Clear evening skies equal mid-30 degrees, frost isn’t on the pumpkin – yet.   

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

²³ Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

I was reading the other day about how the Gifts of the Spirit were given to those who were not fully versed in the Christian life.  The gifts were given to hearts that were open to Him and who desired to serve Him, but many were still new to His ways.

It caused dissention in the church – as evidenced by Paul’s continued teachings to the Corinthians – as some would say their gifts were better than others and not use their gift for the edification of the church, but to create turmoil.

1 Corinthians 12:7-14   But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

⁸ For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

⁹ To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

¹⁰ To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

¹¹ But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

¹² For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

¹³ For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

¹⁴ For the body is not one member, but many.

The commentator went on to say the fruit of the spirit takes longer in a Christian to develop, it is not an immediate transformation, but one done over time as the Christian turns over his life to Christ – growing in grace.

As I thought about that thought I think I can come to an understanding that what the commentator says has some solid merit.  We do know some people who have an immediate transformation of their life after accepting Christ, but most of us still struggle with the old man.

We have two walks we walk on this earth.  Our first birth was that of a human with a spirit, but not in touch with our Creator.  Our second birth was spiritual, our soul was born into the family of the Creator, and we walk with Him.  However, our desires are often in conflict we often look back at the old man and weaken our resolve to serve Christ.  For most of us it takes time to put the old life off and embrace the life of a living testimony to Christ.

The fruit of the spirit, to me, is aptly named – not that God needs my approval – but I ‘think’ I can understand why it is so named, at least to my satisfaction.  The analogy to fruit we eat came to me as I meditated on these verses.

It takes the Gardner/Farmer, time, energy and hard work to produce good fruit.

The fruit plant takes time to mature.  It is planted in the ground, if it is good ground it takes root easily and prospers.  But it must be fed with good fertilizer – if the soil has been analyzed it is even better because the farmer then knows what is lacking and should be added to the soli.

The plant must be watered, it must be pruned to keep the plant focused on growing and not sending out shoots that take up the life giving nourishment but do not produce – or if they do, it is smaller, less desirable fruit.

Sometimes the plant takes years to produce fruit and their first year or two of production has just a few items, kind of a promise of what will come if the planter continues his care.

The fruit must be protected from pests whether it be disease or animals.

In due time the fruit is ready, it is ripe and it is pleasing to both the sight and taste.  It can be harvested and used to nourish the body.

Due time for one fruit is different from another.  Berries usually are ready the first year of planting – although they will produce just a few berries to begin with.

Apples, peaches, pears and other similar fruits can take years after the initial planting to begin to produce.  Some trees will produce within 3 – 5 years, while others may take 7 years or longer.  It takes time and hard work to have this fruit.

When we look at the fruits of the Spirit of God we can see some that we receive immediately, the Joy (of our Salvation) and peace allowing us to understand we are now in God’s hands are good examples.  But most of the others take a longer period of time and for some of us a very long time.

We are the ground that God uses to produce His fruit.  He plants the seed, Jesus Christ, in our hearts and then begins the process of producing fruit.  Through our being, He produces fruit He can use to nourish others, serving Him.

We study His Word and through it He provides the fertilizer we need to produce the perfect fruit.  He helps us grow developing those traits we need and strengthening those gifts we possess.  He doesn’t need to analyze us, He already knows our hearts, but through His Word, as we grow, we learn that we are lacking in certain areas and need to grow in them.

We have all experienced reading a well know verse several times and then one day it takes on new meaning, new life and impacts our walk with Christ is a positive way, lifting us to higher heights.

The water given, I would equate with our tears of desiring to serve Him, the tears for those that do not know Him and the tears we shed of shame when we have failed Him.

Much as the farmer prunes the unnecessary branches from his plants, as God’s plant grows within us He sometimes has to prune back our activities, either because we are going astray, or because we are taking things on that are not for us to do. 

The farmer shapes his plants so they will give the most and best fruit – part of the pruning process.  God does the same with us, shaping our hearts and minds to produce the best possible fruit for Him.

It takes time to do all this; it takes time for us to become fully dependent on Him and His Holy Spirit.  The farmer uses some kind of deterrent to keep the pests from his plants – it may be a pesticide, or a netting over the plant or it could be a protective covering around the base of the plant – he may even put up fencing to keep the herb eating animals from gaining entry into his area. 

As we grow we too must be protected from satan so he doesn’t destroy us.  God uses His Word, His Holy Spirit and angels to provide that protection for us.  We are covered by the blood of Christ.  By His Holy Spirit He casts a broad net over us; we share our life with others so we can mutually assist and hold accountable each other for God. 

It makes sense that these things are called the fruit of the Spirit, for like edible fruit, we too must be taken care of by the Master Gardner.

Later, Art :-)

From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again