And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them, for it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. Ephesians 5:11-12
Have you ever had fresh rhubarb in January or February? Not in Canada, you say! Oh, but it is possible, and my parents used to do it. Late in the fall, my father would dig up a rhubarb root and place it in a dark and cold corner of the cellar, behind the piles of furnace wood. In January, he would bring that root up and place it, in a pot of soil, near the patio door where it could receive the benefit of the sun streaming in for most of the day. Within a short time, the root sent forth fresh shoots, and in a couple of weeks, there was plenty of rhubarb for them to enjoy. It took the light and heat of the sun to bring forth what the cold and darkness of the cellar suppressed. How like that rhubarb root is the life of the believer!
As Christians, we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. He strives to bring from our lives that which is fruitful to God. Just as the rhubarb root had within it the power to produce good fruit, so too the believer has that power that unbelievers know nothing of. The light of the glorious Gospel of Christ has shined into our souls, and we are alive. We are not as the dark souls of unbelievers, who are devoid of all ability to be fruitful to God. My father did not bring up from the cellar a seasoned piece of furnace wood; that would never have produced any fruit for his pleasure. It was fit only for the fire. So too are the unsaved. But if the rhubarb root had remained in the cellar with the furnace wood, it would have been just as fruitless. There is a lesson here: Christians should not keep themselves in the world’s darkness, but should spend as much of their time as possible in the light of the Word of God and the company of His people.
How much of our time is spent away from the word? How much of our companionship do we seek from the world and its associations? Is it any wonder that our lives are often fruitless and empty of anything worthwhile? Just as my father longed for fresh rhubarb in January, so too God longs for those He has redeemed to bring forth worship, appreciation, and service for Himself. -Jim MacIntosh