Once again, springtime has come to our country. Everything is so beautiful. The grass is green, the trees are budding. The flowers are blooming. The air feels warm and pleasant. The blue jays, robins and swallows have returned to delight us with their singing. The whole of nature seems to have come back to life. The cold winter is past, ice and snow are gone. Just a short time ago, everything was dead, lifeless, and cold. Spring is a marvelous transformation that makes us all happy.
“For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.” Song of Solomon 2:11–13
In springtime, still some people are sad, unhappy. What spoils their joy? When everything looks so beautiful, there is still something ugly, something that spoils this world. It is the people. The inhabitants of this planet have spoiled it, so that many do not enjoy living here.
I have seen beautiful homes with gardens around, richly furnished, very comfortable, yet everyone in that home looks unhappy. Most of the time there is strife and quarrelling. The members of the family are so cold towards each other. Is there no sunshine that could shine into human hearts and melt the ice and remove the coldness?
How wonderful it would be if the whole human family would put away hatred, ill feelings, bitterness, and blend together in loving fellowship. If we do not know how to accomplish it, can God do it? He is omnipotent, nothing is too hard for Him. But, God has tried His best to bring the human family into unity.
“And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt Me and My vineyard. What could have been done more to My vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?” Isaiah 5:3–4
Then, why did it bring forth wild grapes? God says: When I tried to bring peace, why is there strife? When I tried to bring happiness, why is there sadness?
“Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” Matthew 7:16–20
Jesus spoke of two kinds of trees. He spoke of good trees and corrupt trees. How do we know which is good and which is corrupt—an evil tree? The appearance is deceiving. Many corrupt trees look good from the outside. Jesus said, ye shall know them by their fruits. The fruit is what is produced, as a result of character.
Paul writes in Galatians, that the good fruit is love. Love to God above all, and love towards our neighbor as we love ourselves. This person loves all people. He no longer knows how to hate. He is joyful, always smiling, always cheerful. He has the peace that passes understanding, always calm and serene. He is long-suffering towards others, tolerant, patient, as was Job. Even when everything seems to go wrong, he is patient towards those who are slow and irritating. He shows gentleness and kindness. It is wonderful to live with a gentle person. Even if you make mistakes, he understands. He may not have the class and the style that the world appreciates, but true gentleness guarantees a happy home life. Goodness covers all good qualities. A good person is generous, forgiving and kind, wishing no evil to anyone. He is also understanding, unselfish and faithful. True goodness is Godlikeness. Faith—he believes and trusts in God. By faith he is able to do the impossible, to overcome sin, to gain perfection, to receive justification. Meekness or humility is the secret of unity. Very few talented, successful people have this ornament of a meek and quiet spirit. Temperance is last in the list, but it is not easy to learn. Temperance goes directly against the old human nature.
If someone has all these fruits, he is a good person. He has continuous sunshine in his heart. He lives in the summer.
The other class of people are called corrupt trees. Their fruit is different. Paul writes about them in 2 Timothy. They may have the form of godliness, but they are lovers of themselves, selfish. They want to gratify all their desires, lusts and appetites. They have very little love to their fellow men. They are covetous, never satisfied, and are unhappy because they do not have all they want. They are wanting things that God has not given them in His wisdom. They complain easily. They are boasters and love to show off. Can everyone see what I can do? Or let us show others what we can accomplish. They are proud. Spiritual pride is the worst kind of pride. Considering ourselves better than others is evil, satanic. They are disrespectful to their parents. There will not be one child in heaven who is disrespectful to his parents. They are unthankful. Ingratitude is directly from Satan. God had made Satan the highest being in the universe, wise and beautiful, and has given him a high position. He gave him more than to anyone else, yet Satan was unthankful and hated God. They are trucebreakers. They think very lightly of their baptismal vows, or marriage vows, or any promise that they have made. They are despisers of those who are good. They see nothing special in the faithful children of God. They do not admire them, neither do they copy them. Even Christ Himself is nothing great in their eyes, and they do not spend much time with Him, beholding Him. They are lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. They would rather watch television than read the Bible. Their favourite conversation is of this world, fashion, jokes and music. They have a form of godliness, but they are corrupt trees.
The whole world fits into one or the other class. Professed Christians fit into one or the other class, depending with whom they associate—Christ or Satan.
“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing.” John 15:5. He who abides in Christ brings forth much good fruit. He is loving, gentle, kind, patient.
Jesus was speaking of the religious leaders when He said, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” John 8:44
If our roots are in Christ our fruit is good. If our roots are in Satan, our fruit is corrupt and evil. Roots refer to our mind, our thoughts, and our heart. Our mind may not be on the person of Satan, but it might be on the things that he offers. Satan has a very cheap character, there is nothing noble, great, or good in him, because he works against his benefactor, his best friend, his Maker. All his followers also have a cheap, worthless character. They may have a high education, have class and style and a great personality, but their selfishness and jealousies make them very cheap in character, good only to be cast into the lake of fire.
There are a few we can read of in the Bible with a good character. When Isaac made a well, the herdsmen of Gerar took it. Instead of fighting over it, he dug another well. And when this one was taken by the herdsmen, he dug out a third well. This is true greatness. Isaac had a noble character. He learned this gentle character in his childhood, when at an early age he stretched himself on the altar at his old father’s request to be sacrificed as an offering to God.
Joseph had a noble character after his brothers had hated him and tried to kill him. He saved their lives, gave them gifts, and the best part of the land to live in. He could have avenged himself on them.
David could have killed his enemy, Saul, in the cave. But he would not go against his open, avowed enemy; David still loved Saul. How often people turn against their friends, for the smallest of reasons. Saul had no real reason to hate David.
To do good to those who hate you and ignore you is divine; it is holiness. It is a great and noble character who sacrifices their good, their time and money to save others.
Why did Paul give up all and go to the Gentile countries where he was finally be put to death? By surrendering to Christ he developed a good character which did not allow him to live a selfish life.
Why did Christ die for me? Can you see the greatness in it? Do you admire Him for doing it? Do you often think about it and thank Him for it? That one so great and powerful would love a lowly sinner so much that He would sacrifice all for him?
Here in our world, leaders, rulers, and heads of governments regard themselves very highly. By their lives and positions they have done all that it is possible to do in order to secure their safety and position, while masses of their subjects are killed and sacrificed mercilessly, as worthless beings.
This is Satan’s character. He did not love the fallen angels. He tried to persuade them to be with him in his war against Christ and God. The angels were used for His selfish purposes. Satan also uses men and women for his selfish purposes, but he does not love them nor does he care for them. If they are lost or become insane or end up in prison, he laughs at them.
The metamorphosis or transformation which has taken place in nature can take place in us as we pull our roots out of Satan’s ground and plant them in Christ. When we are rooted and grounded in Him, immediately we start bearing good fruit. Then we can overcome; and overcomers will be in heaven and inherit all things.
In the time of Noah, it was not a question of who happened to wander and walk into the ark by chance who was saved. No, it was those who believed and were led by the Spirit of God into the ark who found safety. Who is led by the Spirit of God today will be brought sooner or later into the family of God. Human knowledge and wisdom has nothing to do with it. We must be in Christ, bearing good fruit, and then the Spirit of God will lead us to safety.
Being in Christ includes our mind and our heart. We think of Him, we look upon His character, we admire Him, and we bear good fruit.
Being in Satan means that our mind is in the world, ambition fills it. Our conversation is worldly because that is what we think about. Whom we love, he is who we keep in our mind. We think of him all day long. We can change our loyalty. It is possible. In our personal life this change can happen today. Let the sunshine into your heart. Let Jesus in, and the ice will melt. The coldness will disappear. Flowers will come out and you will have springtime and summer in your heart, and you will bear good fruit for others to enjoy. Your love, your joy and your peace will be so catching that whoever is with you will enjoy this wonderful fruit.
“And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” Ephesians 3:19. When we know the love of God by experience, we will be filled with all the fullness of God. Then we are no more poor. We do not lack anything. All is well with us. But the moment this connection is broken, we are miserable, poor, blind, and naked, lacking everything. We will be unhappy while the sun is shining.
Let us enjoy this springtime and thank God for it. Then we will be the happiest people on earth, always smiling and praising God. Amen.
Timo Martin