Waiting on The Master: 5 Lessons from the Fig Tree.

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The age-old question of when Jesus is coming has come back to the fore once again due to the anxieties of the global pandemic of COVID-19!

I am sure it’s not because Christians are ready to go to Heaven, neither is it because non-believers are waiting to repent. It is merely a case of human curiosity of wanting to have definite information.

But that question remains a mystery even in the scriptures. Matthew 24:36 records, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.”

And maybe it’s because it’s not that important!

Therefore, allow me for a second to digress and move away from the question of when and delve into the more important issue of how to wait on the Master. I think that’s a more objective agenda.

Why is it important you ask? The story is told of the wise and foolish virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Unfortunately, the groom delayed and their lamps went out and they all fell asleep.

Then came the midnight cry that the bridegroom was on his way. What a groom! Keeping the ladies waiting until midnight. Five of the brides had carried surplus oil for their lamps while the other five had none. And who goes to meet his groom in darkness anyway. The moral of the story is that the foolish virgins missed out on the wedding party!

This is the regrettable predicament of our walk with Christ; that after waiting and serving for so long you’d miss out on the most important hour! The Apostle Paul puts it this way, “Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air.  But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” 1 Corinthians 9:26-27

So how then do you wait on the Master?

Whoever keeps the fig tree will eat its fruit; So he who waits on his master will be honored – Proverbs 27:18. A fig tree can last up to 200 years, strong and fruitful.  You must develop the capacity of endurance which is also a fruit of the Spirit. Keeping the fig tree means walking in continuous unbroken fellowship with the LORD regardless of the season. We must trust the Holy Spirit to create in us the capacity to endure keeping in mind that we do not know the day nor the hour. The 10 brides fell asleep am sure out of exhaustion waiting on the groom. There are days when you will be feeble, but when you rely on God to strengthen you He gives you the fortitude to continue the journey.  It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect- Psalm 18:32.

Honor and prepare for the Wedding. The parable of the wedding feast in Matthew 22 brings to light the tragedy of rejecting the Savior, for He came unto His own and His own received Him not. After the guests turned down the invitation the king sent his servants into the streets to bring in whoever they could find because the feast was ready and urgent.  Even after new guests had arrived, the king joins the feast and finds one of the guests dressed inappropriately!

We need to understand that there is a cost that has been paid for the Wedding feast; we cannot take it lightly. And the garment we need to put on is that of a prepared heart, one that has put on Christ. I know that in the natural world, it is the groom that waits on the bride. But not so in the Kingdom of God. In the Kingdom we are all brides awaiting the affirmation and approval of the Groom. We shall wait not as unwise but as wise brides knowing our Master is coming with a sword.

Produce fruit all year round. In Matthew 21:18-19, Jesus is hungry. And as He walks He comes across a fig tree expecting to get some fruit out of it. But Alas, He finds none! Therefore, He curses the tree. One of the Unique things about the fig tree: is that it produces fruit all year round. That is how it is able to provide food for many animals in the wild like birds and monkeys.

Just as with the fig tree, waiting for the bride requires us to be fruitful all year round because Christ is coming for a bride that is ready- Revelation 19:7. Fruitfulness must be a lifestyle daily occurrence not an event. This is part of our inherent DNA as we are created in the image of God and commanded by Him to be fruitful and multiply.

Be known by your fruits. One of the other peculiar characteristics of the fig tree is that its flowers are hidden inside the fruit and therefore it’s hard to tell whether it’s ready. A key fruit of our repentance is LOVE. The scripture records in John 13:35, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”  Many times we try so hard to convince people to come to Christ when they can’t see the Christ in us!  But Christ when He arose showed them His wounds.  From those wounds they recognized the suffering He had gone through on their behalf and they were glad that it was the LORD What if the love of God saturated every aspect of our lives? We would not need to preach to any man, they would know that we are Christ’s and they would desire to follow Him.

Finally, but most importantly, keep your eyes on the ball. The fig tree also has something to say as regards loyalty and worship to the One and only God. Did you know that there are over 750 species of fig and that each fig species is fertilized by its own distinct species of fig wasp?

Jesus gives a warning to this effect, “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it.  For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” – Matthew 24:23-24.

Waiting for the Groom is such a delicate and precarious affair that even Jesus wondered if on His Return He would find faith on the Earth – Luke 18:8.

Allow me therefore to draw the curtains on this weighty subject albeit even temporarily by quoting this scripture, “Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!” Psalm 27:14.

Shalom!

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