Hello my adorable Thinkers!
Today I want to talk about one of the topics that first inspired me to begin this website. I pray that it encourages you in your own personal walk, as it did me in mine.
Kudzu among the figs…
To start let me explain what kudzu is, for those who may not know. Kudzu is an invasive vine that came to the Americas through trade ships from Asia. When it got here, it had few natural predators so it spread like wildfire. Kudzu has been recorded to be able to grow up to six inches a day and can quickly overtake a landscape if it is not controlled. For more information on kudzu here is a link to The Nature Conservatory website.
The whole idea of writing this, started one day when I was walking my dog and I came across a fig tree and looked to see if it was bearing fruit yet. I saw that there was none and the tree did not seem to be doing well. Looking from the outside there were beautiful purple flowers that were growing all through it on a vine of kudzu. (Pictured) The tree had already gone several seasons without bearing any fruit, and when I saw the flowers, I knew why. The tree was being choked out and did not have the energy or resources needed to produce fruit. Instead, the kudzu vine that had been allowed to grow within the fig tree was stealing all of its resources to grow its own flowers and fruit.
The fig tree on my walk reminded me of the fig tree mentioned in Matthew 21:18-22. The fig tree mentioned there, also had no fruit. Because of its lack of fruit is was cursed, and it withered. Then I thought of another scripture verse, Psalm 1:3 where is says that a righteous man is like a tree planted by streams of water who produces good fruit in season. If we are striving to be righteous we should be producing good fruit in season as well. So if the tree on my walk was not producing fruit, it would represent someone who was not righteous. Why was it not righteous? Because of an invasive vine that was sapping it’s potential for the fruit of righteousness. What is the vine? The vine is a lion seeking whom it may desire, (1 Peter 5:8) it is temptation that comes to lead us away from righteousness.
This tree can serve as a warning for us all. If we are not vigilant to remove the temptations from our lives and purify ourselves for God’s purpose, we will allow other things to grow within us. As it says in Galatians 5 there are two kinds of fruit, the fruit of the flesh, which lead to death and destruction, and the fruit of the Spirit, which leads to blessings and everlasting life. So choose life! (Deuteronomy 30:15) Be diligent in the work God calls for us to do. Because He not only calls us to work on things outside of ourselves, He also calls us to purify our own hearts. (James 4:8 & Psalm 51:10) The things of the flesh may look pretty like those purple flowers look pretty from the outside, but their true intention is only to steal, kill, and destroy. (John 10:10) If we allow for the pretty flowers of the kudzu vine to be our fruit we will never be able to grow the fruit of righteousness. That brings us back to the scripture in Matthew 21 where it says that those who do not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
My prayer for all of you is that you will see these pretty vines in your life and root them out. Not let them take hold and instead seek to devote your heart to the things of God. It is not an easy thing to let go of those pretty flowers. But when we do, we find that the sweet and good fruit of the figs are able to grow. May God grow many sweet fruit of the spirit in your life, that He may be seen and glorified through you and your testimony.
Until next time my adorable Thinkers! ~The Pondering Panda
Panda's Ponderings 