The year 518 B.C. ... A delegation arrives from neighbouring Bethel to the priests in Jerusalem: “Should we still mourn and fast over the fall of Jerusalem as we have been doing for the last 70 years? After all, the new temple is nearly rebuilt?" (My paraphrase of Zechariah 7:1-4) Was this a, ‘Shall we, have we got to?’ question? Had the heart shrunk? Had the once heartfelt setting aside of time to seek God turned into duty, a trudge?
Walking through an apple orchard today, I noticed rows of trees with layers of fruit, lying on the ground, ripe but wasted, bruised, food for wasps and rotting in the autumn sunshine. Perhaps it was the strong winds? Whatever the cause, it was wasted.
How many times have we seen believers running, then walking, then trudging, then lagging behind and finally veering away from the path into wasted, wilderness land ... beautiful fruit, lost.
How can we preserve that eager, heart-felt resolve and fervent love for Jesus and His Kingdom?
Stay together, join with the strong in open-hearted fellowship, live in watchfulness and pray, be grateful, feed on rather than just read God's Word, be filled with the Holy Spirit ... many things, all these and more but, please God, less tragic waste, let’s have more fruit ready-for-the-harvest and less waste!
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