Luke 13:7-9 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.

Given that we produce fruit, it is the seed that falls from our tree that gets planted and a tree emerges. In turn we yearn to see that tree produce fruit. It is a desire of a heart after God to see those whom we have brought to Christ to be productive. It speaks to the quality of the seed which we produced.

There is a flaw in that thinking.

It is not our vineyard and we are not the vine dresser.

In the natural world we plant fruit trees and have a rightful expectation for fruit to be produced. In this, it is our land, our tree and our responsibility to see to its care. In the Kingdom life we live we seldom get to be around that planted seed long enough to see fruit being produced in our expectation of maturity.

Even if we were so lucky to be in someone’s life that long, we still are not the vine dresser, which is the Holy Spirit. Once planted our seed is no longer ours to own, it belongs to the Lord.

Jeremiah 17:8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

It is the Holy Spirit that transplants your tree to the water’s edge.

Psalms 91:14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

Do you where prescription eyewear? I do and for the longest time I wore transition lenses. I loved the ability to focus in on things close to me or at a distance without changing glasses. Some call them lineless bifocals but when you have a good pair, everything between close and far distance can be brought into focus. There is no either or, but rather the ability to put everything into focus.

The same might be said of our spiritual sight. We might find it easier to focus on the immediate or we might have long range vision. Near vision takes in the immediate spiritual needs which usually involves personal spiritual growth and spiritual needs of loved one, wife and children. The distant vision is all about the hope to the future, our promises in Christ, those things to come.

Spiritual transition lenses allow you to focus on those things that are neither immediate nor eternal. That focal plane is filled with others. In this kingdom life the path before us is filled with people who are lost and need a savior or the saved who may need your service or will serve you.

At some point we all have to stop focusing on self and look to the needs of others. If we cannot then we are not fulfilling the servant’s heart part of our calling in Christ.

2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

Hebrews 13:21 Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.