green harvested

I was apolled today as I listened to a doctor describe the way our plants even considered "vine ripened" are grown. picked green, sprayed and kept to suffocate in a plastic bag, while they change color then to be sold, is what they term "green harvesting."

I was disgusted as an all too deeply involved health freak, but then also observed the parallel of what that also looks like in our lives when we appear to be "vine ripened," (spiritually speaking) but are really snipped off of the true living source. We may have an attached vine and pretend to be living, but when we are only stubs representing what was once there, we can only live healthy so long, or should I say short. Our nutrients flow from the original source, as Jesus said "I am the vine and you are the branches," and much like our poor produce today, sometimes we are lacking many necessary nutrients.

Our desire for the righteousness comes from reading the Word and other spiritual resources. When we cut off our life line of reading and being taught and encouraged in these resources, we become dry. We must not set aside this source of life which gives us only what appears to be a healthy lifestyle, but was only made so by an instant or inefficient method. It takes time to reap true and healthy fruit, but when it is done, it's the best quality of life we can find!