The Fruit of Your Labor

I went out onto our large patio off the kitchen this morning to pick a fresh lemon from our beleaguered lemon bush for the muffins I was preparing for breakfast.  I stood there for a few moments looking at the lush green leaves and abundance of fruit and was glad that I had not given up hope.  If you’ve been a reader of our blog for any amount of time you may recall the great “Battle of the Rats” that I fought about a year and a half ago.

Being as our little neighborhood community is in close proximity to a golf course, at the eastern border of our city limits with open country nearby and has a creek flowing through the midst of it, we tend to have a population of little four legged creatures that also enjoy our terrain!   While I had seen the little guys around the walkways and had talked to other residents who had problems with the rats, we had never seen any in our patios, until I began to see a few signs around the deck area.

What finally forced me into action is when I discovered that they were eating the leaves off our long standing lemon bush.  Before I knew it, they had stripped the bush of all its leaves and began gnawing on the branches.  To make a long story short, after using traps I finally observed a couple of places where they were making entrance into the patio and put out a couple of containers of rat bait where the dog could not be endangerd (the dog also did her part by catching one unsuspecting varmint!).  The bait did the trick but we were left with a pathetic looking skeleton of a lemon tree.

After considering the thought of digging up what was left of the bush and replacing it, I decided to give it another chance.  I trimmed it down to a small stub, fertilized it and then took great care of it over the ensuing winter months.  In the spring I was rewarded with the first few shoots of fresh green growth!  As spring turned into summer and beyond, the little bush continued to recover, grew all new growth and entered the next year full of bright green leaves and healthy growing branches!

This fall, over a year after looking quite hopeless, I began to notice the first blooms followed by an abundance of little green lemons!  Last week I was able to pick the first fruits, and as I mentioned, was able to pick one today in order to add its delicious juices as an ingredient to my muffins!

What a terrific example of the faithfulness of God and of our persistence in never giving up on Him and the truth of His Word!  Hebrews 4:14 encourages us “to hold on to our declaration of faith…” (God’s Word ©)  Even when things look hopeless, give them over to God and never yield to the thoughts of defeat and failure.  Spend regular time in His Word in order to keep your faith strong (Romans 10:17), and keep your eye on the prize of the higher calling of God’s promises in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:14)

Then as my wife and I are enjoying the harvest of our lemon bush, you too will enjoy the fruits of your labor as a reward for your stand on the truth of God’s Word!  Have a great day.  Stay in tune to His Word, and keep asking yourself… “What am I expecting today?”