"And he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?’ And he answered and said to him, ‘Let it alone sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.’" Luke 13:7-9

The fig tree in our text for today is obviously a symbolic representation of a person God has planted and is expecting spiritual growth from. We learn from this parable that God is patient but will not wait forever for the manifestation of good fruit. We see also that Jesus, the vine-keeper, works to "fertilize" every believer to stimulate growth. Both the owner of the vineyard (the Father) and the vineyard-keeper (Jesus) agree that any tree which bears no fruit after a sufficient period of time is to be cut down.

 Paul told the Church that we are saved by grace through faith for good works. Our works do not have the power to wash away our sins, but without godly works we cannot abide in Christ and maintain the salvation He died to give us, -"So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed,. . .work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." (Phil.2:12-13)

There is an invisible line where grace ends and wrath begins. King Saul walked in God’s grace until he failed to wait on Samuel and performed the sacrifice himself. He crossed the invisible line where God’s grace was lifted and His wrath extended. God took the Holy Spirit from Saul and sent an evil spirit to torment him.

To young Timothy, Paul wrote that the Churches in Asia had turned from him. The aged Apostle John was rejected by much of the Church after Diotrephes gained influence. Jude wrote of former believers who had become "doubly dead." And Jesus prophesied that many would fall away from the faith and betray the saints. Throughout man’s history many have crossed the invisible line and have fallen away from God’s grace. God planted each of us to produce spiritual fruit. Let’s seek His divine will, obey it always, and walk in His blessed grace.