Two weeks ago we talked about the tiny mustard seed of faith that we can find in all kinds of spaces. We can find faith in our favorite sports team when they change out their pitcher and gives the team a newfound hope. We can find faith at work when our boss stops by our desk and tells us we are doing a great job. We can find faith in Allentown PA with (read here): Billy Joel hoping for our jobs and our families. What I really hope for you is that for those who are still battling, that somewhere inside you is a tiny mustard seed of Faith and hope for our God.
Luke 13: 6-9 CSB
The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
6 And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree that was planted in his vineyard. He came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7 He told the vineyard worker, ‘Listen, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it even waste the soil?’
8 “But he replied to him, ‘Sir,[a] leave it this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. 9 Perhaps it will produce fruit next year, but if not, you can cut it down.’”
The moral of this story is that we are given a second chance. Hope is in this parable story. Do you know what else is in this story? WORK. Dig around it and fertilize it! Let us not forget that Faith is without works! You might ask, why then do I just reference work! Look inside yourself when you read this story, What do you see first before the work is mentioned? We must have Faith that the tree could actually produce fruit. Where does this Faith come from? For me, I know that the tree at least has potential to bear fruit because it is a fig tree and that is what that tree does! This is where my Faith comes from. It is pre-supposed. However, in order for this tree to bear fruit it needs some care. Let me give you an example:
This is my zero-turn I use to mow my lawn. This picture is with my youngest son on it 4 years ago when he was first learning to drive it. Notice it is yellow like a mustard seed.
I bought the zero-turn used in 2019. It is a 2012 model. I have had a few issues with it over the past 5 years, primarily with the mower deck and belt replacements, which are regular maintenance items. However, for about the last 4 years, I’ve known about another developing issue with the zero-turn that I’ve ignored for one reason or another.
About 4 years ago, I noticed a delayed start when I turned the key to start the engine. Sometimes the starter would kick in right away; other times, there would be a delay as I held the key in the start position. It has gotten worse over the last 4 years. I knew there was a problem, but I ignored it. First, it continued working, so why fix it? Second, I had two lost jobs in the past 3 years, and every time I thought about addressing it, I put it on the back burner due to financial constraints. I figured I would use it until I couldn’t anymore. Great plan, except recently, it stopped starting altogether.
Now I have a lawn to mow, and one of the units I need to use for mowing is down. I ordered a new starter, and one week later, it was installed. Still, it wouldn’t start. I had to troubleshoot the situation. Was it getting 12 volts of electricity? The answer was no. I started at the battery and noticed the fuse holder was damaged, possibly from heat or some unknown reason. The fuse was okay, but the holder was missing a corner and had green corrosion on it. I replaced the fuse and holder, but still, no start.
Next, I looked at the starting solenoid. The switch in the solenoid closes when you turn the key to the start position and then delivers power to the starter. Through a series of electrical troubleshooting exercises, I determined that the old starter, which was frozen, must have crossed the electrical current and burned up the solenoid, preventing power from reaching the starter. The weekend came, and I went to Big Apple Supply to get another solenoid. I came home, installed it, and guess what? Still no start.
Now you have to be kidding me, right? The ignition switch had been damaged for some time. Since the mower had not been starting correctly, we somehow thought that if we turned the key harder or pushed it in a certain direction, the machine would start. We even bent the key several times trying this! The ignition had been abused by me and my sons over the years.
A trick you can use to confirm if your starter and solenoid are working is to jump the poles on the solenoid with a screwdriver. (Note: Make sure it is a rubber-handled screwdriver, or you might get quite a shock!) You must have the key in the power-on position (one click). When you cross the poles on the solenoid, it will bypass the starter position (turning the key to that temporary position until the engine starts). With my son on the mower to keep the seat safety switch engaged, we jumped the poles and, boom! We had life.
Further electrical investigation revealed that the starter switch was not closing when the key was turned to the start position. I immediately called Big Apple and spoke to Mark in parts, who was now deeply involved in my repair. He had the part, but it was too late on a Saturday for me to get there. Temporary fix – jump the poles and mow the lawn. Whew! We made it.
Fast forward to this past Saturday, and there I was again in front of Mark at Big Apple. I got the new ignition and headed home. I made the swap, turned the key in the new ignition, and the engine roared to life as it should. However, when I took the parking brake off, the engine died. What now?
The seat safety switch had also been on my mind for the past 4 years as a potential issue. I had looked at it many times over the years, and the wires were bare – an obvious issue. But hey, it started, so it couldn’t be that, right? So, I called Mark at Big Apple.
“Mark, can you direct me here?” Traditionally, you can bypass safety switches by cutting out the switch and twisting the two wires together to close the circuit. I did that, but it did not solve the problem. Mark explained that on newer model mowers, a resistor is included in the switch so a certain voltage appears before it allows power to flow to the starter. I needed to repair the wires and reconnect them to the switch to make it work. It is designed so you cannot remove the safety from the system. People like me are famous for removing these safety switches and then ending up getting hurt.
I made the repair, and boom – we were in business! The mower starts like a TOP!
Why did I tell you this long repair story? Look at the fig tree. What does the man have to do to get his fig tree to bear fruit? He has to dig around it and fertilize it. What did I have to do? I knew the mower would start. I knew the mower would mow my lawn. I had the faith that it would operate because that is what it is supposed to do! So, I repaired it. The mower was my mustard seed. I cultivated it with my TEAM and it came roaring to life!
Here is what really took place. I knew the mower had an issue. I ignored it for various reasons and because I did not address the issue it got worse. I spent probably 8 hours repairing the mower including my drive time for parts and actual time over several weeks working on the mower. I had to do an oil change as well!
Imagine if this was your spiritual state with God? What If you knew you had an issue with God and your spiritual state and you ignored it? What if I had just replaced the starter 4 years ago? What if I had maintained the fuse holder better? Sea, the starter eventually froze, then the electrical current that went to the burned-up starter caused a malfunction of the solenoid. The failure of the solenoid compounded the already additional problem with the ignition switch. After replacing all of those components I still had a seat safety switch problem that needed to be addressed. Proper maintenance and care of the mower could have prevented a lot of hard work and extra expense!
Imagine if we applied this to our spiritual connection with God? What if we know we have a false idol like in my case, sex addiction? What if we wait to address it? What if we have other problems that cause us to stumble but we ignore them? The same thing that happened to my mower happens to us. Then it fails to produce fruit and we just want to throw it out! We are lazy. “GIVE IT TO ME!” We say! However, now we’re in so DEEP that we have to dig ourselves out. It takes time and effort and it costs money. And when it’s our spiritual state that has been the problem for a very long time….it’s a whole lot more than 8 hours to fix it! For me, it has been a journey of over 43 years! This does not have to be your story!
The mustard seed is where it starts. We know we have a problem and our faith drives us to the point of hope that we must take the time to fix and repair ourselves. We have to make the changes!
Luke 13: 18-21
The Parables of the Mustard Seed and of the Leaven
18 He said, therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like, and what can I compare it to? 19 It’s like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the sky nested in its branches.”
20 Again he said, “What can I compare the kingdom of God to? 21 It’s like leaven[g] that a woman took and mixed into fifty pounds[h] of flour until all of it was leavened.”
I want to encourage ALL of you to keep the FAITH! You know in your heart that what you are learning is correct. This gives you Faith to do the work to cultivate the mustard seed and make it grow. The results, if you stay the course will be the fruit of your labor.
Keep in mind! The Fruit might not be the cherry you are looking for. The Fruit might be a kiwi!