A second chance

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."

Here we have Jesus telling a parable about a fruitless fig tree. A vineyard owner planted a fig tree,which he left in the care of his gardener. three years later, the owner returned to see if the tree had produced any fruit.It hadn't. In spite of the care and attention of the gardner, the tree was fruitless.In this parable the fig tree represents Gods people,God wants his peoples lives to be a reflection of his character so that others could see what he was like.God has nurtured and protected us that he could accomplish this purpose.God wants to see if his careful attention will produce some spiritual fruit.He wants us to be careful not to slip into fruitless legalism,which gives the appearence of holiness but lacks the quality of true righteousness that God cares about.Simply turning away from our sins is not enough, we need to replace our sinful ways with something better,something more pleasing to God.

Even though the fig tree deserves to be cut down, the gardener didn't want the tree cut down. Like Jesus did for us , he spoke up against destroying the tree. Jesus continious care is so that we might bear fruit.Through this parable we should learn an important lesson about repentance. Though we might deserve judgement, we have time to repent of our sins and live in a way that honors God.Our past sins may have resulted in a fruitless life ,but God is willing to give all who will a second chance.

God expects those who want a right relationship with him to live in a way that honors him. It's not enough just to belive in God or to turn away from sin. We must live obedient lives that bear fruit.