Discouragement or Hope?

“Then he told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’” - Luke 13:6-7 
 
Are you discouraged? Have you struggled to see the fruit of your labor, maybe for days... weeks... months... or even YEARS? Today, we continue our discussion of the fig tree. In Luke 13, Jesus uses a parable to teach us something very important.

The passage says, “Then he told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’”
 
The disappointment was a result of the fact that for three years he has invested in something and has nothing to show for it. And the critical moment in this text is right there at the end of verse 6 because what he does at that point when he is at his lowest can determine whether he rises to the occasion or whether he falls.

That point must have been the most difficult point in his life, to have an expectation of something, to look for it, and to be let down. Day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year. Wanting something, going through a process that you believe will improve your future, and to come looking for the results but always coming up short.
 
He found nothing. NOTHING. You might be reading this and feel like you are in similar shoes. You’ve joined a church thinking it would immediately lead to spiritual growth, but you still aren’t thrilled about worship and your prayer life is still the same.

You took a job or started a business assuming it would lead to a life of luxury and prosperity, but you have more headaches than you had before.  

It can be easy to become discouraged. But instead of allowing the devil to discourage you, allow God to fill you with hope. It is a constant battle, but one you must give to God. The decision is yours. Are you going to choose discouragement or hope?