Thinking about an avodcado tree.

Eight years ago I bought a few avocado tree seedlings for 20 Kwacha each; one of these survived the trials of a building site and began to grow into a healthy young tree. Each year would go by and I would joke with my friend that if the tree didn’t produce any fruit I would like my Kwacha back! Well after five years it did begin to flower and produce fruit, however I was back in the UK. While I was away the avocados were almost ready to pick and someone else wanted to pick them, but they were stopped because I had mentioned that I wanted to be able to pick the first fruit. Well I returned to Malawi and I was able to pick and taste of the first fruits of that tree after five years waiting, we have had another 3 years of blessing from this one little 20 kwacha worth seedling. Also my children have enjoyed climbing the branches of this tree, helping to pick the avocadoes and just having fun, climbing up and down.
This story makes me think about how important the little things in our lives are to God, He knows the potential of our lives when they are planted, watered and feed by the grace and love of Christ. Things that at first don’t look like much can become in Christ fruitful and a blessing for others. Such a steady year by year fruitfulness enduring and producing fruit in season. Wonderfully God’s fruitfulness enables the children to enjoy the blessing of the Lord also, can you not imagine the children climbing up into the arms and sitting on lap of the Saviour, He is not so untouchable as some would present Him to us, He desires us to come close to and know Him, remember when we touch Him in faith, His power moves within us, to change our inner being cleansing us from sin and declaring us righteous and clean in Christ (Mark 10:13-16 ,Luke 8:42-48).
The Lord God is patient, and sometimes fruit takes a number of years to appear on a tree, yet the tree is planted in good ground, the capacity of producing fruit is within the tree, let us seek the fruit and gifts of the Holy Spirit in our lives with perseverance and faith, don’t give up – if you are not the most patient person, seek the Lord, touch Him and let Jesus do His work in you. His work is eternal and not a ‘flash in the pan’, it lasts and year by year can keep being fruitful, it is not produced by personal effort, but by the inward change of the Spirit of the Lord, let Jesus pick and taste the first fruits of your heart.
Matthew Armstrong
Blantyre, December 2009.