It was a glorious spring morning. The warm sun shone down on the cottony-white
layers of blossoms that covered the old apple orchard. The calm, still air was
filled with the sound of buzzing as swarms of bees delighted themselves with the
sweet nectar. They flitted from one branch to another, pollinating the flowers
as they went and ensuring that in the fall, these same trees would be loaded
with apples. Everyone and everything was totally at peace. Everyone and
everything that is, except for the one unhappy apple branch . . .
"Why do I have to be attached to this tree?" He muttered to the buzzing bees. "I
would fair much better if I was on my own! I could prove the world that you
don't have to be attached to a tree to make it!"
And with this, he tried to shake itself off the tree, but it was to no avail.
"Can't anyone help me break free??" He cried in complete despair.
"Why would you want to be separated from your tree?" Asked a neighboring branch.
"You need its vitality and support to survive!"
"I need NOTHING!" Shouted the branch. "My tree is restraining me. I feel like a
prisoner. I want to be free and be able to do my own thing and prove myself to
the world."
"You are not a prisoner," replied the other branch. "Your tree loves…"
"Stop with your nonsense!" Interrupted the dissatisfied branch. "I know what is
best for me! Can anyone help me break free from my tree?"
"I can!" Boomed the thunder.
All of a sudden the sky was darkened by massive, menacing clouds. Lightning
seemed to appear out from nowhere, striking the tree in question, breaking the
rebellious branch from its mother trunk and sending it plummeting to the orchard
floor.
"Oh thank you," said the branch. "You have made it possible for the world to be
able to see what I can do!"
As the days went by, a new sound could be heard over the buzzing of the bees in
the orchard: "I can do it. I can do it! I can make it on my own!"
However the branch's buds were turning gray.
"It's not MY fault!" Reasoned the rebellious branch. "That other branch
shouldn't have interfered with what I wanted to do!"
The other branches didn't pay any attention to him, however. They were too busy
enjoying their snowy-white blossoms and all the attention they were receiving
from the bees.
The independent branch soon began to see that he was the ONLY branch with
wilting buds. Nothing he could do would make those flowers open. "Maybe if I had
a drink!" He thought. But this thought just served to remind him of how
desperately thirsty he had become. "Someone, please help me," he pleaded. "I
need a drink!"
All of a sudden he heard footsteps. The gardener was coming! He would surely be
able to provide him with some water! And he would most DEFINITELY compliment him
for succeeding in becoming so independent!
But that's not what the gardener said at all. As the rebellious branch felt
himself being picked up and transported out of the orchard, the only words he
could hear from the gardener's mouth was: "Sure a pity!" He didn't fully
understand these words, however, and he repeated over and over again: "See
everyone? I knew I could make it on my own!"
Only too late he found out, to his horror, that his fate would be FAR from
ideal: "No, no, no," he cried. "Not the fire! I didn't do anything wrong. I
wanted to prove myself and live independently. No, no. Not the fire!"
But the smoke prevented him from seeing the tears in the gardener's eyes.
One day the Master Gardener pronounced these words: "Remain in me, and I will
remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.
Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the
branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart
from me you can do nothing." (John 15:4-5 NIV)
Why is it so hard for us to realize the importance of these words? Way too often
we find ourselves vying for the driver's seat. We want to be in control! We know
what we are doing! We want to prove ourselves to everyone. Only too late do we
find ourselves in complete misery, realizing that we cannot do anything on our
own.
We wonder why we aren't bearing any fruit. We read Gal 5:22-23: "But the fruit
of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control." NIV and we conclude that we need to try harder.
But the harder we try, the more we find ourselves utterly frustrated. We can't
seem to be able to bear this kind of fruit. We may have some of them, but not
all. The important ones are still missing.
"Why Lord?" We cry. "Why am I not bearing this fruit?"
The answer is simple: Apart from Jesus "we can do nothing!" John 15:4. "No
branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine." NIV
Way too often we try to remedy the symptoms instead of the problem itself.
"I will take a self-help course on producing 'joy' in my life," we decide. "Then
I will learn the 102 steps to master 'peace' and then…"
No matter what kind of effort we put forth, our problem will remain. Symptoms
can be treated, but healing can only be done if the problem itself is treated.
Complete freedom is only possible by complete dependence on Jesus. "It does not,
therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy." (Rom 9:16
NIV); and "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:36 NIV)
The "I want to be independent!" Reasoning leads only to bondage and certain
death. The only solution to all of our problems can be found solely in Jesus
Christ. Without Him, we are driving ourselves straight to disaster. We may be
able to be successful on our own for a short while, but we can't fool ourselves
forever: We are not free! The price of our own success is steep! Is it worth it?
Who is in your driver's seat? Do you let Jesus be the driver in all that you do?
Without Him no fruit will be forth coming!
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
(Matt 11:28 NIV)
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
messages. HTML and plain text versions available.
The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.