FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT II

Many years ago as a teen aged boy I found myself being introduced to the Biblical concept of Fruit of the Spirit. Her name was Janet and she was a most pretty and smart girl. We had met in school. As we sat in her living room the ritual of meeting the parents had just begun. Janet's mother, a very kind and soft spoken woman asked the usual questions, where I was from, where I grew up, did I enjoy being in church earlier that morning? I did not reveal that the only reason I was in church that morning was because Janet was there!

Janet's father was not so mild mannered as was his bride. He had been staring a hole in me from the first moment we laid eyes on each other. "So, Mister Thompson..." said the father, with his arms folded on his chest and his eyes squinty...."Tell me about your fruit."

I had no idea what he was talking about, and I certainly had no forewarning that he was a Preacher!! Over the next 90 uncomfortable minutes, the Preacher taught a crash course on what it meant when asking about the FRUIT. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (23) gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. {Gal 5:22-23} I soon discovered most of my fruit was rotten.

Love and forgiveness, compassion, these seemed to be very high on the list of good quality fruit. The preacher talked about Moses and God's graciousness in re-writing a second set of stone tablets on which the Lord etched the law, on mount Sinai. The Ten Commandments.

Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; (7) who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin..." {Exo 34:6-7} This compassion by God was sorely needed since Moses had crushed the first set of Commandments.

I would love to tell you that I retained what the preacher taught, but that would be a lie. I was more interested in being with Janet at the movies, and trying to steal a kiss as we sat in the back rows of the darkened theater. As the years went by, as I looked into my rear-view mirror, I found that I did actually retain much of what Janet's preacher dad taught that Sunday afternoon so long ago. Paul wrote:   Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, (2) with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, (3) being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. {Eph 4:1-3}

Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. {Eph 4:32}

You might ask, HOW CAN THIS BE? that such a powerful all seeing, all hearing, all knowing God, can be so very tender, so merciful. Jesus is so wise, so righteous and this is what He teaches with every word from His mouth. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. { Jas 3:17}

In Matthew 23, a lawyer asked Jesus which commandment was the greatest. Jesus replied "You shall LOVE.." Love your God, and Love your neighbor as yourself" {para-phrase}

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, (5) does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, (6) does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; (7) bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. {1Co 13:4-7}

Gal 6:9 Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.

Jas 5:7-8 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. (8) You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.

If you believe, If you have love, if you give love, if you live by love, act by love, and if you receive love, all the rest of your FRUIT of the SPIRIT will mature into a glorious and delicious feast in glory to our Creator, Christ Jesus, Amen.

HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY?