A Holy Harvest
“Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”
Luke 3:8 (NIV)
I love hydrangeas, especially Endless Summer hydrangeas with big blue blooms. As a five-year-old, I called them “blue snowballs” when they bloomed in my Mam-Maw’s front yard. I loved them even more after one very special Mother's Day about 25 years ago. That particular year our finances were really stretched thin with two of our four children in college. When Bruce asked me what I wanted for Mother's Day that year, I replied, "A blue hydrangea." Much to my dismay, he came home, not with one, but with six blue hydrangeas! At the time I thought he was crazy because it was such an extravagant gift. But those six hydrangeas began our annual love affair with these beauties and I am so grateful for Bruce’s vision to plant them. They are reminders, not just of my husband’s love and care, but of God’s faithfulness and provision.
Over the years, Bruce mastered the ins and outs of hydrangea gardening: the right amount of shade and sunlight; the best soil conditions; the correct amount of fertilizer and water; and when to prune the bushes. Bruce eventually began rooting some of our original hydrangeas and we planted even more. Along the way we branched out and planted different varieties and colors. Each spring in April I begin looking for some tiny hydrangea buds anticipating full blooms in mid-May. And no matter how hard we work, hope, or pray for a harvest, it is always with the knowledge that God is the One who gives the growth (1 Corinthians 3:7). He is truly the Lord of the Harvest (Luke 10:2).
Some years every vase I own is full of beautiful hydrangeas that bring me great joy. But we’ve also had two grief-filled seasons with barren bushes due to drought or cold. Still, God is Lord of the Harvest and I’ve learned not to take any fruitfulness for granted and to be grateful for whatever He gives.
Fruit bearing is also very important to God. Jesus in one of his last discourses to his disciples said, "This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit." (John 15:8) John the Baptist challenged his listeners to "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance." (Luke 3:8) Fruit for a hydrangea is a large blooming flower bursting with bright color. But what is the fruit of repentance?
Author Terry Johnson writing in his excellent book The Parables of Jesus recommends using the following questions to evaluate our personal fruit of repentance:
Is God getting a return on His investment in me?
Have I turned from the pursuit of sin?
Have I cultivated a loathing of evil and a hunger & thirst for righteousness?
Have I developed a hunger for the Word of God, the people of God, and the worship of God?
Am I pursuing holiness?
Do I have a zeal for good works? (not to earn my salvation but in grateful response to God's grace)
Am I characterized by love in my dealings with my neighbors?
For what or Whom am I living?
Those are difficult questions to ask and even harder ones to live by. The truth is that repentance is hard work because it is heart work. The question each of us must answer is this: How do I know that I've truly repented from _________? And the answer is: we change! God calls us to repentance, not just once, but as an ongoing way of life as we die to our sin and live for His glory.
“Legalistic remorse says I broke God’s law while real repentance says I broke God's heart," writes author Tim Keller. Breaking God’s heart should be a catalyst that leads to a change, not just in my behavior, but also in my heart. Breaking God’s heart should break mine too.
I can't produce one hydrangea bloom by myself. I can plant, prune, weed, and feed, but God is the One who gives the growth. In the same way, we can't produce the fruit of repentance apart from Christ. Jesus reminds us that "apart from Me you can do nothing." (John 15:5) But Jesus doesn't stop there. Instead, He promises us that "If we remain in Him and He in us, we WILL bear much fruit" and that fruit will be for God's glory. (John 15:8)
Terry Johnson summarizes the fruit of repentance by saying, "True life is found in serving, pleasing, honoring, glorifying God and making Him known. This is the fruit that Jesus seeks."
And that fruit is indeed a holy harvest!