Guest post: Amber Schamel

Unbelievable amounts of fruit

By Amber Schamel

Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. ~James 5:7
 

I volunteer about half my time at a non-profit ranch in the Ozarks. One of the many things I help with is the harvest of pears when they are ready for picking. We went out to the  tree with ladders, baskets, sheets, and set to work. It was absolutely unbelievable how many pears were on that single tree! We picked bushels and bushels of pears until we had them coming out our ears. A lot of pears were eaten before they even reached the house. Some were stored in boxes in the cellar. We froze gallons of them, gave some away, and still some went rotten before they could used. Then there were the pears at the top of the tree that were too high for us to reach. How was it possible for ONE TREE to produce SO MUCH FRUIT?

As we dealt with the abundance of pears, I was reminded of the verse in Galatians:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23 KJV).

If I am like a fruit tree, I want to be like the tree that bears unbelievable amounts. The qualities and character of the believer is their fruit, so what can I do to increase it? As I thought about the tree in the field, a few things came to mind.

• A healthy tree needs lots of rain and sunshine.

We need to spend time every day in the presence of the Lord, our Son-shine. We immerse ourselves in God's Word and allow His Spirit to rain down upon us, for it is His Spirit living in us that will produce the fruit.

He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth.
~Ps. 72:6

•  A healthy tree needs good soil.

The soil is what we are rooted in every day. What do we feed into our mind? Are we meditating on God's Word and His promises, or are we subjecting ourselves to negative thoughts and influences?
 

And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear (Luke 8:8).
 

• A healthy tree must give of its fruit.

If we didn't harvest the pears from the tree, the fruit would rot and fall off of the tree wasted. The fruit that didn't fall off would rot on the branches, make them heavy, and prevent new fruit from growing there. The same happens to Christians. Our joy, peace, patience, faith, and love is not for keeping to ourselves, but for giving away to others. 

Give to him that asketh of thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away (Matt. 5:42).

• Sometimes a healthy tree needs to be pruned.

Is there something in my life that is holding me back in my walk with the Lord? Is there an old grudge I need to let go of? Is there something that is not a good influence on my soul that I need to prune out of my mind? 

It can be a lot of work to grow a strong, healthy and fruitful tree, but this fruit has an eternal impact.
 

Heavenly Father,
What a wonderful creation you have made! We stand in awe of the beauty we see all around us. I am always amazed at the special ways you etch Yourself into nature. Thank you for teaching us about Your Word through the parable of the pear tree. I pray that You would help me to bear much fruit, to weed out my soil, and to prune away the ungodly things in my life. Rain Your Holy Spirit upon me, I pray. Make me a profitable tree that I may bless Your people and fulfill Your plan.
I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.  

Are you taking good care of your spiritual fruit tree? In what ways do you help keep it healthy?

Bestselling author Amber Schamel writes riveting stories that bring HIStory to life. She has a passion for history, books and her Savior. This combination results in what her readers call "historical fiction at its finest." A homeschool graduate from a family of 12 children, Amber found her calling early in life. First published at age 21, she has continued to hone her craft. Between ministry, family and working in their family businesses, Amber loves to connect with readers. Find her on the Stitches Thru Time blog, or on any of the major social media sites.  

 

Amber is celebrating the October 16th release of her new book The Messiah's Sign with the Name-A-Character Giveaway! Click here or on the logo above to enter to for a chance to pick the name of a main character in Amber's upcoming book The Christmas Pardon. Terms and conditions apply.