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Am I Choosing the Right Fruits?

One Sunday morning as I stood in Timothy and Nancy's lush garden I looked at the fruit trees. There were plum trees with purple plums hanging with some laying on the ground. There were pear trees laden with small green pears. As I looked I remembered that in the garden of Eden God gave man a specific task. They were to take care of the garden. I wondered what it was like did taking care of the garden. When ripe food dropped and could not be eaten, did Adam take it to make a compost pile to prepare to use it again as fertilizer? Adam was the first organic gardener.

It must have been a joy to take care of something God already planted. Adam was also the keeper of the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam had choices. He could have decided on which tree or plant he would take care of on any given day. At the end of the day God would come and they would discuss plants, animals, marriage, and food. Or maybe they discussed heavenly things. Adam would walk with God each evening. Perhaps God showed Adam the intricacies of design of a particular orchid or the benefits of a certain grain like wheat or barley. (What a thought!) In any case Adam never had to break a sweat to do God's work.

While standing there contemplating this, the thought came that now God has place us believers in a garden like setting. God has given us the fruits of the spirit listed in Galatians 5:22; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Each day we are given the task to take care of this garden of our spirits.

We also have the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil which are the works of the flesh listed in Galatians 5:19-21 Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like. The Tree of Life is also in the midst of this spiritual Garden. The names of the fruits of this tree are scattered in the Bible they are: a soothing tongue, fulfilled desires, long life and fruits of righteousness.

Each day, like Adam, we are in this Garden. Each day and moment we have a choice as to whether or not we are going to eat of the good fruits God has given us. We can also decide whether or not we are going to partake of the Tree of the knowledge of good and Evil. (deliver us from evil), joy in everything we are to give thanks and be glad. We eat the fruit of the spirit when we do as Christ tells us. Love, the first fruit mentioned has this admonition of Christ in Matthew 5:43 love your enemies. We can either eat from these good fruits or we can take the evil. We are making choices all of the time. We are in the garden to take care of it. I ask myself How am I doing? Am I choosing the right fruits?

Gen 2:15-16
15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;
NIV
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