From: MARY CLARK
Servant of the Lord
Prophetic Exhortation
devoted1@digitalexp.co
Subject: Green Apples
Date: Thu, Aug 10, 2000, 3:37 PM

GREEN APPLES

There was a garden on a hill where there were many
apple trees growing.

Many varieties of apples were grown there and
periodically the gardener would come to the trees and
inspect the fruit. When the gardener came by, he
would select certain apples to pick and leave others on
the tree to ripen. Some apples which were side by side
were at different stages of ripening. Those which the
gardener picked were at the right stage to eat. When
the gardener came to pick one day, some of the green
apples became jealous of the more ripened apples and
began to complain, "Why weren't we picked also? We have
just as much fruit and seeds inside as the others do!"
Then the green apples devised their own plan so that they
would be picked. When the gardener came by, they would
wiggle and shout on the branch to get the gardener's
attention. To their dismay, however, their plan failed.
The gardener went right by his previous plan, putting
only the ripest apples in his bag to be consumed. So
then the green apples came up with another plan. They
determined to wiggle on the vine until their stem broke
and they would fall to the ground. This way, they
reasoned, the gardener would be obligated to pick them up
for consumption. Their plan worked! They wiggled hard,
broke their stems and fell to the ground. When the gardener
came by, he noticed the green apples on the ground, promptly
put them in his bag and kept picking the ripe ones.

Then the Lord said, "Many of my children are demanding for
me to put them into service before their time has come. They
are full of zeal and desire and have some of My seeds within
them, but are not ready. I am grieved when they launch
out on their own ahead of My schedule. Their fruit
is real and their likeness is like a mature apple, but
they are green and can give My people some real stomachaches
if their fruit is consumed."

Then I remembered some pertinent scriptures:
Jn. 15:1,8 "I am the true vine, and My Father is the
vinedresser...By this is My Father glorified, that you
bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples."

Lk. 14:8 "When you are invited by someone to a wedding
feast, do not take the place of honor, lest someone more
distinguished that you may have been invited by him, and
he who invited you both shall come and say to you, 'Give
place to this man,' and then in disgrace you proceed to
occupy the last place. But when you are invited, go and
recline at the last place, so that when the one who has
invited you comes, he may say to you, 'Friend, move up
higher'; then you will have honor in the sight of all who
are at the table with you. For everyone who exalts
himself shall be humbled; and he who humbles himself
will be exalted."