Produce...From Root to Fruit

"The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, 'May no one ever eat fruit from you again.' 

      In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, 'Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!'" Mark 11:12-14, 20-21 NIV

The fig tree described in these verses looked healthy, but it wasn't fruitful. The same can be said for Christians. We can look healthy (be serving in ministry or even preaching), but upon closer inspection, you can see that some just look good. They aren't bearing fruit.

      The Bible says there was no fruit because it was not the season for figs. We move through seasons in our life, but that does not excuse us from being inspected or checked by God. If He comes looking for fruit and there is none, then He will not be happy. It's okay for you to go through those green times where you are growing, but don't let that become an excuse for not producing when God comes looking for you to provide.
      Notice something, the next day, when Jesus and the disciples passed the fig tree, it was withered from its roots. The initial encounter with Jesus exposed the true nature/condition of the tree. 
      Yes, Jesus cursed the tree when it would not produce fruit for Him, but the tree had a problem before that. When God comes looking to us to bear fruit/do something for Him, but we yield nothing fruitful, it exposes a problem. We can't just pick and choose when to be fruitful. That is inconsistent and unreliable. Plus, it shows your heart. You aren't producing out of an obedience to and faith in God, only out of comfort and convenience.
      It wasn't a circumstance/season problem that kept the tree from producing, it was a roots problem. When we are rooted in Christ, we can produce fruit despite our season or circumstance because we move beyond the surface and draw from Him.
      When we draw from God (energy, capability, will, etc.), He becomes our sustenance, which allows us to produce. Because the tree wasn't rooted in Christ, it wasn't obedient when God came around. The same can be said for us. We can blame our lack of productivity on rough times, exhaustion, or anything else, but the truth is, we have an obedience problem.