Years ago I served as a short-term missionary in Ecuador. One of my first meals there included a fruit I’d eaten many times back home in Illinois, although more often from a can than the produce section.
But that day the golden wedges provided an uber-delightful surprise: more flavor, more sweetness, and less acidity than any I’d enjoyed in the States. It was as if I was eating a different fruit.
That’s because Ecuador grows some of the world’s best pineapple. Their location on the equator and the volcanic soil of the Andes Mountains provides perfect growing conditions. I gained new appreciation for what pineapple could be.
There’s another kind of fruit that many of us are familiar with, but it’s not the kind we eat. It’s the fruit of the Spirit, listed in Galatians 5:22-23. Many of you can probably recite its nine aspects:
What follows are brief thoughts on each. I pray we gain new appreciation for what this fruit can be—perhaps even uncover a surprise or two.
LOVE
If you were asked, what’s a powerful, practical way to express love for others, what would you say? Theologian John Calvin suggested intercession [1]. To pray for a person is to love that person.
Who might you love with a prayer today?
JOY
Scripture tells us to “rejoice always” [2], but that’s hard to do when problems and pain come our way.
Selwyn Hughes offers this perspective: Even though our difficulties may have begun with the devil, by the time they get to us and through us, they will have a divine purpose running through them [3].
Now that we can joyfully celebrate.
PEACE
“The truly thankful person is a truly peaceful person,” asserts Lysa TerKuerst [4]. And Isaiah 26:3 suggests why:
What better way to fix our thoughts than with thanksgiving? And as we affirm God’s blessings, peace will warm our hearts.
PATIENCE
Patience blossoms best in the soil of God’s promises, as we wait for him to intervene. His promises cover every circumstance; our part is to know them and believe, then patiently anticipate their fulfillment.
Are you clinging to a scripture-promise today? Turn it into a prayer of faith, hope, and patience [5].
KINDNESS
We can grow this attribute with one action: meditate on God’s kindness to us [6]. Meditation fosters appreciation; appreciation fosters emulation, and soon we find God’s kindness becoming more a part of who we are.
GOODNESS
This trait often seems out of reach. But instead of trying harder to be good, author Philip Yancey recommends: simply love God. “A person who truly loves God will be inclined to please God” [7].
Also worth remembering, the inclination to always please self results in dissatisfaction and restlessness [8].
FAITHFULNESS
Every year thousands gather to see Old Faithful, even though it’s not the tallest geyser in the world. Why is it so popular? Dependability. You can count on Old Faithful.
What might dependability look like for you today?
GENTLENESS
A list of traits of successful people rarely includes gentleness. Yet this attribute contributes much to prosperity in life. That’s because: “[Gentleness] creates in us a capacity for the closest possible intimacy with God” [9].
It’s the gentle-spirited souls who lean in toward God with yielding hearts to rest in his sovereignty. And then, think of it: God, with all his glorious attributes, comes close (James 4:8).
SELF-CONTROL
“A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls”[10]–vulnerable to all sorts of problems.
Better to take the wise course, prayerfully availing ourselves of the Holy Spirit’s help, to develop those habits we know will bring benefit and usefulness.
* * * * * * * * * *
And now, our fruit bowl is full! Did you find any surprises?
I pray this week, you enjoy one or more aspects of this familiar fruit–with fresh appreciation!
[1] https://gracequotes.org/topic/love-others_for/
[2] 1 Thessalonians 5:16
[3] Every Day Light, 124.
[4] Embraced, 256.
[5] A few favorite scripture-promises include: Psalm 32:8; Isaiah 41:10, 31; Romans 8:28; James 1:5.
[6] From a sermon our pastor preached last spring.
[7] Grace Notes, 325.
[8] Ecclesiastes 2:10-26
[9] Albert M. Wells, Jr., Inspiring Quotations Contemporary & Classical, 91.
[10] Proverbs 25:28 NLT
Art & photo credits: http://www.needpix.com; http://www.heartlight.org; http://www.pickpic.com; http://www.flickr.com; http://www.negativespace.com; http://www.deviantart.com (vulcanknight).
From the Inside Out 