Fulfilling Purpose

Judges 9 vs 8-15 (kjv)

⁸The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us. ⁹But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? ¹⁰ And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us. ¹¹ But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees? ¹² Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us. ¹³ And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? ¹⁴Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us. ¹⁵And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.

The Olive Tree

…”But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?“…

The olive tree exudes fatness and this fatness brings glory to God and Man. Are you fat or lean spiritually?

When you are fat in the spirit ,your life will benefit both God and men. Enough of bodily exercise which profits little or nothing, put on weight in the spirit.

What is the content of your spiritual diet? What are you feeding on – junks or healthy spiritual meals? The word of God remains the best recipe for fatness in the spirit and the only remedy for leanness in the spirit.

When you get to that point in your life that life seems to have no meaning, when you feel like calling it quit; think and feed on the word of God and your life will witness a dramatic restoration.

Psalm 65 vs 11 says “Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness”.

The Fig Tree

...”But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees?”…

The fig tree was known for its characteristic sweetness and production of good fruit.

How is it with you? Do your life exudes sweetness or bitterness?

What kind of fruit do you produce? – good fruit, or bad fruit?

How is it with the words that proceed out of your lips? – are they comforting or cantankerous? are they correcting or condemning? Do they offer hope, or they give despair?

Proverbs 27 vs 9 says “ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man’s friend by hearty counsel”.

As you bring forth good fruits, your fruits will not be seasonal, but season-less. When Jesus came to the fig tree; He found no fruit there, no sweetness, no satisfaction and no succour, He then placed a curse on the tree.

May your life not be a curse but a blessing. Amen.

The Vine

…”And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?“…

The vine brings forth wine; wine is a sign of happiness and rejoicing. This kind of happiness attracts God’s attention and brings peace to man’s satisfaction.

Like the vine, we should spring forth happiness and rejoicing. We need to do things that will make the heart of God and men merry.

Remember John chapter 15, where the Bible says “Jesus is the true vine“.

If you are not connected to Jesus, you cannot bring forth sweet wine to satisfy others; rather your life will be like vinegar, which men sip and spew away from their mouth.

Get connected to the True vine today.

The Bramble Tree

The bramble tree has thorny branches, rough and prickly shrubs.

Are you a thorn in others flesh? Are you rough in words, character and attitude? Is your life prickly and a turn off for others?

…”And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon”…

The bramble does not have abundant branches and leaves to serve as a covering.

Do your life expose people to danger?

Are you a confidant? Can people hide under your shadows?

The bramble just wanted to reign by all means; and whosoever will not submit to its reign, will go for it. The bramble was proud, bullish and haughty. The cedars of Lebanon being an economic tree was a threat to the bramble; so, in other to remain relevant, the bramble plans to send fire to devour the cedar.

In all, the olive tree had a purpose; and in its purpose, it was honouring both God and man.

The fig tree also had a purpose which was to exude sweetness and bring forth good fruit.

The vine  cheered both God and man in the production of its sweet wine.

The bramble brings forth fruit as well, but it chokes with its sharp tough thorns and ultimately becomes a nuisance.

Are you an olive tree? – continue where God has planted you.

Are you a fig tree? – bring forth sweetness and good fruit.

Are you a vine? – cheer God and man.

Don’t seek to be what God has not made you to be.

The bramble does bring forth black berry fruit and bramble jelly, but it refuses to stay under the pruning of the Almighty.

Don’t be a bramble tree.

May the grace our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

by Paul Okafor

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