The Apple Trees

From the book THE EXCHANGE by Joel Engle.

Imagine you are walking through an apple orchard in early spring. The delicate fragrance of the apple blossom perfumes the cool morning air. The floral scent is enough to trigger memory; you clearly recall the sweet chomp of the red delicious.

Suddenly, you stop. In the heightened sensory moment, your ears grow very sensitive. They probe for any sound. What do they hear? Total silence.

An apple (or any kind of fruit) tree is one of the most marvelous mysteries in the world. No one can quite fathom the exquisite perfection of photosynthesis; soil, sunlight, water, and temperatures flow together into a wondrous harmony of creation. The results of this splendid fusion is that the blossoms on the tree slowly morph into apples.

Incredibly, despite the great industry going on in those trees, they do it all effortlessly and silently. They don't work at it or have any form of apple anxiety. It is simply their nature to produce apples.

Apples happen naturally. Now, imagine another apple orchard. As you walk into it, you hear a low mumbling hum. At first, you wonder if insects are swarming the orchard. But as you stop near a particular apple tree, you hear a very distinct grunting. What? You move your head close to the branches. The grunting sound is coming from the tree itself! Yes, the apple tree is panting, then bearing down, and finally emitting a long agonizing growl.

You see, these are "Christian" apple trees. They've been taught that bearing apples is almost impossible, requires great straining, and is a "skill" which can easily be lost.

Christian culture (especially in America) has created an outrageous, dangerous lie about what life with Jesus is like.

Just as apple trees don't try to "have an apple", those who follow Christ aren't meant to will themselves to "live a Christian life." The main reason? No one can do it. Yes, you read that correctly. No one can live the Christian life.

One of the best kept secrets of the true Christian life as that Jesus actually lives His life through us; He does it all. He is the fullness of life and that superior life surges through our heart, our relationships, our attitudes, and our behaviors. That higher quality of life makes all things new. He doesn't just require something; He also provides what He requires.