A farmer one time invited a friend to come to his orchard and gather some apples. The friend declined and explained why by saying, “I passed your orchard and picked up one of the apples that had fallen over the fence, and I never tasted anything so sour in all my life. I don’t care for that kind of fruit.”

The farmer answered his friend by saying, “Those trees around the outside are for the benefit of boys passing by. I went 200 miles to select the sourest apples I could find to plant around the edge so that they might give them up as not worth stealing. Now, if you come inside, you will find that we grow a different quality there. They are as sweet as honey.”

The world is filled with fruit inspectors and the church will be judged by its fruit. Those who live closest to the world usually disappoint the fruit inspectors. Their irregular attendance, their complaints about the brethren, and limited involvement leaves a bad impression of the Lord’s church. Where are you in the orchard? Let’s try our best this year to be positive and to say positive things about the church and our brethren.

–Tim Woodward