Is Life Just a Bowl of Cherries?

Is Life Just a Bowl of Cherries?    - Dec 29, 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?