November 8th, 2004

“The Simple Gift of Fruit”
 

Every year, various types of “Fruit Cakes” appear at markets and stores. They arrive in an assortment of shapes and sizes. They’re filled with flavorful, fancy fruit, and baked in a batter. They make great gifts … if you like fruit cakes!

Habits of the mind and heart, relationships with people, and principles of conduct, are the ingredients of who we are. Our conduct for God, and with others, can be a simple gift that we’re able give away and display every day.

Christians who exhibit the fruit of the Spirit in their lives, (as in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is live, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”), fulfill the law of Christ far better than a person who observes the rituals but who has little or no love (aka fruit) in his or her heart.

Love is the foundation and the mother of all Christian graces. Joy is God in your blood. Peace is produced by complete confidence in the all-sufficiency of God. Patience is taking a long-range view of circumstances without becoming aggravated. Kindness is graciousness with a kindly and loving disposition. Goodness is a deliberate readiness to do-good at anytime for anyone. Faithfulness is a good steward living with integrity and loyalty. Gentleness is not weakness, but a controlled strength with a submissive spirit. Self-control is being able to marshal and direct your desires, energies, and passions wisely.

There-in lies the key to the conquest of faith and fruit. To walk in the Spirit implies the power of choice on the part of the believer to enter into the freedom of the Spirit filled life. There’s no way to fortify ourselves against the sins of the flesh except by walking in the Spirit daily.

The law exists for the purpose of restraint … but in the works of the Spirit, there is no restraint. Every day we should bear as much fruit as possible. We should love lots. We should be overjoyed. We should overflow with peace. Since we “live by the Spirit,” we must also walk in step with the Spirit.

This Spirit-filled walk with God is the secret passage that leads us to the heart of God and allows us to stay spiritually fit at all times. Since we “live by the Spirit,” let us also walk worthily of it.

Faith in Christ tested, and proven, yields immeasurable fruit in and for the kingdom of God. Hope through our faith makes today good, tomorrow’s outlook bright, and our future glorious.

The Lord told Joshua, “I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.” Pray for God to conquer and nourish your own orchard of spiritually: bearing fruit for God. In doing so, you will become salt and light to a dark and tasteless world.

God desires us not to be fruit cakes … but fruit bearers with the goal of personal daily liberty, and how it is to be achieved. Therefore, the proper ingredients of the Spirit-filled life, makes serving the Lord a cakewalk.

 Jim Jack

© 2004 TeamRFC