Week 2 May 2026, Devotion Part 2

Let it alone, sir, this year also, till I dig about it and put on manure. And if it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.  Luke 13:8-9

Christ’s forerunner lost his head to an axe. We hang on to ours by hanging on every word of Bible commentary that identifies the fig tree of Christ’s parable as the Jewish nation. We figure this particular talk, as was the viper talk, was for “them,” not us. We are barely off the hook when the vine talk of John 15 snags us with a violent tug. It axes all “church works” that are not rooted in a vital, personal union with Jesus. His “fiery” talk of fruitless branches is echoed by Paul’s commentary in 1 Corinthians 3:11-15. Every work will be tested by fire and salvation itself is subject to singeing.

If all we take away from fruit talks is the certainty of judgment, we grieve Christ and the Father whose glory was dearest to Him. How dare we miss the promises? “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7). “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you” (John 15:16). Some pray hard and some hardly pray. Fired with holy confidence that comes from abiding, we all pray differently!  Part 2 of 2

Comment: Feel free to ignore the pep talk about starting this particular journey with the baby steps the experts always recommend. My cold feet crave warm socks and time to wrap my head around this. I’ll skip the aspirin and try a dose of humor to lessen my rising skepticism that might burst into panic. Take the fellow who eavesdropped on a group of pastors discussing prayer positions to most effectively “beseech” God. He suddenly burst in and told the startled theologians how he once fell into a muddy well and said his best prayer ever while being stuck upside down. Oswald Chambers, the Scottish evangelist best known for his devotional writings in the bestseller MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST, coined the expression “The Great Omission.”  It refers to the vast majority of Christians who don’t take “The Great Commission” personally or even seriously.  Interestingly, the FBI speaks into this  To outwit counterfeiters, the agents undergo rigorous training in the study of authentically minted bills. They spot the fake money by knowing the real one.  In a similar vein, if we study and meditate on Christ’s directive before His Ascension as recorded in Matthew 28:16-20, we won’t fall victim to the counterfeit prayer schemes propagated on an Internet toxic with artificial intelligence and natural stupidity.  In His Great Commission, Jesus doesn’t bother with baby steps, but tells us why “going” isn’t optional and why our resolute steps of obedience are a logical consequence of abiding in Him.  “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. THEREFORE GO…”  If we go in response to the pressing needs of the world, we will soon burn out. We can and will go the distance if we take this personally and seriously,  “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  Luke 13