A psalm of praise to start our time together, Father!

1 I will exalt you, my God and King,
and praise your name forever and ever.
2 I will praise you every day;
yes, I will praise you forever.
3 Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!
No one can measure his greatness. Psalm 145

Mark 11:12-14, 20-26 (<<click to read the passage)
This is one of those part 1 / part 2 scenarios. On His way to Jerusalem where Jesus would clear the Temple, He came upon a “fig tree in full leaf a little way off…” He was looking for fruit but found none. Then Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat your fruit again!”
The next day when the passed the fig tree it had “withered from the roots up”!
We’ll look at what Jesus had to say about faith next time around but this evening, I’d like to look a little closer at the fig tree. My Life Application Study Bible states, “This incident occurred early in the spring when the leaves were beginning to bud. The figs normally grow as the leaves fill out, but this tree, though full of leaves, had no figs. The tree looked promising but offered no fruit. Jesus’ harsh words to the fig tree could be applied to the nation of Israel. Fruitful in appearance only, Israel was spiritually barren.”
Lord Jesus, I would pray that we would not be like this fig tree. So many of us, myself included, are so busy…and often we are busy with the work of Your kingdom but do we have fruit to show for our efforts? I realize that often we plant the seed or maybe we water the seed that has already been planted. But sometimes I struggle because I don’t seem to see much fruit for my labors. I also realize that there may be fruit born, but it just may be out of my range of sight.
But Jesus, please don’t let me be spiritually barren. I, like many of Your followers, am a work in progress. I struggle with things just as everyone does but I would pray that Your resurrection power would work through me to bring more and more victory and less and less failure. May I be a harvester of fruit as well as a planter of seeds. Give me eyes to see and ears to hear. May I share in Your sensitivity to accomplish what You have called me to accomplish. Amen.
You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I [Jesus] say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe [white] for harvest. John 4:35

June 24th, 2019, Mon, 9:25 pm