Monday, September 2, 2019

Where's the Fruit?


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?

(Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and kateen2528.)



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