Much time has gone by since my last blog update. I have composed several posts in my head over the last month but didn't make time to write them down, so here it goes, better late than never. Here is what has been on my mind lately.
This past fall I was on a walk around the neighborhood and passed a house with a beautiful tree covered in bright green apples. I had wished I knew the owners so I could pick some apples and perhaps make a pie. Last month I walked by it again, but this time the tree was in a very sad state; there were many rotten apples hanging lifeless on the bare tree.
I stopped and stared for a moment thinking, "What a shame, how could they have let all those apples go to waste?" Then the Holy Spirit whispered in my ear, "What fruit are you letting go to waste?" He wasn't necessarily talking about literal fruit (although perhaps that too), but rather spiritual fruit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and, Self-Control (Gal. 5:22). This picture has stayed on the forefront of my mind and is giving me something to seriously think about. I know there have been missed opportunities to share the love of Christ with others and I am in process of asking God to give me what I lack to remedy the situation. God doesn't give us blessings to just keep and enjoy for ourselves, he wants us to bless others too. Just as those apples had the ability to meet the need of nourishment if eaten, in Christ we have the ability to meet all sorts of needs as the Spirit equips & sends us. So, I am left with the question, "Am I living by the Spirit?"
"Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the spirit's leading in every part of our lives." Galatians 5:25
