Walk of Life, Day 11 – August 2020 – Thoughts from the Book of Proverbs

*The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
And he who wins souls is wise* Proverbs 11:30

Few years back I went to a nursery and purchased a small lemon sapling and planted it in our backyard. I nurtured it with the best soil and fertilizers and took immense care having lots of expectations that one day I will make lemonade from the fruit of that tree. I waited and waited, watching the plant growing into a tree but not even a single lemon popped out. Even more fertilizers and leftover vitamin capsules did not work. Ultimately, I lost hope.

All of a sudden, one fine morning, I happened to see a small plant sprouting at the front of my home. To my surprise it was a lemon tree. I neither bothered nor paid attention to it. However, my lack of attention did not stop it’s growth but it grew overwhelmingly and I started noticing small lemons coming out. My goodness! the tree started yielding lemons. Now I could relish it all…my cold lemonade drink, colorful lime rice and that too with fried fish, a big jar full of lime pickle, and to my surprise, it was yielding still lavishly providing to all the neighbors, strangers, brothers and sisters in Christ. What a great pride and happiness to own that lemon tree inside my compound for which I neither manured nor watered.

Dear brothers and sisters is that not the fruit of the righteous from the tree of life. We have been made righteous not by our own efforts but by His precious blood. We have to bring forth fruits in abundance.

The fruit of love that comes from our heart should be such that it cannot see a friend or neighbor entering into hell.

The fruit of joy that we produce within us should be evident even at times of peril or difficult situations.

The fruit of peace that we experience within ourselves and that we exhibit outside should make others feel peaceful.

The longsuffering that we show to another person who has not yet repented should reflect every time we kneel before our Lord.

The gentleness that we demonstrate, the goodness that we practice, the faith that we exercise, the meekness that we adapt, and the self control that we gain every moment and in every situation should make everyone of us gain souls for his kingdom. Without which we will be fools.

I urge you my loving brothers and sisters to use every opportunity in winning souls as the days are very wicked and evil.