One afternoon as I passed that window . . . all the way across the yard I spied a beautiful, lone apple dangling from the apple tree. The last one of the season.
I stopped in my tracks and realized I was the only one home — and hungry for a snack. I dropped what I was doing and headed out to this fine tasty apple just waiting to be picked and eaten.
Oh, it looked good! The closer I got, I began to thank God for my delicious, fresh, middle-of-my-day snack. Little did I know a spiritual lesson was awaiting me.
As I approached the tree, I could already taste that apple. My mouth was watering, and I was excited to take the first bite. My hand reached out, I grabbed the apple and began to twist it off the branch. Twisting, however, fixed my eyes on the back of the apple. The side that had been hidden from my sight. Oh, no! Rotten! My apple was brown and mushy and half eaten away by critters.
I instantly dropped it and stepped back. How could my delicious snack, that I was so eager to eat, be so beautiful on the outside — and so rotted on the inside?
And in that moment, Jesus spoke to me: That’s what unconfessed sin looks like.
We can look perfect and put together on the outside, but on the inside be slowly rotting and unable to produce fruit.
Once we confess our sins, our beautiful outsides match our insides and the fruit can again grow and multiply.
Our confession time in Moms in Prayer is vital. Don’t rush over it. Don’t skip it. God has much fruit to grow, and when we are not pure hearted, He can’t use us, and He can’t grow us. Don’t let your fruit rot on the tree. Confess!
Hoping our insides match our outsides as we love and serve,
Bonnie
