By Andrea Merrell
My tree was bare—not a fruit of the Spirit in
sight.
I love early mornings, but I enjoy the quiet. I
start out in first gear and work my way forward. My engine is pretty sluggish
until after my coffee and devotions.
One of my granddaughters, however, starts the day
in fifth gear—both moving and talking—and never slows down until she crashes at
bedtime. On this particular morning, we tried to strike a balance, but our oil
and water were not mixing very well.
After
a very frustrating half hour, I finally sent her outside with her grandpa so I
could grab a few minutes to myself. When I opened my devotional book, the topic
was … you guessed it … the Fruit of the Spirit. Or in my case that morning, the
lack thereof.
How
disappointing to approach a blackberry vine and find no blackberries. Or to go
apple picking to find no apples on the tree. But how much more disappointing
are we to others when they can’t find the godly attributes they expect to find
in us.
I love the way the Passion Translation explains
the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22:
But
the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit within you is divine love in all its
varied expressions:
ü Joy
that overflows
ü Peace
that subdues
ü Patience
that endures
ü Kindness
in action
ü A
life full of virtue
ü Faith
that prevails
ü Gentleness
of heart
ü Strength
of spirit
The Scripture goes on to say these qualities are “meant
to be limitless.”
The old television commercial asked the question, “Where’s
the beef?” In my case I had to ask, “Where’s the fruit?” It was definitely
missing. Time to regroup, repent, and spend some time getting my fruit tree in
better shape.
Is your tree producing fruit?
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