Planting An Orchard

A letter writer inquired of an expert on how to reduce the productivity of a fruit tree that was bearing bad fruit and causing a stench in his yard. This is from the Chicago-Tribune where Chicago is well known for producing bad fruit. The answer given was that it is very difficult to completely stop a fruit tree from bearing fruit and recommended that the writer tear down the tree and replace it with an ornamental tree that he can take pleasure by gazing at it. Jesus used the analogy of false prophets and bad fruit trees in the seventh chapter of Matthew: "Ye shall know them by their fruits.....even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit....wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." Our Congress is full of corrupt trees that bear bad fruit. In taking the experts advice we should remove the bad trees and replace them. The Republican Establishment would have us replace them with ornamental trees that we can gaze at for our satisfaction but they produce no fruit at all. South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint is an expert on "good trees" in Congress. This past election saw three new senators....good trees....added to the Senate to go along with the five senators added in 2010, this primarily through the work of the Senate Conservatives Fund. Whether it is in the Senate or the House of Representatives we need to plant good trees and hope that we have time to see them produce good fruit. Here is an anecdote about Martin Luther that I have given before: someone once asked him what he would do if he knew for certain that Jesus would return the next day. His answer was that he would plant a tree... today! His intention was to show that we cannot be idle, that instead Jesus would find us working to the glory of God upon his return. Politically we are trying to get good fruit from bad trees and it is not going to happen. It takes time for a new orchard to mature so let's keep this in the proper perspective, plant the trees, or in other words elect good senators and representatives to our Congress, but not sit back and expect them to provide all the sustenance of our Republic. We have work to do in our culture, in our families, in the church and in our own lives. Support Senator DeMint at www.conservativesfund.org for he, and others, are planting an orchard that will bear good fruit should God have mercy upon us to see it mature but let's pay even more attention to our Creator who provides the soil, the sun and the water for all trees to grow.