Fruit of the Spirit

Dare to take a close look
You are what you think and this shows up in what you do. Do you believe this dear reader? I have an idea, a way for you to know for sure which category you fall into; which category others have claimed perhaps unwittingly, as their own. This is an in-your-face approach because time is short and today may be your last day on earth... 

I am taking slightly wicked pleasure from stating what may be all too obvious to you or perhaps, something you keenly would rather ignore? In either case, we are here together and while I have your attention, we are going into the light and dark of your existence and of course, mine.

Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? (Matthew 7:16)

So here is the thing. The Bible uses fruit analogously to people, to you and me, and everyone else in the world. We don't like to be compared to each other or anything else but we do this all of the time, to see who we are, who others are, and how we fit into the scheme of things. It is impossible to know yourself without context, without seeing yourself as part of humanity. The idea here is to know who we want to measure up to, what standard we are to set for ourselves, and compared to whom? It is the who, what, where, why, and how ness of our existence that matters here. 

Joy is undeniable and
shines from the eyes

Okay enough prelude to the kiss. I will quote scripture and you can discern for yourself; you can self assess and judge; you can quietly nod your head and say that is me, that is so and so. You can ignore this wisdom, or you can grab a hold of all of it, and become the kind of person, the kind of fruit desirable to others, by showing who you are and of what your character consists.
                                                                                   
Love as fruit
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness,  goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23)

Do note: Spirit is capitalized in the verses above. Understand that this is God, the Holy Spirit, that operates inside of each human that freely gives their life to the will of God, through Christ. The fruit of this Spirit is who you are dear reader, when you live for Love. You are desirable, delectable, delicious. To come close to you is delightful.

Fruit of the flesh
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings,  murders, drunkenness, reveilings, and such like (Galatians 5:19-21) 

Look at this list dear reader. I had to read it several times, and pray to God that I do not fit this description, in any way, shape, or form. How about you? If you are this type of person, the fruit of your spirit, notice lower case spelling of the word spirit, then you are the type of fruit surrounded by thorn bushes and thistles... You are barbed, burred and bristled. To get too close to you can cause injury. You are dangerous:

• Is this who you want to be? 
• Is this who you are? 
• If you dare to categorize yourself with the brutality of difficult honesty, which category describes you and the fruit of your Spirit or, spirit? 
• Are you devoid of Godly influence? How are you recognized?

Time is short
I warned you above, that this piece of writing would be in-your-face because time, your time perhaps, is short? My time is short too. I am compelled to seek, and speak the truth, and boldly accept that the spirit in me naturally wants to be all too lowly, all too inclined toward my own selfish ambitions. 

This is why I must have Someone to compare myself to, Someone to show me what the fruit of the Spirit can and does look and act like. Jesus Christ is my perfect example, and He can be yours too! 

Look at what is possible for each of us dear one. You are noticed, assessed. People compare all of the time. What do they see in you? More importantly, what do you see in yourself?

Choose your category
Do the hard work of self analysis, self assessment, for the sake of others and for the glory of God. You are not blind. Take a look at you, today. Make a decision: choose your category.