (pneuma) who gives eternal life. Human
effort accomplishes nothing”.
This life giving Spirit is why the fruit in the life of a believer
is called the fruit of the Spirit. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). Good fruit tastes
delicious and people love to receive our Spiritual fruit from us for the same
reason; it is pleasing to them. However, though the flesh of fruit is tasty, it
is the fruit that also gives way to the birth of new trees. The seeds inside of
the fruit, when handled properly, when germinated and placed in good soil, will
break open with new life and start the process all over again for a new
tree. When we share our Spiritual fruit,
we also share the seed of the Good News from within it. When handled properly,
these seeds can break open and give birth to a new believer who, one day, will also
mature and grow to the point of being able to produce good fruit.
How long do we have after being born again of a Spiritual
seed to grow and mature to the point of growing fruit? There is no definitive
answer to that question. If we base our
thoughts on the parable of the barren fig tree (Luke 13:6-9), There is a grace
period given to allow us to mature to the place to be able to bear fruit;
However, we do not know how long it may be before we are declared by God to be
“just using up the ground” and we find ourselves being cut down. This is why it
is so important to share and spread the love of God! We need to stay in an
atmosphere that is permeated with the warmth of that love, not only for our own
ability to grow and produce fruit, but also for the ability for seeds to be
sown so that we can see the birth of new believers!
Proverbs 11:30 - The fruit of the righteous
is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.
Romans 12:10-12 – LOVE one another, not lagging in
diligence, FERVENT in spirit, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, patient in
tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer.
Mike
Mike
