I live in a neighborhood that still retains rural characteristics and is full of immigrant families. At my house there is a passion fruit tree, which began to bear fruit this year thanks to heavy rains.
We used the first fruits to make desserts and jams. After a month, the tree had more fruit, and we began to give it to widows and mothers in our local church. This became a habit, and soon everybody in the church expected to receive a bag of passion fruit.
Two Sundays ago, when early in the morning we went out to harvest, we saw there was so much fruit that we needed help to reap it.
So we called the children of needy families in the neighborhood, and with their help, we began to reap.
There are no better workers picking fruit than a group of happy children. They are able to climb to the highest branches, look under the foliage, and not get tired until the last ripe fruit has been picked, all with laughter and shouts of joy.
But however hard we worked, it seemed we were not finished harvesting.
Time passed by and we were still finding passion fruit — big, juicy, ripe passion fruit! We collected eight baskets and then, after separating one part for each child, we went to the market to sell what was left. With the money from the sale, we purchased school supplies for each of our little helpers.
That tree brought joy and blessing to many, many lives!
God demands us to be like that tree. He wants us to bear fruit, much fruit! And while we work in this ministry for children, our faithfulness allows the Giver of growth to produce in us the compassion, generosity, and sacrifice that Jesus, our example, personified when He lived on earth.
This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. — John 15:8, NIV
Prayer: Dear God, thank You because You have planted us as trees of righteousness. You nourish us to grow for You, to bear abundant fruit, and to bring blessings and joy to the lives of children to whom we minister.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Gabriela Arévalo is a Program Implementation Assistant in our Bolivia office.
Read all the One in Spirit devotionals.