Tomatoes...When I was young, I never liked tomatoes. They were never appealing to me and I avoided them at all costs. If served on a sandwich or in a salad, the tomatoes would be removed before I began to eat my meal.
That was true until I met my wife Pat. Pat had developed an appreciation for many vegetables that I had spent a childhood diligently dedicated to avoiding and during the time of our courtship she introduced me to many exotic samplings from her father's garden. These included squash, okra, eggplant, radishes and, yes, tomatoes. It did not take long before I was convinced that my childhood had been deprived of a rich bounty of tastes and flavors that God provided in fresh vegetables.
Now, however, I have a problem with tomatoes. It seems that the fresh, vibrant tomatoes from homegrown gardens are hard to find. Instead, the supermarkets have substituted vegetables that have been grown under large, corporate conditions to produce huge quantities at a low cost.
These tomatoes that seem to adorn our plates and dishes, in other words, fail to have the flavor that I have grown to love.
The Bible teaches us that our lives are to bear the Fruit of the Spirit (Galations 5.22-26), which can only be done through a relationship with Jesus by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit (John 15.1-8). The Holy Spirit will produce the very character, love and grace of Jesus in our lives. In order for our hearts and habits to reflect Jesus' love, we must let the Holy Spirit cultivate our roots, eliminate the weeds in our lives and prune them so that fruit can be produced. Whenever we seek God's will for our lives and engage in the practices of worship, bible study, prayer, fellowship and service, the Holy Spirit feeds and nourishes us so that the fruit produced in us is zestful, attractive and pleasing.
What the world needs to see and to experience is Christians producing wholesome and beautiful fruit, the Fruit of the Spirit. Too often, an unattractive, tasteless substitute has been offered for the real thing. As we study together the work of the Holy Spirit in our worship this month, I hope you ask God to work within you and to develop fruit that can touch a life and offer to another what you have discovered in God. Who knows, someone may come to enjoy life in Christ the same way I learned to love homegrown tomatoes.
That was true until I met my wife Pat. Pat had developed an appreciation for many vegetables that I had spent a childhood diligently dedicated to avoiding and during the time of our courtship she introduced me to many exotic samplings from her father's garden. These included squash, okra, eggplant, radishes and, yes, tomatoes. It did not take long before I was convinced that my childhood had been deprived of a rich bounty of tastes and flavors that God provided in fresh vegetables.
Now, however, I have a problem with tomatoes. It seems that the fresh, vibrant tomatoes from homegrown gardens are hard to find. Instead, the supermarkets have substituted vegetables that have been grown under large, corporate conditions to produce huge quantities at a low cost.
These tomatoes that seem to adorn our plates and dishes, in other words, fail to have the flavor that I have grown to love.
The Bible teaches us that our lives are to bear the Fruit of the Spirit (Galations 5.22-26), which can only be done through a relationship with Jesus by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit (John 15.1-8). The Holy Spirit will produce the very character, love and grace of Jesus in our lives. In order for our hearts and habits to reflect Jesus' love, we must let the Holy Spirit cultivate our roots, eliminate the weeds in our lives and prune them so that fruit can be produced. Whenever we seek God's will for our lives and engage in the practices of worship, bible study, prayer, fellowship and service, the Holy Spirit feeds and nourishes us so that the fruit produced in us is zestful, attractive and pleasing.
What the world needs to see and to experience is Christians producing wholesome and beautiful fruit, the Fruit of the Spirit. Too often, an unattractive, tasteless substitute has been offered for the real thing. As we study together the work of the Holy Spirit in our worship this month, I hope you ask God to work within you and to develop fruit that can touch a life and offer to another what you have discovered in God. Who knows, someone may come to enjoy life in Christ the same way I learned to love homegrown tomatoes.
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