Article December 10, 1990 Issue

Freeing ourselves from entangling vines

All sorts of things would entangle our hearts and minds, making our lives fruitless. But Christ, Truth, comes to set us free.

Hazel Teresa Cook

A Man had an apple tree in his field. A vine had entangled itself with it to such an extent that the limbs of the tree were held in a downward position and yielded only a few small apples. The life of the tree was also being threatened. One day the man went to the tree and worked until he had removed every piece of the vine. The branches lifted up and blossomed, and that year the tree yielded bushels of beautiful apples.

This apple tree can be a parable for our lives. So often we entangle our lives with the bondage of personal sense. We cherish in thought images of past offenses and blame others for hurting us. Jealousy, pride, resentment, anger, self-love, self-pity, self-justification, are among the many sins that hold us in bondage to the point where the "fruit" we produce is very small.

Christ Jesus said, "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples." And the Apostle Paul tells us, "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance." These are the fruits we are to develop in our lives and express to the glory of God.

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