Fruit
The fruits of the Spirit are the topic for M&M's Sunday School right now. They have covered love, joy, and peace. For a 3 or 5 year old, these subjects seem simple. Deeper reflection, however, really gets me to thinking aobut what they really mean.
Love, in and of itself, is a HUGE topic because it is patient, kind, never self-seeking, etc. . . Joy is a killer because of the whole "rejoice in the Lord always" part. Peace seems to be found so deep inside someone, and it's mysterious (peace beyond all understanding). Then I think about the fact that these are qualities that people who truly house the Holy Spirit posess. These qualities are our fruit.
Today I went out into my vegetable garden to "harvest" my potatoes. I pulled, I dug, I searched, I found 6 tiny little potatoes. The sum of the potatoes that I found was less then the sum of the 4 potatoes I had planted. Literally I would have been better off to simply eat the ones I planted, instead of planting them. I am reminded again of the fig tree that Jesus passed, and then cursed because it did not bear fruit. And the fact that Jesus cursed it made it wither up and die that very day.
I also wonder about what God thinks about Americans and the choice of greenery in their yards. We don't like fruit trees that actually make fruit because they are too messy. We by genetically modified plants that will flower and NOT fruit just for our convenience. Surely he looks down on us and thinks about how foolish we are. How much money we could save if we all had 3 good fruit-bearing trees on our property that we could actually eat from!
Are we the same way spiritually? Are we like the hundreds of cherry trees or pear trees that create beautiful blooms all over the city, but never bear even a single bite of the fruit that gave that tree it's name?
Cultivating the fruits of the spirit should be the top priority, above finances, education, and anything else. I would hate to be like my potato plant!! (I know, I know, potatoes are vegetables!! But you get my drift).
Love, in and of itself, is a HUGE topic because it is patient, kind, never self-seeking, etc. . . Joy is a killer because of the whole "rejoice in the Lord always" part. Peace seems to be found so deep inside someone, and it's mysterious (peace beyond all understanding). Then I think about the fact that these are qualities that people who truly house the Holy Spirit posess. These qualities are our fruit.
Today I went out into my vegetable garden to "harvest" my potatoes. I pulled, I dug, I searched, I found 6 tiny little potatoes. The sum of the potatoes that I found was less then the sum of the 4 potatoes I had planted. Literally I would have been better off to simply eat the ones I planted, instead of planting them. I am reminded again of the fig tree that Jesus passed, and then cursed because it did not bear fruit. And the fact that Jesus cursed it made it wither up and die that very day.
I also wonder about what God thinks about Americans and the choice of greenery in their yards. We don't like fruit trees that actually make fruit because they are too messy. We by genetically modified plants that will flower and NOT fruit just for our convenience. Surely he looks down on us and thinks about how foolish we are. How much money we could save if we all had 3 good fruit-bearing trees on our property that we could actually eat from!
Are we the same way spiritually? Are we like the hundreds of cherry trees or pear trees that create beautiful blooms all over the city, but never bear even a single bite of the fruit that gave that tree it's name?
Cultivating the fruits of the spirit should be the top priority, above finances, education, and anything else. I would hate to be like my potato plant!! (I know, I know, potatoes are vegetables!! But you get my drift).
Comments
Post a Comment