The fruit of an apple tree is not ultimately an apple, but apple trees. Apples contain the seeds of reproduction. If Gospel faith is in you, you will have all nine attributes of the fruit of the Spirit. If you have them, they will cause people to respect you, listen to you, pray with you, and believe in you and ultimately believe what you have is real and receive it.
By Scott Phillips
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There is a great move today in the world of agriculture and science within the field of genetic manipulation. They use this technology to produce redder tomatoes, juicer oranges, and more productive crops. They even went so far as to produce a brand of cotton that has a special gene added. You can spray “Round Up,” a plant killer, on it and it won’t be killed.
I heard a story the other day on public radio where they are pro¬ducing seed, special seed that gives these “great” results. But the catch is that the plant it produces does not produce seed. If my memory serves me correctly it is a type of wheat seed. This is done to ensure the farmers always must buy seed, instead of saying seed.
Science has created “ornamental trees,” such as the Bradford Pear. It is a beautiful tree. The blossoms are stunning. But don’t look for any fruit. It is a pear tree without pears.
Men breed different levels of species to create hybrids, such as a donkey and a horse, which creates a mule.
Genetic engineering is the process of manipulating the genetic structure of a species to change or modify to bring about a desired result. The goal is improvement. There is nothing new under the sun. And the concept and idea of this is not new either. Men have been doing this for centuries.
Is this happening in the Christian world? And why would I sug¬gest this is happening?
Why does it seem that we find fruitless trees in the orchards of organizational structure? Stubborn mules graze in fields of labor. Millions of seed are sown with a very small return. The nature of seed is multiplication, not division.
The purpose is not to be critical but to examine my own life and ask the million dollar question, “What kind of SEED am I sowing?”
I must realize that I and others can see the origination of the seed I sow by the lasting results I have. Results are not found in the first generation. Results are found in the spiritual grandchildren. Can we find any?
By my physical efforts, charisma, talent, and ability I can make some things happen. Everyone can show some visible effects. If I wanted to start a Boy Scout troop, I could do that by persistence and having a good reputation.
Results that are built in this realm are not eternal. They are what the Bible calls wood, hay and stubble. These results will not make a difference.
Eternal results cannot be assessed now. They will be assessed in the process of time. Some results will not be seen until the res¬urrection. They are seed sown to the wind. For example, if the effort I expend on writing is being sent to the wind. I will never know all the fruit that is harvested for His kingdom. He will be the Judge. My works will be tried in the fire just like yours will be.
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