Are we lawless? Or are we deeply loved by our great God above?
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)
May I me ask again, are we lawless or loved?
Has a situation squeezed so tight you exploded onto everything and everyone nearby? Did sweet fruit spill from you or did bitterness escape, souring the situation like bitter orange?
Honestly, I’m so thankful God sends His Holy Spirit to guide us.
Remember squeezing an orange as a kid? Ripe fruit and sweet juice spill out splattering everything. Fragrance explodes, senses overload, taste buds tingle and joy appears with this simple experience, unless bitter fruit is in the bowl. Then the juice is unpleasant, nasty and disagreeable.
The pressures of life are tremendous. Much like choosing the bitter orange from our beautiful fruit bowl, we choose unpleasant, nasty and disagreeable acts or words.
[Tweet “Lawless. How often have I picked this putrid fruit?! You too?”]Or do we opt for the sweetest of life’s fruit as we refocus, renew and revive to live, thrive, and impact lives because we are loved?
Yet, we are squeezed:
In traffic – and we kindly gesture to the other cars to proceed at the 4 way stop sign, correct?
At work – as deadlines loom, we joyfully divert the gloom with a timely word of praise and thankfulness to those on the team. Or do we squeeze harder still; hurting others and holding them back?
With homework – we patiently guide our crew to completion (and an ice cream celebration for the big science project!) or does impatience appear, creating delays and damaging relationships with those dearest to us, our own flesh and blood?
In marriage – as duties pile up, we lovingly squeeze the hand of our beloved, gently pulling him in. Or does demand squeeze harder, commanding our way – or the highway – and shoving him aside?
The need to control surfaces as self-control flees and the chasm widens – yet again. Our back is turned on the one we love(d). One. More. Time. And we wonder, will this never end. Negative. Oh, so negative and lawless.
Or do we choose to faithfully offer gracious words that are sweet to the soul and soothing to the senses. By this fruit, we salvage sticky situations – and our marriages.
The list continues as we face the day. Do we decide to stamp our feet, crushing sweet fruit and drawing out bitterness and rebellion? Or do we carefully consider our words so God is heard as we speak to our situation with genuine love, seeing and saying it like He does?
I confess, I’ve picked bitter fruit more often than I care to admit. Yet God calls you and me to produce fruit – sweet fruit filled with the aroma of Heaven.
“By this fruit, we salvage sticky situations…” With God’s help, we sure do, don’t we. If only our first impulse was to see with future eyes. Glad He continues to grow us in wisdom; we are works in progress, aren’t we? 🙂 Lovely, Susan. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
I’ve picked that bitter fruit so many times – more in the past I think. I truly try to pick that sweet fruit today Susan. Beautiful post as ALWAYS.
I’m kind of squeezed by illness, and sometimes I admit that it can make me bitter and short-tempered.
But by the grace of God, helped by my dogs, a good DVD to watch when the pain’s too bad to do anything else, and a houseful of happy dogs, I find I am doing better at this, by living in the moment. Not comparing today to the high-achieving yesterdays, and not trying to hook it to the dreams I still nurture for tomorrow, I try to stay in the moment and find the small joys that each instant carries, a mustard-seed of grace.
#1 at FMF this week.
https://blessed-are-the-pure-of-heart.blogspot.com/2016/08/your-dying-spouse-190-mustard-seed-of.html
Susan- I love this with reference to a bitter fruit! I’m not always grace filled to others. Striving to show more sweet fruit than bitter.
Thanks for hosting the linkup today!
Julie
Thank you for this timely reminder. Thinking about school starting and the pressures building I am so grateful to remember how I want to react to those pressures. To get there I need to fill my tank with HIM!
Hi Susan-Oh how often bitter fruit explodes from me and how I wish I could take it right back. Great reminders on how we can choose sweet fruit through our the Holy Spirit & our Savior! Thanks!
I love your list of practical ways to be sweeter fruit! Thank you. 🙂
How’s my fruit residue? Sweet or bitter. OOOh good words today. Thanks for the linkup!!!
Good post, Susan. Unfortunately, even as an adult, there are times I have stomped my feet in frustration … And let bitter fruit explode. I’m praying that more and more the fruit of the spirit is what spills over! So great to meet you last weekend at DECLARE!
“Oh, to be loved and loving…” That is a necessary part of the equation to spill out , isn’t it? The realization that we are loved, unconditionally and fully to distraction so that glory set aside the crown He wore and stepped into the temporal to bring us back to that place of being spilled into ourselves…. that realization is the key to being able to bear that fruit. The abiding in Him, the eternal knowing we are loved, it is the way we are able to not just spill but pour. Great analogy today!
Blessings,
Dawn
Oh so convicting! I’m so thankful for the Spirit that helps me select the sweet fruit when I’d just as soon pick a bitter one. I had to chuckle because one of my dad’s possessions my sister and I decided to share “joint custody” of was a hand juicer we remembered using as kids… Some sweet MEMORIES there!
Lovely Susan. I had to share this ??
Blessings to you
When life on this narrow way puts the squeeze on me, I’m trusting that the “juice” will be sweet!
Thanks for this delicious post, Susan.