Skip to main content

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
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Elisha, The Provision is in the Obedience

Sometimes I've felt that I've only had very little to give so why give it at all. This morning the thought came to me "All you you have is all you need to give." This thought came as I was reading the following passage in II Kings 4: 42 A man came from Baal Salishah, bringing the man of God twenty loaves of barley bread baked from the first ripe grain. "Give it to the people to eat, "Elisha said. 43 " How can I set this before a hundred men?" his servant asked. But Elisha answered, "Give it to the people to eat," For this is what the Lord says:" They will eat and have some left over" 44Then he set it before them and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the Lord. This man only had twenty loaves to give to the prophet. The principle at work is: All that we have is all that we need to give. When we obey, God gives the increase. There are many examples in the Bible of this principle in action: Like the widow at ...
2 comments
Read more

Dormant Does Not Mean Dead!

Last fall I could feel the chill of winter creeping into the atmosphere. What would happen to my beautiful red velvety  geraniums that brought me so much pleasure during the summer? I hated to say good by to them.  I wondered could they possibly live through the winter and bloom again  if  I brought  them in from the approaching  frost,  I was willing to see if they could. The wooden pot was very heavy so I enlisted some help to bring it into the unheated pool room. All winter long I watched indifferently as they began to shed leaves.  For months they lived without one drink of water from me, their neglectful owner. I began to ask myself why did I  even bother bringing them in if I wasn't going to care for them?  The dying brown leaves still did not move me to water the plant. One tenacious geranium kept  hanging on for dear life. Five months later spring arrived....
3 comments
Read more

Domestic Violence - A Present and Ancient Problem

The Bible records the first horrific act of family violence in the story of Cain killing his brother Abel. God saw the anger that Cain was mistakenly harboring towards Abel.  God talked with Cain. God told Cain that he had an opportunity to correct his mistake. Consumed by jealousy Cain refused to change his attitude. . Cain continued to make Abel the target of his wrath. Cain chose rage over reason. He overpowered and killed his unsuspecting and innocent brother. Everything in creation was affected by Cain’s solitary action. Cain’s violence brought death to Abel, the disapproval of God, grief to the parents and a disillusioned life of hardship to himself. Even the earth found itself an unwilling participant as it was forced to receive Abel’s blood. Family violence has never been a confidential matter between the abuser and the abused. It disrupts life on so many levels and causes physical, mental, emotional and social pain to everyone. The injured party is no longer able t...
4 comments
Read more