Important characteristics of a tree:
- Is able to endure winter, spring, summer and autumn
- Is fruitful – bears good fruit which nourishes us
- Takes our waste – carbon dioxide
- Gives us oxygen – which we need for survival
- Gives us shade and protection
- Is constantly working even though we don’t see it
In the Bible, the Lord compares us to fruit bearing trees. There are tips for growing productive fruit trees which we can apply to our own spiritual lives.
Be careful taking your new tree home – trees can die of shock. Keep root ball damp and shaded from the sun.
- Be careful when going home as a newly saved person – you can die spiritually of shock. Stay dampened with prayer and protect yourself from the son (i.e. those who would discourage you) Matthew 10:16 says, Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves.
Always keep graft line clear of debris and above ground – If the graft line goes below ground the tree may revert to its root stock and give the wrong fruit – like crab apples!
- The graft line is your tie or connection with God. Stay connected through prayer, fasting, reading the word and assembling with other believers. This will help keep your bond clear and prevent you from reverting back to your root stock and producing the wrong fruit. In other words, you will go back to your old self if you don’t do the things that will maintain healthy growth.
Prune during the dormant season – All major pruning should be done in late winter or spring. Some pruning is usually required each year to keep the tree growing in a balanced shape.
- When you get lax or complacent, God will prune you. John 15:2 – Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Trials come to prune us. Pruning hurts, but is required to keep us growing and balanced.
Water during dry seasons – Water once every two weeks during dry spells; put a pan under tree and water until it fills to ensure water reaches the root zone.
- Ephesians 5:26 says, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word. A tree must be watered or it will die. You must get the Word in you or you will die. You must make sure water reaches your root zone (gets it in your heart). You must get rooted and grounded in the Word of God, or you won’t be able to withstand the dry periods in your life. If a tree does not develop its root system, it would topple over at the first wind. If you are not rooted, you will topple during your trial.
Beware of the weed eater – a weed eater can quickly damage a fruit tree by cutting the bark at ground level. This can stress the tree to cause reduced blooming and fruiting, and repeated injuries can even kill the tree.
- 1 Peter 5:8 says, Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. The enemy will try to kill you early. He will try to stress you to cause reduced growth. He’ll have you focus on your problems rather than on God, the fixer of all problems, and cause you to forget that God has given you the power to resist the enemy.
Remember that just like the tree, God built you to be resilient. He has given you the tools that you need to be a productive, fruit bearing tree that you may share your fruit with others and give them life.
Mother Vivian Valdez Pruitte