Your probably wondering why I have a picture of a dead tree. Well it's my chili plant that died. I've had it for about 2 years. I wanted to write about it because I learned a lot during the time I've had it and hope you can learn from this experience also. So when I bought the plant it was beautiful. It cought my eye as soon as I saw it, I bought it from a lady that would sell plants near my house. It was green, shiny, it looked healthy it even had baby chilis on it. I took it home, showed it much care. The chilis started to grow and even made a few batches of salsa with it. So far so good, so it seemed. But then it started giving less chilis. It started to wither, insects would attack it. I bought some spray for plants to keep the insects from getting to it. Josef kept telling me to throw the plant away to not have to hastle with it. I remembered a story brother Artemio told me about his plant. He said he got so mad at it because it would not give good fruits and that one day he cursed it and wished it would just die! He then said he suddenly felt convicted, he remembered times in his walk where he didn't always bear good fruits, though he habitually bore good fruits a few times he didn't. He thought of how the Lord was merciful to him and how the Lord just didn't cut him off and curse him. He then repented of wishing evil on this plant and asked the Lord to help it grow. His plant then started getting greener and healthier and bearing much fruit! Till this day his plant is there bearing much fruit. So with that in mind I decided to bear with my plant a little longer. I would take much care of it and finally one day it just withered and died. I still keep it to remind me of the lessons learned. I learned that at first you can't always know who is a real brother or a false convert, I have to be patient and in time the fruit will show and not to be to quick to judge someone as a false convert. The Lord said this about such cases "Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn." Matthew 13:30. This was the case with Artemios plant and that is the case with many real brethren, I think many of us in the days of us would of cast off Peter of David when they sinned and had labeled them as false converts. We have to be long suffering to those weaker in the faith. I also learned that there are cases such as my chili plant, where it is very obvious that they are a bad tree and bear bad fruits and many times bear no good fruit at all. Jesus told us about these also. "Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." Matthew 7:16-20And then there is the parable of the sower. "A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." Luke 8:5-8. "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience." Luke 8:11-15. Well that's the story of my chili plant and what I learned! Blessings.
