A Cup of Purpose

Now in the morning, when He was returning to the city, He became hungry. Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it except leaves only; and He said to it,"No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you." And at once the fig tree withered. (Matthew 21:18-22)


How many times have you spotted a beautiful plant or tree on display only to find upon closer inspection that it was an artificial version of the real thing?  Artificial plants are acceptable in certain environments, like restaurants perhaps, but they are a disappointment when they are in real gardens where we expect to find the real thing. That's how Jesus felt when saw the fig tree from a distance. It should have been successfully bearing some type of fruit since it gave the appearance of a fruit-bearing tree!

Have you ever wondered why you are not successfully bearing fruit your life? Have you asked yourself why you are not progressing? The answer may lie with the type of tree in your garden.
 
Let's take a look at trees. During biblical times certain trees were crucial to the lives of the Jewish people. One type of tree is the fig tree. Figs were good for food and medicinal purposes (Is.38:21). Another popular tree is the olive tree. The olive tree was depended upon for a variety of uses. The fruit of the olive tree was used as an exchange for goods, cosmetic purposes, fuel for lighting, medicine, food, offering, consecration and burials.
 

There are two types of olive trees, an ornamental variety and a fruit-bearing variety. The ornamental olive tree is not meant to bear edible or usable fruit. It is for decoration only. Many people have mistakenly planted ornamental olives trees in their gardens, expecting it to yield edible fruit, only to be disappointed and frustrated when no edible fruit was produced. They mistakenly blame the lack of fruit on the soil, thinking it's not suitable for the tree. In fact it's not the soil that is unsuitable it's the tree that is unsuitable for bearing edible fruit!What do these trees have to do with you? In the various parables of the fig tree Jesus was dismayed at the barrenness of the tree and cursed the tree. In Matthew 3:9, 10, John the Baptist warned that the axe was being laid to the tree that did not bear good (useful) fruit.  Unlike the parables of the sower and seed, the seed (tree) is the focus, not the soil. The soil represents you. It represents your heart, and your life...all that you are. The tree represents purpose.
 

You may have had many failures in the past while seeking to accomplish certain plans or goals in life. You have been discouraged, dissatisfied and frustrated and begin to see yourself through the eyes of failure, defeat, shame or unworthiness. It's time to realize that perhaps it's not your soil at fault but instead the problem is tree that was planted. It is time for you to discover your true purpose in life and plant it in your soil in order to see real fruit produced. You can no longer accept ornamental trees nor water and fertilize them with your attention, time or effort. No matter how much you water an artificial plant it will never produce the real thing. You must lay the axe to the false purpose and barren vision whether planted by you or someone else.

It is time to discover your true purpose and begin bearing useable fruit of success and satisfaction. Join a 4-P Puzzle for Success Workshop to discover the you that you were meant to be.

For More Information about the workshop visit: www.puzzleforsuccess.com

To Register for a workshop visit: www.puzzleforsuccess.eventbrite.com