Incorruptible part 4
An incorruptible seed produces fruit. And not perishable fruit, either. Fruit that remains. Now watch this: "Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit" (Matthew 12:33). Stick with me, because we're not talking about "good" people vs "bad" people. In the garden of Eden there were two trees, the Tree of Life and the tree of death (the tree of knowledge of good and evil). Jesus came to take away the sin of the world--unbelief. "And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away" (Matthew 21:9). I believe the tree of death was a (THE) fig tree. Right after Adam and Eve ate from it they covered themselves with fig leaves. So when Jesus came to take away the sin of the world, He came to cast that corrupt tree into the fire. So that there would only be one tree left. Which is what we see in the New Jerusalem. Only the Tree of Life remains. And we have been grafted into that tree. Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. He planted the incorruptible seed in us when He was lifted up from the earth on the cross and drew us all into Himself. Now here's where I really wanted to get to: "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another" (John 13:35). A tree is known by it's fruit. We are known by our love. The fruit of the Spirit... the fruit of the Tree of Life... is love! The incorruptible seed grows into the unstoppable, unconditional love of God! And the best part is that, "...So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear" (Mark 4:26-27). This is NOT something WE "do." This is what happens naturally. A seed can only produce after it's own kind. And a seed produces--not because it tries really hard to be something it's not--because it's a seed. As long as it's in the right soil, and as long as it is nurtured, it WILL grow. Because that's it's nature. But here's the problem we sometimes get into: We plant a seed and then immediately dig it up and get frustrated because it hasn't produced fruit yet. And we blame anything and everything for this "failure." When, really, maturation is a PROCESS. This everlasting life is a journey without end. A journey into the heart of the matter. Which is God's heart beating with love in our chests. Which is how people will know that we are who God says we are. When what's inside comes out. Naturally. When the seed grows until it is too big to keep inside. We learn how to love by learning how God loves us. We let what's inside come out by filling ourselves to overflowing with what we've been filled with. By letting God love us. By knowing and believing, receiving and releasing, His love. Not by fighting the darkness, but simply by letting the light shine. By fighting the good fight of faith and laying hold of the gift we've been given, which is that eternal, everlasting, abundant, Resurrection Life of God! That incorruptible life of love. Living and loving because we are alive. Because we are loved...!