Apple trees, cedar apple rust and life.

  We are studying fruit in Sunday School.  Fruit, of course, is the fruit of the Spirit.  The first lesson we talked about how to plant a tree to allow the tree to develop a healthy root system.  I have observed that some people seem to be doing things right but never mature as Christians.  it seems like the sins of this world have a hold on them and they just can't seem to let go.  The cedar apple rust life cycle reminds me of what many people go through.  They may be well grounded in the principals of their faith.  They study the bible, attend church, pray, and are involved   in church activities the way they should be but they lack the fruit that a mature Christian should produce.  The cycle of sin in their lives deforms them.  it takes outside intervention and a good treatment program to help these people survive and then thrive.
   So very often instead of offering struggling Christians a helping hand we criticize and belittle them or just ignore them and they eventually succumb to the disease and die off.  The bible says that unproductive trees should be dug around, dunged, and pruned to give them the opportunity to grow.  Scripture teaches us that we should love our brethren so we should be there to love and support them and to help them conquer their sin problem so that they may mature and bear good fruit.