Psalm 1: 4-6 tells us that when we are disobedient, we can be like the chaff which the wind blows away. Chaff are essentially seeds considered worthless or trash. They have no benefit to the tree. The righteous and the unrighteousness will be separated.
We have to be careful not to cause ourselves to be shaken from the tree. Just because we are saved, doesn’t mean we are safe (Romans 11:21). Don’t think you are exempt from being broken off. When things are carried away by the wind, they are no longer in control. We don’t know where we’ll go, how far or when we’ll land. What conditions will we land in? This all stems (pun intended) from just a few verses prior (Romans 11:17).
Let’s get some understanding of olive trees. They can be planted any time of the year. Where you’re planted matters. Don’t plant yourself in unsuitable conditions. There are people who come to Christ yet believe they can live and be fruitful in the same conditions they were in. They can still be around drinking, smoking, lustful things, etc, but it won’t feed your spirit and just as you plant your seeds and the roots start to grow, the conditions slowly swallow it up.
Fertilizer can improve tree growth. It’s recommended to use a high-nitrogen fertilizer because it releases nitrogen quickly into the soil, making it accessible to the roots. God’s word is that nitrogen. When we need a moment or we’re struggling, we should seek His word because it gets to our roots quickly.
Fertilizer gets to the ROOTS quickly. It doesn’t say the branches, stem or fruit - The roots. The source of our nutrients. To be rooted in what? Love. What is love? Christ. To walk in Christ, we do so according to the Spirit and not the flesh, therefore, we may bear fruit in its due time.
Olive trees can thrive in hot, dry climates - a place we would think they would least thrive. We can see this world as the same, not allowing a lot of people to thrive, draining us of nutrients, spoiling the plant. Olive trees are also drought resistant - but still require water. We too still have to be watered but we can survive under harsh conditions.
They can be pruned to increase their growth. To prune is to rid or clear anything undesirable. In our walk, as we continue to grow, unexpected things may grow that we need to prune. What things from our past are we holding on to or introducing into our life?
With any fruit, they typically have pests. Fruit flies lay their eggs in the fruit and spoil it. There are people who are going to try and disrupt your production - your fruit. The interesting thing is, you can’t use pesticides - it seeps into the fruit and destroys it. Pesticides, things like hate, envy, towards one another (Galatians 5:19-20). So how do you get rid of fruit flies? You provide food. You show the person love and they won’t lay eggs in your fruit.
And when your fruit ripens you are to stop pruning. Olive trees have a longer harvest than most produce. When your fruit is ready you can begin to provide for others the fruit of your harvest longer than most. When you have a lot of fruit from your harvest you can feed more people. Fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Each of these can bring healing to ourselves and to others. It says that multiple olive trees yield better fruit production. Varieties of trees can be self-pollinating. So different olive trees, or different people within the church, can bring more fruit to ourselves or pollinate others. A brother or sister in the church could pollinate you with a word that can take you from where you were and begin the growth of an olive tree within you.
Final breakdown. What fruit do olive trees make. You guessed it - olives. What can olives be used to make? You guessed it. Olive oil. Ok, final question - What is olive oil used to make? Let’s look at scripture: Exodus 30:25 - “And you shall make from these a holy anointing oil, an ointment compounded according to the art of the perfumer. It shall be a holy anointing oil.
Everything has a process. Everything has timing. If we push through the process, growing in the right conditions, the right amount of water, and protecting ourselves from pests, our fruit can bless others. Become fruit that will bless our homes, our families, our church, and others.