Read Luke 13:1–9
The practice of digging around a tree is common when it is not growing well and, in turn, not producing the fruit it was planted for. When the soil around the tree is disturbed, the roots are damaged in the digging, and then the tree has to grow new roots, which, in turn, strengthen the tree to bear fruit for the next season.
Jesus tells a parable about a fig tree that doesn’t bear fruit. The owner says, ‘Well cut it down’, but the man taking care of it says, ‘Leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilise it’.
The tree doesn’t need to be destroyed but disturbed and fed instead.
We are like this tree. We were planted in the kingdom of God by faith in Jesus and given a purpose – to bear fruit. Yet it is easy to drift away from Jesus and begin to follow the way of the world and the way of ourselves. We find it easier to listen to the devil, tempting us with lies in the idea that ‘it is my life and my body; I can do what I like’.
But Jesus has chosen you as his own for his purpose. To bear fruit. The fruit of God’s love in action toward those around you. You are created to be a blessing to others. You are blessed to bless others with God’s love in action.
When the word of the Lord challenges you to live differently, it is like Jesus digging at your roots – the roots in self rather than in the word. You see, the word is the fertiliser of life, and the word of Jesus Christ will feed and sustain you in bearing the fruit of God’s love in action.
When Jesus digs at your roots, hear the word, and be ready for his word to guide, challenge, heal and restore you. Be prepared for his word to nourish your hungry soul, ready to go out into the world with new growth and fruit that blesses others.
Dear Jesus, dig into my roots of selfishness and worldly ways. Let me grow in you to bear fruit for others. Help me to be a blessing to everyone I meet today. Feed me, nourish me, and strengthen me daily in your holy word. Amen.
Pastor Mark lives with his two daughters aged 11 and 8 in Redcliffe, just north of Brisbane. He currently serves as a pastor in the LCANZ and is passionate about sharing Jesus’ love with those around him. Pastor Mark loves to travel with his family to see the wonders of God’s creation and meet people who share their stories of what God has done for them.
Seasoned for peace
by Anita Foster
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Salt is good, but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another (Mark 9:50).
Read Mark 9:42–50
The start of this passage in Mark can be quite confronting! When it warns about giving in to the temptation of sin, it’s graphic and straight to the point. Once again, Jesus encourages us to reflect on our actions and how they might impact others’ faith. The extreme language Jesus uses emphasises how deeply God cares about the things that can damage and corrupt life, faith and community.
The final verse of the passage utilises the image of salt, a recurring picture in Jesus’ teachings. Have you ever added too much salt to a dish you’ve cooked? When making butter chicken during the COVID-19 lockdown, my husband accidentally read a teaspoon of salt as a tablespoon in the recipe. Let me tell you, the dish was intense! But what about when something is lacking in salt or flavour and is just bland? Asian flavours often have the perfect blend of sweetness, sourness, spiciness and saltiness. Jesus affirms that salt is good – especially in those days, when it was used as a seasoning, a fertiliser, an antiseptic and a preservative. Salt brings the flavours of foods to life and keeps them good for longer.
But it can lose those salty properties. If salt is exposed to moisture or diluted, it can become less salty. Particularly in Jesus’ time, rock salt could become contaminated by pollutants, like gypsum dust from the Jordan River Valley, rendering it less salty and therefore useless. Salt was also highly valued and used in Jewish grain offerings and to demonstrate friendship and covenant.
How can we, as disciples, stay salty? What is Jesus saying when he encourages us to have salt in ourselves and to be at peace with one another? It would likely involve living a life that stays connected to God’s gracious covenant relationship with us. To act in ways that avoid the corruption and damage of life, faith and community.
To be at peace with one another is a significant final note – it shows the value Jesus places on humility, forgiveness, service and not arguing about who is best. (A tiny bit earlier in Mark, we hear about the disciples arguing on the road about who is the most important.) By coming together in unity and peace, we can proclaim the gospel of Christ to the world in a way that brings out its ‘God flavour’ most effectively.
God of covenant, preserve us in your love so that we may bring life and peace to others. Teach us to live in unity, reflecting the flavour of your kingdom in the world. May our lives be seasoned with grace, humility and peace. Amen.
Anita Foster lives in Melbourne’s outer east with her husband and three teen and tween daughters. She is the Director of Faith and Formation at Luther College in Croydon, and she loves teaching, theatre, being in nature and finding new ways to express her creativity.
Out of the basket
by Anita Foster
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
… Is a lamp brought in to be put under the bushel basket or under the bed and not on the lampstand? (Mark 4:21)
Read Mark 4:21–25
I have a basket in my house. A rather large one, perhaps even the size of a bushel basket – I’m not sure! This basket is the place where I quickly hide clutter in our house when I want the place to look tidy. It’s where things go when I don’t have time to sort them out yet or put them in their proper place, but when I also don’t want the contents of the basket on display. My children sometimes do the same thing when I ask them to tidy their room, hiding things away under their beds.
This passage about light and hearing is found amid Jesus’ use of parables to teach about the kingdom of God. It follows the Parable of the Sower and Jesus’ explanation of both the parable and his use of parables with the disciples.
Jesus asks whether you would hide away a lamp under the bed or under a basket. It’s a bit like the ultimate rhetorical question or appeal to our common sense. Would we? Of course not! Because the purpose of a lamp is to shed light, not to be hidden.
I wonder then, what that looks like for the purpose of God’s word in our own lives? Is the Living Word shining and on display in our homes and lives? Is it an active and lived part of us, listening to God and seeking to understand more about the kingdom of God?
Or perhaps there are times when it is more convenient for God’s word or our faith life to stay hidden away in the basket, the shelf or under the bed. Shoved away or compartmentalised. Applied in certain situations but not others.
Can people see Christ through our actions? Do we seek to bring God’s word to life in ways that others can understand, as Jesus does through these parables? I wonder what simple, faithful words and actions could allow God’s goodness to shine through you today?
Lord, help us not to hide our faith, but to live it openly and faithfully each day. Give us courage and strength to let your light be seen. Amen.
Anita Foster lives in Melbourne’s outer east with her husband and three teen and tween daughters. She is the Director of Faith and Formation at Luther College in Croydon, and she loves teaching, theatre, being in nature and finding new ways to express her creativity.
A light that changes things
by Anita Foster
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).
Read Matthew 5:13–20
Light changes things. It can change a mood and help us and others to see things more clearly, especially those things that are hard to find or see in the dark. We talk about ‘shedding light’ on situations. In fact, we need light for our eyes to function properly.
On 22 January 2026, Australians were encouraged to light a candle on doorsteps or windows as a message of hope, unity and remembrance in the wake of the Bondi Beach terror attack. An action that provides a hopeful glimmer of light after a distressing time.
When Jesus discusses light in this passage, it comes from the famous Sermon on the Mount. Jesus teaches that we are light in this world. Light to help others see God more clearly. To bring the hope and light of Christ into every situation we find ourselves in.
When Jesus speaks of letting our light shine, it emphasises the purpose of God’s word and the Holy Spirit’s work of faith in us as not just for our own benefit, but for those around us.
Jesus was very familiar with the Jewish rituals involving the lighting of candlesticks and lamps. The simplicity of these everyday items often mirrored the spiritual lives of people. People lit lamps to illuminate their homes, guide their paths and keep darkness away. Lighting a lamp was a sacred act in many households – especially before Sabbath or during worship. The light served as a reminder of God guiding the wilderness journey of his people with a pillar of fire and that God had promised to send a light – the Light – into a world darkened by sin. It wasn’t just about seeing, but welcoming in the peace, safety and presence of God.
In the same way, Jesus calls us to be a presence in the world that offers a guiding light to him, welcoming the peace and presence of God into our surroundings.
Lord Jesus, let your light shine through us today, so that others may see hope and give glory to you. Amen.
Anita Foster lives in Melbourne’s outer east with her husband and three teen and tween daughters. She is the Director of Faith and Formation at Luther College in Croydon, and she loves teaching, theatre, being in nature and finding new ways to express her creativity.