Apple trees produce over 55 million tons of apples each year. They thrive in many climates. One tree can produce 400 pounds of apples in a year and many trees bear fruit hundreds of years. The tree bearing apples we eat today may have been planted many years ago. Such a tree helps illustrate the faith principle God uses to enable us to find favor with Him. Long ago, God revealed himself to the patriarch Abraham. God told him to leave his country, relatives, and friends, and go to a distant land. He left, not knowing his destination but trusted God’s promise to make him into a great nation to bless him, make him famous, and to bless the entire world through him. By leaving, Abraham was confessing that God is worthy, reliable, and able to do everything He promised. We then find in Galatians 3:9 that the Apostle Paul uses the example of Abraham to explain how God accepts us into His favor. He wrote, “All who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith.” In other words, we who place our faith in Jesus Christ today gain salvation by following the same principle Abraham used—faith, entrusting ourselves to Almighty God because Jesus died for us.
Dr. Melvin E. Banks, Sr. is the founder and chairman of UMI (Urban Ministries, Inc.). Under his direction, UMI has grown to be a leading publisher of Christian education resources for churches in the African American community. Read More
