Plant Pathology

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“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from briers (Luke 6:43, 44).

I spent a few summers during college working at a fruit experiment station. There were all kinds of varieties of fruit grown there for research purposes: apples, peaches, and plums, table and wine grapes, and every kind of berry. I have fond memories of my time working there for many reasons, one of which being I learned a lot about the process of fruit production.

Disease and injury can take many forms in plants the same way it can in us. Sometimes too much rain in a season causes root rot, sometimes a parasitic insect makes its home in a tree, bush, or vine, and sometimes outside contaminants are the cause of disease. The evidence of a disease or injury can be seen in the overall appearance of the tree: the leaves will wither and fall off, and if fruit is produced it will be stunted and diseased; oftentimes there’s no fruit at all. There’s no mistaking a diseased tree.

A diseased tree can be treated a few ways depending on what’s ailing it. Insects can be sprayed with chemical deterrents. If only a small area of the tree is showing signs of disease pruning can be effective, and a wise gardener knows when to prune a diseased plant and by how much. 

Let’s look inward: are there outside contaminants that have taken root in your heart? Have parasitic thoughts made their home in your mind? Has living in excess of fear, negativity, or anger started to damage your roots? How can you know if these things are happening within? Examine the fruit you’re producing!

Healthy trees produce robust foliage and an abundance of delicious fruit. To this day the best fruit I’ve ever eaten was taken straight off the tree, vine, or bush those summers working at the fruit station. I knew when the fruit was ripe, because I worked in the orchards and vineyards every day. I had witnessed the entire growing season from start to finish, so I knew what to look for when choosing the best fruit. 

It might be obvious, but I’m here to tell you that apples do not grow on peach trees. Grapes do not grow on blueberry bushes, peaches do not grow on grapevines, and good fruit does not grow on bad trees.

What kinds of fruit are you producing? Does it look anything like the “fruits of the Spirit” (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control)? Has the fruit you’re producing encouraged you to Disagree Deeply? Has it been a hindrance to Loving Deeper Still?

Let’s be still for a few moments and examine the fruit we’re producing.

Now let’s ask God to show us an area of our lives that needs pruning today. Father, give us the courage to cut the disease out of our lives so we may produce good fruit in Your name.

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