The metrics of ministry

S - Luke 13:6-9 (New American Standard Bible)

 ⁶And He began telling this parable: "A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any.
 ⁷"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?'
 ⁸"And he answered and said to him, 'Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer;
 ⁹and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.'"

O -  In context  of the time and the audience I know Jesus is speaking to the Pharisee's and warning them that though they were God's chosen people and they were keeping God's commandments according to Moses, because of their attitudes they are bearing no fruit for God, and like the fig tree , Jesus is warning them that even though they are God's people, if they don't begin to bare fruit, they will be cut down like the fig.    Certainly, God's children, that don't produce fruit are within the Church still today, and like the story of the prodigal son that portrays the Pharisee's as the elder son, it also portrays us today in the church.  We are not to sit back and think the scripture on baring fruit only applied to them back then, but also to us.

A - The application for me is to recognize there is a metric to measured in my life and my ministry, and it is measuring fruit produced.  In ministry it may be fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, happiness, etc,  or fruit of the harvest,  or changed lives of Christians in ministry.   Without that measure it would be easy to deceive ourselves into thinking our motives and good intentions are enough, much the way the pharisee's thought their commitment and discipline to the law of Moses who bare kingdom fruit, but didn't.   By measuring or at the very least observing the fruit we can catch ourselves from wandering down the path of self righteous service, with ultimately no impact on the kingdom of God.

P - Lord, thank you for today's message, may it be sealed to my heart.  I pray Lord you would reveal to me how to measure the metrics of ministry, so that I may ensure my efforts are not in vain, but bare much fruit.   I pray this in Jesus name, Amen.