Sean's Blog: Cultivation of the Soul
Posted on: 10th January, 2012
The Cultivation of the Soul
"No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” Luke 6:43-45
‘Each tree is recognised by its own fruit’ – these verses challenge us to reflect on what fruit we see corporately, and what fruit we see in our individual lives.
When I look at Jubilee Church at the beginning of 2012, although not perfect, I see good fruit! I see people coming to faith in Jesus and added to the Church, others sent on mission, tangible evidence of the God's Kingdom advancing in our community, our first service on the Chantrys, our young people’s group growing, development in our children’s worship and prayer, people set free and healed, and marriages restored. I see some inspired to systematically learn about the Scripture, many pursing other training to be more effective in their Christian lives, others experiencing the Holy Spirit in fresh ways. I see selfless service, shining sacrifice, persistent prayer, great generosity and big dollops of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control! (Gal 5)
But today I want to encourage us all to personally reflect on our own lives – “Each tree is recognised by its fruit.”
What Jesus is saying is that what’s inside a person can't help but manifest itself in their words and deeds. A healthy soul produces good fruit and an unhealthy soul produced bad fruit. So the question I want to pose is what do you "store up" in your heart?
Like many things in this world success comes when God and people team up. Though God is the one who designed the soul, it requires care and husbandry on the part of the human being who possesses it, if it is to grow and develop in the way it should to produce good fruit.
This term we will be working through the book of Hebrews and what has become more clearly than ever to me was that it was written with a clear purpose. Some of the Jewish converts had grown ‘lazy’ (6:12), they were NOT giving ‘careful attention’ (2:1) and were ‘ignoring the great salvation’ (2:3). They were no longer ‘holding firmly to the faith’ (4:14) ‘holding unswervingly to the hope’ (10:23) or ‘hold firmly to our confidence’ (3:6). The readers were losing heart and their Christian life was feeble, some had gone back to old ways of living and believing. The writer exhorts the readers saying ‘but we are not those who shrink back and are destroyed, but those who believe and are saved’ (10:39).
Now is not the time to shrink back! Now is the time believe, stir faith, press on!
