Spiritual Prescription THE ONLY WAY TO GET APPLES
Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. Matt. 7:16, 17.
Once upon a time there was to be a county fair. Special prizes were being offered for the best apples brought to the judging, and circulars had been sent all over the county to let people know about the contest.
Some of the people in the county weren't interested in apples at all. They threw away the announcements and forgot all about it. But the rest of them began to plan how they could produce a prize-winning apple.
Mr. Thompkins was a woodcarver. He chose a piece of pine and carved his apple out of wood. It was exactly the right shape, and when he had painted and polished it, it looked almost like a real apple.
Mrs. jones hurried to town for some yarn. She knitted her apple. When she was finished, it didn't look exactly like an apple, but you could certainly tell right off that it was supposed to be an apple!
Some of the people made their apples out of plastic, some crocheted theirs, some stitched them in cloth. Some used clay or ceramics or glass.
Only a few took their apples off apple trees. Real fruit. When the day of the fair arrived, most of the apples looked pretty good on the outside. But when the judges tried to cut them open to see what they were like on the inside, all of the imitation apples were disqualified.
If you want to produce apples, the best thing for you to do is to find an apple tree, or plant one. And if you want to produce genuine fruit in the Christian life, the best thing for you to do is to be a Christian. An apple tree bears apples because it is an apple tree, never in order to be one. And a Christian does what is right because he is a Christian, never in order to be one. It's what's inside that counts. "The plan of beginning outside and trying to work inward has always failed, and always will fail. God's plan with you is to begin at the very seat of all difficulties, the heart, and then from out of the heart will issue the principles of righteousness."--Counsels on Diet and Foods, p. 35.
Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. Matt. 7:16, 17.
Once upon a time there was to be a county fair. Special prizes were being offered for the best apples brought to the judging, and circulars had been sent all over the county to let people know about the contest.
Some of the people in the county weren't interested in apples at all. They threw away the announcements and forgot all about it. But the rest of them began to plan how they could produce a prize-winning apple.
Mr. Thompkins was a woodcarver. He chose a piece of pine and carved his apple out of wood. It was exactly the right shape, and when he had painted and polished it, it looked almost like a real apple.
Mrs. jones hurried to town for some yarn. She knitted her apple. When she was finished, it didn't look exactly like an apple, but you could certainly tell right off that it was supposed to be an apple!
Some of the people made their apples out of plastic, some crocheted theirs, some stitched them in cloth. Some used clay or ceramics or glass.
Only a few took their apples off apple trees. Real fruit. When the day of the fair arrived, most of the apples looked pretty good on the outside. But when the judges tried to cut them open to see what they were like on the inside, all of the imitation apples were disqualified.
If you want to produce apples, the best thing for you to do is to find an apple tree, or plant one. And if you want to produce genuine fruit in the Christian life, the best thing for you to do is to be a Christian. An apple tree bears apples because it is an apple tree, never in order to be one. And a Christian does what is right because he is a Christian, never in order to be one. It's what's inside that counts. "The plan of beginning outside and trying to work inward has always failed, and always will fail. God's plan with you is to begin at the very seat of all difficulties, the heart, and then from out of the heart will issue the principles of righteousness."--Counsels on Diet and Foods, p. 35.
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