The Futility of Fruit Stapling

I'm leading a group of Covenant Grace small group leaders through Paul Tripp's Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands workbook. Here is a great illustration he uses to show how important it is that we focus on the heart when we seek change:

Pretend that I have an apple tree in my backyard. Each year it buds and grows apples, but when the apples mature, they are dry, wrinkled, brown, and pulpy. After several years I decide that it is silly to have an apple tree and never be able to eat its fruit. So I decided that I must do something to "fix" the tree.

One Saturday afternoon you look out your window to see me carrying branch cutters, a staple gun, a step ladder, and two bushels of Red Delicious apples into my backyard. You watch as I carefully cut off all the bad apples and staple beautiful red apples onto the branches of the tree. You come out and ask me what I am doing, and I say proudly, "I've finally fixed my apple tree!" What are you thinking about me at this point!?

It is clear that if the tree produces bad apples year after year, there is something wrong with the system of this tree, right down to its very roots. I won't solve the problem by stapling apples onto the tree. What will happen to those new apples? They will rot also because they are not attached to the life-giving roots of the tree.

What does this have to do with personal growth and ministry? The problem with much of what we do to produce growth and change in ourselves and others is that it is nothing more that "fruit stapling." It is a "sin is bad so don't do it" view of change that doesn't examine the heart behind the behavior. Change that does not reach the heart rarely lasts; it is temporary and cosmetic.

If you are seeking true heart change this book by Tripp is a great place to start. Other great books are You Can Change (Tim Chester), How People Change (Mahaney), and Help! I Want to Change (Newheiser).