Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living
Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
(Matthew 7:20 (NIV))
Do you get apples from a pear tree? Do you get pecans from a peach tree? Do you . . .
I realize that these sound like very silly questions for anyone older than three or four years old, but it is the same concept when we look at the fruit of the Spirit.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
(Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV))
Do you see love in a hateful person? Do you see kindness in a selfish person? Do you see joy in an angry person? I realize that it is possible for a hateful person to show a small amount of love, but not enough to overshadow the hate that fills them. It is possible for a selfish person to show an occasional kindness, but it is not an ever present characteristic in their lives. And just as you don’t see anything that resembles true joy in an angry person, you don’t see true anger in a joyful person. All of these are contradictions to each other. It is possible to even say that these sample pairings are the extremes of the same characteristics. At one end you have love and the other end you have hate.
As members of the Body of Christ, we are called to bear good fruit. Do you?
How do you see yourself? How do you think others see you? How does the Lord see you? Do you show love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control? Do your actions reflect the light of Jesus or do they embrace the sins of this world?
If you were to be judged by your fruit, which end of the extremes would you be on? Would you be found to bear good fruit? Would you be neither good nor bad, hot nor cold? We know what Jesus thinks of those who are neither hot nor cold.
So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
(Revelation 3:16 (NIV))
How are you recognized?
Copyright 1998 – 2019 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Daily Living Ministries 