Lenten Devotion - March 26, 2025

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Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Scripture: Luke 13:1-9

Devotion: The parable of the fig tree offers both challenge and hope. For three years, the owner found no fruit and wanted to cut it down. But the gardener advocated for patience: "Let me dig around it and put manure on it... if it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down."

This parable reminds us that God rightly expects our lives to be fruitful. Faith isn't merely about personal comfort or future salvation—it's about bearing fruit that blesses others. Yet the gardener's response reveals God's patience with our slow growth and the extra care provided to help us flourish.

Sometimes the most growth-producing seasons feel like someone is digging around our roots and piling on manure! Challenges, disappointments, and upheavals—while uncomfortable—often create conditions for new fruitfulness. If you're in such a season, take heart. The divine Gardener hasn't given up on you but is actively working to help you bear fruit.

Daily Action Steps:

  1. Reflect on a challenging situation in your life right now—how might God be using it to cultivate growth?
  2. Identify one specific way you can be fruitful today through encouraging or serving someone else.
  3. If you've been feeling unproductive spiritually, pray for a renewed sense of purpose and trust in God's patient work.

Prayer: Patient Gardner, thank you for not giving up on me. Help me recognize the ways you're working in my life, even when it feels uncomfortable. Make me fruitful not for my own sake, but so I can share your goodness with a hungry world. Amen.

Breath Prayer: (Inhale) Cultivate my life... (Exhale) for greater fruitfulness.

Location: Monroe, OH, USA

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