WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.819 Many of you may remember, you know, last year 00:00:02.819 --> 00:00:05.580 I had bought some trees. I bought a fig tree. 00:00:05.799 --> 00:00:08.259 And then while I was there, I was like, well, 00:00:08.439 --> 00:00:10.599 I'm already here. I might as well buy two more 00:00:10.599 --> 00:00:13.400 trees anyway. I don't plan on coming back next 00:00:13.400 --> 00:00:16.239 year per se. And I bought two avocado trees at 00:00:16.239 --> 00:00:18.460 the same time. So now I've got these three trees 00:00:18.460 --> 00:00:21.399 that are sitting there. And over and over again, 00:00:21.399 --> 00:00:24.660 I just keep wondering, what have I gotten myself 00:00:24.660 --> 00:00:29.030 into? You know, with these trees, Each one kind 00:00:29.030 --> 00:00:31.309 of has a life of its own, kind of does its own 00:00:31.309 --> 00:00:34.850 thing. And each one, it's got its potential for 00:00:34.850 --> 00:00:38.509 new life and new growth. But every day I'm looking 00:00:38.509 --> 00:00:41.409 at them and I'm just wondering, are they doing 00:00:41.409 --> 00:00:45.159 okay? Are they struggling? Is something wrong? 00:00:45.619 --> 00:00:47.920 What's actually happening with them? Sometimes 00:00:47.920 --> 00:00:49.820 I'm looking to maybe the leaves look like they're 00:00:49.820 --> 00:00:52.500 small or drooping or, you know, they're still 00:00:52.500 --> 00:00:54.280 young so they don't have any fruit on them yet. 00:00:54.399 --> 00:00:57.060 The branches are still bare. And then there are 00:00:57.060 --> 00:00:59.159 also times whenever I see some of the leaves 00:00:59.159 --> 00:01:00.780 and they get a little brown at the edges and 00:01:00.780 --> 00:01:04.349 I'm like... Oh no, what do I do? And I water 00:01:04.349 --> 00:01:07.689 them more, and I put them into bigger pots, and 00:01:07.689 --> 00:01:10.790 maybe check to make sure to add some nutrients, 00:01:11.170 --> 00:01:13.489 and I want to give them every chance to thrive 00:01:13.489 --> 00:01:16.349 because these trees, they want to grow. They 00:01:16.349 --> 00:01:20.209 want to do this. But I need to look out for them. 00:01:20.829 --> 00:01:24.049 This black thumb that I've had for so many years, 00:01:24.189 --> 00:01:28.730 I have got to get over it. for their sake. Because 00:01:28.730 --> 00:01:31.489 if the roots don't go deep enough, if the water 00:01:31.489 --> 00:01:33.870 doesn't reach them, if the soil doesn't have 00:01:33.870 --> 00:01:36.629 the right nutrients, it won't matter how much 00:01:36.629 --> 00:01:40.310 sunlight they get. They won't blossom. Today's 00:01:40.310 --> 00:01:44.150 scripture is giving us a tree of what it is that 00:01:44.150 --> 00:01:46.810 God is doing in our lives. A tree that doesn't 00:01:46.810 --> 00:01:51.390 just bloom, but blooms every month of the year. 00:01:51.709 --> 00:01:54.969 A different fruit for each month. But what's 00:01:54.969 --> 00:01:59.260 the secret? Is the secret that the tree has better 00:01:59.260 --> 00:02:02.140 genetics or that somehow, you know, that it's 00:02:02.140 --> 00:02:05.859 got the best fruit that it could ever be? The 00:02:05.859 --> 00:02:09.699 secret is the river that it's planted on. The 00:02:09.699 --> 00:02:11.939 tree is planted beside the river of life that 00:02:11.939 --> 00:02:14.979 flows from the throne of God and from the Lamb. 00:02:15.960 --> 00:02:18.879 And that's the kind of life that we've been looking 00:02:18.879 --> 00:02:22.159 at for the last month. These last several weeks 00:02:22.159 --> 00:02:24.560 that we're looking at different parts of what 00:02:24.560 --> 00:02:29.379 it is to be rooted in the river of God. What 00:02:29.379 --> 00:02:32.280 it is that His Word continues to strengthen us 00:02:32.280 --> 00:02:35.900 by His Spirit. A life that is rooted, nourished, 00:02:36.340 --> 00:02:40.139 and fruitful because it flows from Christ. As 00:02:40.139 --> 00:02:43.759 John said it, we are in Him the way He is in 00:02:43.759 --> 00:02:49.259 the Father. Deeply rooted, fully connected, completely 00:02:49.259 --> 00:02:55.810 alive. We are being called to abide in Him. a 00:02:55.810 --> 00:02:58.310 place where the living water will nourish us, 00:02:58.889 --> 00:03:02.349 heal us, grow us into something that we could 00:03:02.349 --> 00:03:05.689 not be on our own. Because faith is not something 00:03:05.689 --> 00:03:09.870 just that we say one time as a statement. It 00:03:09.870 --> 00:03:13.870 is a tree that continues to be fed in order to 00:03:13.870 --> 00:03:18.110 grow and to thrive. But you know, I'm trying 00:03:18.110 --> 00:03:21.289 my best to learn a little bit at a time about 00:03:21.400 --> 00:03:24.280 these trees and one of the things you know about 00:03:24.280 --> 00:03:26.580 trying to figure out how it is to make sure that 00:03:26.580 --> 00:03:30.379 it's fruitful and That that it can be abiding 00:03:30.379 --> 00:03:33.340 in what is needed go back one go back one real 00:03:33.340 --> 00:03:36.340 quick. I want to show you This one that's the 00:03:36.340 --> 00:03:39.199 fig tree all right, and that's the one I was 00:03:39.199 --> 00:03:42.599 really excited about all right now thinking about 00:03:42.599 --> 00:03:45.689 this is I was wondering whether or not there 00:03:45.689 --> 00:03:47.810 were enough nutrients in that soil. So I went 00:03:47.810 --> 00:03:50.110 ahead and added some that I had gotten from Home 00:03:50.110 --> 00:03:53.629 Depot. And if that's a bad place to go for plant 00:03:53.629 --> 00:03:56.110 nutrients, just don't tell me. Just go with it. 00:03:56.969 --> 00:03:59.490 But the nutrients that are in the soil, one of 00:03:59.490 --> 00:04:02.270 the things that I was realizing is that apparently 00:04:02.270 --> 00:04:05.210 you have to worry about the pH level that's in 00:04:05.210 --> 00:04:07.990 the soil. This is a little different for me because 00:04:07.990 --> 00:04:11.030 like I stick my finger in the soil and I'm kind 00:04:11.030 --> 00:04:13.250 of like, I don't know, does that feel like the 00:04:13.250 --> 00:04:15.729 right pH level or something like that? Maybe 00:04:15.729 --> 00:04:18.050 I should lick it or put it in the air or something 00:04:18.050 --> 00:04:21.230 like that. I don't know. And I have no idea what 00:04:21.230 --> 00:04:24.509 to do with that. How in the world do I figure 00:04:24.509 --> 00:04:27.430 out the pH level? Because the thing about it 00:04:27.430 --> 00:04:30.550 is that if you have the wrong pH, if it's too 00:04:30.550 --> 00:04:34.029 acidic or too basic, then apparently the plant 00:04:34.029 --> 00:04:37.540 will still starve. even if it has everything 00:04:37.540 --> 00:04:42.360 else that it needs. So realizing that it could 00:04:42.360 --> 00:04:45.639 have food and light and water and everything, 00:04:45.699 --> 00:04:50.399 and if the pH is wrong, then it's not reaching 00:04:50.399 --> 00:04:53.399 out to any of it. And that's oftentimes what 00:04:53.399 --> 00:04:57.800 we end up seeing, like with our own hearts. We 00:04:57.800 --> 00:05:02.420 could be hearing the Word of God, Receiving encouragement. 00:05:02.540 --> 00:05:05.339 We could have people around us that are speaking 00:05:05.339 --> 00:05:09.319 words of comfort to us, but sometimes when the 00:05:09.319 --> 00:05:14.399 heart that we have inside, if it's too acidic, 00:05:15.120 --> 00:05:20.139 too biting, too angry, or maybe too basic, it 00:05:20.139 --> 00:05:23.300 just doesn't really want to receive what's there. 00:05:24.379 --> 00:05:26.199 Then it doesn't matter how much nourishment is 00:05:26.199 --> 00:05:29.980 there, our hearts are just pulling back. See, 00:05:29.980 --> 00:05:32.920 we talked a few weeks ago about how oftentimes 00:05:32.920 --> 00:05:37.240 we let fear control us. We say that we're being 00:05:37.240 --> 00:05:40.879 faithful, but in reality we're letting fear keep 00:05:40.879 --> 00:05:45.540 us away from people, places, opportunities, to 00:05:45.540 --> 00:05:49.300 comfort and to encourage. We allow ourselves 00:05:49.300 --> 00:05:53.519 to be pulled away because we're afraid. I mean, 00:05:53.540 --> 00:05:55.740 what is it that whenever we don't want to step 00:05:55.740 --> 00:06:00.410 out to the responsibility the sensibility that 00:06:00.410 --> 00:06:05.009 might be there. I remember how afraid I was, 00:06:05.170 --> 00:06:07.970 even just getting in the car to go and drive 00:06:07.970 --> 00:06:12.529 and get those trees, because I'm like, what kind 00:06:12.529 --> 00:06:16.810 of life is it going to be for them? What happens 00:06:16.810 --> 00:06:19.350 if they die and then I bought them and it was 00:06:19.350 --> 00:06:22.959 pointless? And I kept hearing from the gardeners, 00:06:23.180 --> 00:06:25.480 don't worry, they're really good plants. You're 00:06:25.480 --> 00:06:27.560 not going to be able to kill them that easily. 00:06:27.699 --> 00:06:31.639 And I'm like, give me a chance. But you know, 00:06:31.759 --> 00:06:35.019 I remember reading about Jesus and the fig tree. 00:06:35.839 --> 00:06:37.720 And when he saw that the fig tree didn't bear 00:06:37.720 --> 00:06:40.819 fruit, and he comes back later and he had said 00:06:40.819 --> 00:06:44.899 that he would condemn this fig tree. How afraid 00:06:44.899 --> 00:06:49.019 are we? We're afraid oftentimes in this Christian 00:06:49.019 --> 00:06:52.750 life. Don't want to try something that may be 00:06:52.750 --> 00:06:54.730 different. We don't want to reach out. We don't 00:06:54.730 --> 00:06:57.350 want to try something that is a little bit beyond 00:06:57.350 --> 00:07:01.569 us. Because we're spending the time saying, what 00:07:01.569 --> 00:07:06.069 happens when I fail? And this fear, this feeling 00:07:06.069 --> 00:07:11.810 of, is it even worth trying? But you see, the 00:07:11.810 --> 00:07:15.250 point with the fig tree was not about whether 00:07:15.250 --> 00:07:17.170 or not the fig tree by itself was able to do 00:07:17.170 --> 00:07:22.040 it. Jesus was there. and the fig tree still didn't 00:07:22.040 --> 00:07:26.019 want to bear fruit. This isn't about God trying 00:07:26.019 --> 00:07:28.759 to condemn us to try to say, hey, you're not 00:07:28.759 --> 00:07:33.319 a good enough tree. But rather is that God keeps 00:07:33.319 --> 00:07:38.620 bringing us His waters of life to feed us so 00:07:38.620 --> 00:07:42.160 that we can bear that fruit. We're not trying 00:07:42.160 --> 00:07:44.220 to bear that fruit because we're good enough 00:07:44.220 --> 00:07:47.560 on our own. We're only able to do it because 00:07:47.560 --> 00:07:52.899 Christ is with us. It's not just about drinking 00:07:52.899 --> 00:07:57.300 the water, it's being rooted in it. Because instead 00:07:57.300 --> 00:08:01.139 of just being afraid to reach out and get what 00:08:01.139 --> 00:08:05.220 we need, instead, are we willing to dip down 00:08:05.220 --> 00:08:10.120 into what God has given us? His Word, His forgiveness, 00:08:10.319 --> 00:08:14.480 His life, His hope. Are we willing to dig down 00:08:14.480 --> 00:08:19.930 deep? Are we willing to try? But you know there's 00:08:19.930 --> 00:08:22.990 a lot of other things that may end up happening 00:08:22.990 --> 00:08:26.009 We may even be looking at apparently that there 00:08:26.009 --> 00:08:29.709 is a lack sometimes of iron that might be there 00:08:29.709 --> 00:08:32.289 Maybe there's not enough iron so apparently pumping 00:08:32.289 --> 00:08:35.149 iron is not just for people my fig trees are 00:08:35.149 --> 00:08:38.850 supposed to be doing the same thing but Realizing 00:08:38.850 --> 00:08:42.669 that with an iron deficiency even if they're 00:08:42.669 --> 00:08:47.330 getting all of this light It can't photosynthesize. 00:08:47.350 --> 00:08:51.149 It can't take the light and turn it into energy 00:08:51.149 --> 00:08:55.330 if it doesn't have the right iron content. And 00:08:55.330 --> 00:08:57.409 apparently that throws off the pH and everything 00:08:57.409 --> 00:09:03.289 else. How often is it that we're worried that 00:09:03.289 --> 00:09:06.610 somehow we're not going to grow the way that 00:09:06.610 --> 00:09:09.570 others are around us? We don't have the energy. 00:09:09.730 --> 00:09:11.929 We don't know if we're in the right soil. We 00:09:11.929 --> 00:09:15.279 don't know if we're in the right place. See for 00:09:15.279 --> 00:09:17.700 me as I was looking at those trees and I put 00:09:17.700 --> 00:09:21.299 them in my backyard The whole time I'm thinking 00:09:21.299 --> 00:09:24.039 of myself. This is not where they belong They 00:09:24.039 --> 00:09:26.000 need to be at an orchard. They need to be around 00:09:26.000 --> 00:09:29.399 the other trees You know as I'm thinking together 00:09:29.399 --> 00:09:33.480 How are these trees going to make it on their 00:09:33.480 --> 00:09:39.240 own? with just me and As I'm looking at this 00:09:39.240 --> 00:09:41.720 and I'm thinking what's going to happen to them 00:09:41.720 --> 00:09:45.409 and realizing It's not the orchard. It's not 00:09:45.409 --> 00:09:47.330 the other trees that they're around that's going 00:09:47.330 --> 00:09:50.070 to make it better. It's whether or not they're 00:09:50.070 --> 00:09:55.509 being cared for by the gardener. That's a thing 00:09:55.509 --> 00:09:58.970 for me is to realize that it's not about whether 00:09:58.970 --> 00:10:02.889 we're always on the same page with each other. 00:10:03.049 --> 00:10:07.049 If we're all in the same place. It's asking whether 00:10:07.049 --> 00:10:11.990 each one of us is being rooted in Christ Jesus. 00:10:12.649 --> 00:10:16.289 Whether or not we are receiving what it is to 00:10:16.289 --> 00:10:20.309 make us strong, that we could be seeing the light 00:10:20.309 --> 00:10:22.929 that's coming to us and not do anything with 00:10:22.929 --> 00:10:27.250 it. See, Jesus isn't just looking for us to abide 00:10:27.250 --> 00:10:31.029 with each other. That's not the point. The point 00:10:31.029 --> 00:10:35.029 is that as we all abide in Christ, we find a 00:10:35.029 --> 00:10:39.549 unity because of what actually matters. Because 00:10:39.549 --> 00:10:42.820 of what God's Word is doing. in each and every 00:10:42.820 --> 00:10:45.820 one of us, because unity, it's not about the 00:10:45.820 --> 00:10:49.820 togetherness. If it were, we would just find 00:10:49.820 --> 00:10:53.120 our little tribes, just stick with the people 00:10:53.120 --> 00:10:55.620 that we're the most comfortable with. The trees 00:10:55.620 --> 00:10:57.700 would never leave their orchard, they'd never 00:10:57.700 --> 00:11:03.100 go any place else. But even more than that, they 00:11:03.100 --> 00:11:06.480 would just tolerate everything else around them. 00:11:07.129 --> 00:11:09.590 There would be one of the things that I saw was 00:11:09.590 --> 00:11:12.570 that apparently the avocado trees Apparently 00:11:12.570 --> 00:11:15.330 if you put two different ones by each other they 00:11:15.330 --> 00:11:18.149 can be able to cross pollinate and there's other 00:11:18.149 --> 00:11:22.830 opportunities there So I bought two But I've 00:11:22.830 --> 00:11:26.110 been worried about this one here I've been worried 00:11:26.110 --> 00:11:28.389 about this one right here, and I'm feeling like 00:11:28.389 --> 00:11:31.590 there might be more That I may need to do for 00:11:31.590 --> 00:11:35.779 this And that also kind of reminds me that in 00:11:35.779 --> 00:11:40.200 a lot of ways, I'm also wondering, well, yeah, 00:11:40.220 --> 00:11:43.259 but if I mess up, do I have a second chance? 00:11:43.960 --> 00:11:48.259 But you know, there is a second chance. Turns 00:11:48.259 --> 00:11:51.000 out, I did buy a second one. I don't know, that 00:11:51.000 --> 00:11:53.960 one's looking a whole lot better. But you know, 00:11:54.480 --> 00:11:58.740 with that being the case, what else might be 00:11:58.740 --> 00:12:03.789 happening in these plants? It's the same gardener 00:12:03.789 --> 00:12:07.330 doing the same thing. Why is this one all green 00:12:07.330 --> 00:12:09.809 and pretty, the other one not so much? And it 00:12:09.809 --> 00:12:11.870 turns out that there is actually times where 00:12:11.870 --> 00:12:15.929 you might put too much nitrogen in the soil. 00:12:16.769 --> 00:12:20.070 And then it turns out that it may have beautiful 00:12:20.070 --> 00:12:22.710 green leaves, but it wouldn't necessarily bear 00:12:22.710 --> 00:12:27.590 fruit or flowers. It could look healthy and completely 00:12:27.590 --> 00:12:34.799 miss the point. We oftentimes, in our lives, 00:12:35.200 --> 00:12:38.059 do the things that look beautiful and amazing. 00:12:38.320 --> 00:12:41.820 We have things that we take joy in and pride 00:12:41.820 --> 00:12:45.200 in. The beautiful family, the beautiful home, 00:12:45.460 --> 00:12:49.480 the great career, having money for the vacations 00:12:49.480 --> 00:12:51.879 and all the things that we're just so proud of. 00:12:53.059 --> 00:12:57.159 But are we bearing fruit? Like the actual fruit. 00:12:58.039 --> 00:13:01.190 The love, the joy, the peace. Are we patient? 00:13:01.909 --> 00:13:07.629 Are we kind? Are we good? Are we faithful? Do 00:13:07.629 --> 00:13:11.350 we have self -control? What was the ninth one? 00:13:11.529 --> 00:13:14.070 Faithfulness, gentleness. I always forget the 00:13:14.070 --> 00:13:18.169 ninth one. To be gentle is something that our 00:13:18.169 --> 00:13:22.129 world doesn't exactly take pride in. And that's 00:13:22.129 --> 00:13:27.090 the thing with this tree, is this fear, is this 00:13:27.090 --> 00:13:31.440 tree just growing pretty... leaves, and it won't 00:13:31.440 --> 00:13:33.399 be able to produce the fruit when it's time. 00:13:34.139 --> 00:13:37.500 But you know, today is still a day for me to 00:13:37.500 --> 00:13:40.559 go and water this plant. Today is still a day 00:13:40.559 --> 00:13:43.559 for me to go and check if I need to add anything 00:13:43.559 --> 00:13:46.639 to it. Today is a day to look to see maybe it's 00:13:46.639 --> 00:13:50.399 time to put it into a larger pot from this. Because 00:13:50.399 --> 00:13:54.899 today is another day that as long as that stem, 00:13:55.720 --> 00:13:58.879 as long as that root has life, There's still 00:13:58.879 --> 00:14:02.419 a chance and it does because that life is still 00:14:02.419 --> 00:14:08.000 there. As much as we may be frustrated at ourselves, 00:14:08.460 --> 00:14:12.779 we are still called to try again. Why? Because 00:14:12.779 --> 00:14:15.639 we're the ones that the nations need to look 00:14:15.639 --> 00:14:22.320 to. If we give up on bearing fruit today, then 00:14:22.320 --> 00:14:24.740 what is it that the rest of the world will ever 00:14:24.740 --> 00:14:29.450 have to be restored? The world does not find 00:14:29.450 --> 00:14:33.090 restoration without Christ, and Christ is not 00:14:33.090 --> 00:14:35.889 known to the world unless we bear the fruits 00:14:35.889 --> 00:14:40.370 that come from Him. But even more than that, 00:14:40.549 --> 00:14:44.169 it says, come and take the water of life without 00:14:44.169 --> 00:14:49.029 cost. Because as much as we may stumble with 00:14:49.029 --> 00:14:52.070 bearing the fruit, that water is free for the 00:14:52.070 --> 00:14:55.809 taking. There is nothing that God is looking 00:14:55.809 --> 00:15:01.379 to do to shame us, to condemn us, to take us 00:15:01.379 --> 00:15:05.799 away from the water that we need. But you know, 00:15:06.559 --> 00:15:08.519 there's something a little different about that 00:15:08.519 --> 00:15:12.659 water. Because the source of that river, it's 00:15:12.659 --> 00:15:15.480 a little different. The source of that river 00:15:15.480 --> 00:15:20.909 is God and His Lamb. Because it turns out that 00:15:20.909 --> 00:15:24.169 the type of water itself may often be something 00:15:24.169 --> 00:15:27.549 to be concerned about if you have salty water 00:15:27.549 --> 00:15:31.490 or Contaminated water it actually might burn 00:15:31.490 --> 00:15:34.769 the leaves and the plant can't grow and if it 00:15:34.769 --> 00:15:38.649 grows the fruit It's like really small and undeveloped 00:15:38.649 --> 00:15:41.409 Which just to let you know that yes, it can sometimes 00:15:41.409 --> 00:15:45.269 be dangerous to be a little too salty you know 00:15:45.269 --> 00:15:49.629 we often will take what God has given us and 00:15:49.629 --> 00:15:53.549 instead of just sharing it with others, how often 00:15:53.549 --> 00:15:58.870 is it that we ourselves are the salty ones, the 00:15:58.870 --> 00:16:01.070 bitter ones, the angry ones, the ones who are 00:16:01.070 --> 00:16:06.769 frustrated. But the true water is what comes 00:16:06.769 --> 00:16:10.210 with forgiveness and grace and hope from Christ. 00:16:11.389 --> 00:16:16.330 Imagine, though, If we were in Egypt during the 00:16:16.330 --> 00:16:20.769 time of the plagues, and they had turned the 00:16:20.769 --> 00:16:24.809 whole water supply, this whole sea, into blood. 00:16:25.750 --> 00:16:29.309 Now that was such a concern because you can't 00:16:29.309 --> 00:16:33.029 grow anything, you can't drink from it when it's 00:16:33.029 --> 00:16:37.570 a sea of blood. But the irony is that that's 00:16:37.570 --> 00:16:41.970 exactly where the water comes from in Revelation. 00:16:43.230 --> 00:16:47.690 because the only way of finding actual restoration 00:16:47.690 --> 00:16:53.610 is from sacrifice. See, it's not the times whenever 00:16:53.610 --> 00:16:58.370 we let our saltiness, we let the times when we 00:16:58.370 --> 00:17:01.350 are angry or upset, whenever we let the parts 00:17:01.350 --> 00:17:05.730 that we just are biting and frustrated, those 00:17:05.730 --> 00:17:09.509 can oftentimes pull people away, but rather is 00:17:09.509 --> 00:17:13.390 when we go to a place of sacrifice. of loving 00:17:13.390 --> 00:17:18.809 others even when it can be hard for us. That's 00:17:18.809 --> 00:17:21.410 the only way to actually restore the world is 00:17:21.410 --> 00:17:24.869 to love the world with the love that sacrifices 00:17:24.869 --> 00:17:29.349 the way that Christ did. Because the world wants 00:17:29.349 --> 00:17:31.990 healing and it may want it without sacrifice. 00:17:33.609 --> 00:17:37.029 But any healing without sacrifice is like fruit 00:17:37.029 --> 00:17:42.119 without roots. In order to truly come forth with 00:17:42.119 --> 00:17:45.579 full life, it has to come from the life that 00:17:45.579 --> 00:17:50.240 was already given. See, that's what we see here 00:17:50.240 --> 00:17:53.519 with these trees. As much as I may be worried 00:17:53.519 --> 00:17:56.319 about those trees in my yard, the best part about 00:17:56.319 --> 00:18:01.200 it, though, is that they're not alone. They may 00:18:01.200 --> 00:18:04.779 have a flawed gardener, but they do have a gardener 00:18:04.779 --> 00:18:08.220 that actually cares. And that's something we 00:18:08.220 --> 00:18:12.349 forget a lot. is that as we stumble through these 00:18:12.349 --> 00:18:14.890 things that we face in our world, we're not doing 00:18:14.890 --> 00:18:16.970 it with the God that has just kind of sat off 00:18:16.970 --> 00:18:21.589 to the side as if He's forgotten us. This is 00:18:21.589 --> 00:18:25.490 a gardener who loves us so much that He would 00:18:25.490 --> 00:18:31.049 sacrifice for us. See, we're not alone. We're 00:18:31.049 --> 00:18:34.109 not just meant to push ourselves harder as if 00:18:34.109 --> 00:18:37.269 somehow the fruit is just something to try harder 00:18:37.269 --> 00:18:41.440 to create. The fruit comes because we dig deeper 00:18:41.440 --> 00:18:45.240 into what God has promised. That each part of 00:18:45.240 --> 00:18:48.720 what His Word has been, that as His Spirit speaks 00:18:48.720 --> 00:18:52.140 into us, it walks us through the struggles that 00:18:52.140 --> 00:18:56.799 we have. Not just at the times when things feel 00:18:56.799 --> 00:19:01.779 the easiest or the strongest, but in every season 00:19:01.779 --> 00:19:06.859 of our life. Because God is continuing to speak 00:19:06.859 --> 00:19:10.920 truth and life into us. And He needs to. Not 00:19:10.920 --> 00:19:14.480 just for us. Because the world around us is desperate. 00:19:16.059 --> 00:19:19.759 They are hungry. They are looking for what to 00:19:19.759 --> 00:19:23.839 eat. And those who know Christ are the only ones 00:19:23.839 --> 00:19:28.180 who have fruit worth consuming. Because the hungry, 00:19:28.299 --> 00:19:30.720 the tired, the sick, they're coming for something. 00:19:32.240 --> 00:19:35.980 And if the fruit that comes from us, if it's 00:19:35.980 --> 00:19:41.400 missing that water from Christ, then it will 00:19:41.400 --> 00:19:45.319 never be the true fruit to feed the world. You 00:19:45.319 --> 00:19:49.380 may not feel like that tree. You may feel dry 00:19:49.380 --> 00:19:53.279 or ordinary, but the miracle is that it's not 00:19:53.279 --> 00:19:56.839 about the tree being special. It's about where 00:19:56.839 --> 00:20:01.519 we're rooted in. So today, for our sake and for 00:20:01.519 --> 00:20:05.680 the sake of the world, may we be rooted in Christ 00:20:05.680 --> 00:20:10.619 Jesus. May we drink, may we wash these garments 00:20:10.619 --> 00:20:14.400 white as snow, may we abide, not because we're 00:20:14.400 --> 00:20:17.400 the source, we're the branch, we're the leaf, 00:20:17.420 --> 00:20:20.779 we're the fruit, but we are rooted with where 00:20:20.779 --> 00:20:24.420 the water and the fruit and the life truly comes 00:20:24.420 --> 00:20:29.799 from. So may the world be healed by the water 00:20:29.799 --> 00:20:34.200 that Christ has given us and to everyone, one 00:20:34.200 --> 00:20:38.240 tree at a time. Thanks be to God.