The Fig Tree, Do You Have Fruit In Your Life?

Tonight I wanted to share something that really impacted and challenged me recently, it is in Mark 11:13-14

Seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.  He said to it, "may no one ever eat fruit from you again!"  And His disciples were listening.

At first glance this might seem strange, okay so Jesus curses a fig tree because He was hungry and it didn't have fruit on it?  This is actually a figurative thing that He is saying, from a distance the fig tree looked good, so He got closer to it to partake of its fruit and realized there was none.  This is actually a parallel to us as Christians.  A lot of us can put on the Christian facade and look good, like we are living a Godly life from a distance.  So then someone gets to know us and realizes there is no fruit in our life.  Nothing to really show we have been affected by our relationship with God.  This is quite deadly for us, other christians and non believers.  For us because if we are truly christians, yet not showing any fruits of our faith then we cannot grow in our relationship with God and cannot affect anyones life in a positive way.  It is deadly to other christians in such as they see us and our good looking christian life from afar then often they will look to us to help disciple them, to keep them accountable and help them grow in their walk.  Then when in truth we have no fruit in our life and no growth, we will not be able to help them.  We can only help them walk down the fruitless path we are on, creating a whole generation of christians that just fit in with the rest of the world, failing to make an impact or a difference.  It hurts non christians as they see us claiming to be christians then see the way we live our lives.  They will think, these people are no different then us, who are they to claim that their way is right?  We poison their minds against christians and God, and fail to reach anyone for Christ, doing our part to send them on their path towards eternal separation with God.  Thus it is better to not claim to be a christian if we are not showing the fruit of our faith in our lives.  Jesus curses the fruitless tree so that it will never again bear fruit, that is how much God cannot stand a fruitless relationship because of the damage is causes and the hypocrisy of it.  

This greatly impacted me making me examine my life to see if I am showing the fruits of my relationship with God.  This is something we all should do, we must examine ourselves, be on constant guard.  If we are not showing the fruits of our faith, then there is a serious issue that must be addressed.  For our sakes, for the sake of other christians and for the sake of non believers everywhere, we must be growing in our walk, we must have fruit in our lives!  Lets not be like that fig tree!