Fruit Picking

Good Morning Everyone,

A dear friend sent me this little devotion this week,
and I enjoyed reading it and wanted to share it with you.

Often when I am in chats someone who is really angry
will say, well we can judge people by their fruits,
and your fruit stinks. Usually the person saying it
has little control over their anger at the time and is
judging rather than looking through the eyes of Christ.

I am reminded how utterly flawed we all are, imperfect
on our best day. God is the fruit judger.. He sees
the truth about us all. While it may be true some
lights for Christ shine brighter than others, I cannot
imagine telling someone they have stinky fruit inspires
anyone to a greater and higher walk with Christ.

Indeed those hateful kinds of statements chase more
people out of church than draw them in.

Are you a fruit picker? Stop it. Work on your own fruit,
and pray for those who lack it. It works far better in the long
run for all of us. Let God be true and every man a liar.
For none of us know the full truth about anyone. And all
of us have room to grow and change and things we need
forgiveness for.

Just be a light.

Love
millie

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth,
but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister
grace to the hearers.
Let all bitterness, and wrath and anger, and clamour, and evil
speaking, be put away from you with all malice;
And be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake has
forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:29, 31,32
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Is Life Just a Bowl of Cherries? - November 15, 2007

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such
things there is no law." Galatians 5:22 (NIV)

Have you ever thought of yourself as a piece of fruit? Now, stop
laughing and really think about it. In Gods eyes, we're just one big,
gigantic fruit bowl!

Paul speaks of the Fruit of the Spirit in the book of Galatians. He
makes it very clear that all of these great gifts of the Spirit are
pulled together to be just one Fruit, not individual section or
slices. In essence, you have all of them working in YOU at the same
time, none better than the other, they are given specifically to work
together always, in our hearts and in our lives.

So, what kind of fruit are you? I picture this huge, perfectly ripe
bowl of fruit laid out on a banquet table before our God. Each fruit
represents something very special. Lets revisit the Fruit above and
apply it to the abundance of goodness He gives us each day.

Love: Think of cherries; a whole bowlful of them, bursting with
luscious color and showing whole lot of love as each one is enjoyed.

Peace: How about a banana? When its perfectly ripe, it tastes so
wonderful and can bring a smile of peace and contentment to the
sourest of hearts.

Joy: Grapes! Lots and lots of grapes. An abundance of them, each
sweeter than the next, filled with joy. They come in many colors and
variety, just like the many joys in our own lives.

Patience: A huge watermelon; just think of how long it takes to grow
one and the reward when it is finally done growing. All of that
patience is worth waiting for!

Gentleness: Sweet Georgia Peaches here. On the outside they are a
little fuzzy and soft, and the inside is just as sweet and filled
with lots of tender flavor, gentle on the tatsebuds.

Kindness: Lets bring in a Kiwi, shall we? A funny little fruit, and
even though it is small, it packs a powerful taste; sort of how an
act of kindness does, especially when unexpected.

Self Control: A bright orange comes to mind. Think of how you sit and
peel, and peel, and peel the outside to finally receive the burst of
color and juiciness on the inside. This can be the most difficult
fruit of all to eat, but it's worth every second of waiting and self
control for the skin to be peeled away to receive the gift that awaits you.

Goodness: One of my favorites: Mango! When it's ripe with perfection,
you can just open it up and scoop out all of the goodness that awaits
you; luscious and filled with just a little tang.

Faithfulness: Couldn't resist throwing this one in: an apple. No
matter what the condition, it will grow. No matter how old or new the
tree, apples still grow. They grow strong and sturdy and are always
faithful to reproduce more apples year after year. Faith should
always continue on, no matter what the circumstances.

As you can see, there are no lemons or persimmons in this bunch. Each
fruit takes its own time to grow to perfection and the abundance,
flavors and taste can satisfy everyone. Fruit can only grow with
light and water provided from our Maker above. Prayer is needed to
make it complete and praise is offered when it is ready to be received.

God is our gardener and our bodies are the clay bowls He fashions in
which to serve His Fruit of the Spirit every day!

So, again I ask, what kind of fruit are you?

Contributed by Diane Check