Cheeseburger Tree

Cheeseburger Tree

Once upon a time, when I was teaching seventh grade Life Science, a young entrepreneurial spirited boy elaborated on his fool-proof plan to dominate the fast-food industry. He would sabotage all the other businesses’ cheeseburger plants and be left with a monopoly as he retained the last living “cheeseburger tree”.

Apparently, I hadn’t communicated the previous day’s lesson quite clearly enough. We learned, or at least I thought we had, that organisms could be classified into two categories based on how they get their food: consumers and producers. I’m not sure that he failed to comprehend the lesson, but my junior high terms definitely needed elaborating.

Unfortunately, we could group church-goers into these same categories of consumers and producers. There are producers: active members that don’t just participate, but lead and serve in ministries, but there are consumers: individuals that attend, but don’t contribute much more than an occasional comment and a faithful contribution check. God never envisioned for any of His people to be consumers. Sure we might have some that fall on hard times, or exhibit weakness in their faith, that blesses others with the opportunity to lift them up, but although these moments are inevitable, they are not a license for Christians to settle into patterns of non-productivity.

I want to challenge you to examine your Christian walk and your contribution to your church family. Are you one who has settled on being an observing consumer, or a contributing producer for God’s body. There are opportunities all around and you are needed for the church to produce its best here. There’s no magic tree, just people like you trying to produce the fruit of the Spirit.

I Love You,