I read an analogy about fruit and it got me to thinking…

One of my most favorite verses in the Bible is from 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (go get your highlighter to mark this one in your Bible!)~

We are PRESSED but not CRUSHED;

We are CONFUSED but not in DESPAIR;

We are PERSECUTED but not ABANDONED;

We are STRUCK DOWN but not DESTROYED.

“Mama said there’ll be days like this…” Am I right?

There are those days when you feel pressed on every side- be it grief that is crushing you…job stress that is crashing down on you …a life crisis or family issues that are squeezing the life out of you…

You know that feeling…

You can’t catch your breath.

You can’t take a deep breath.

You just can’t breathe.

The pressure is on.

The vice is tight.

There is no room to maneuver.

It’s not pleasant.

You feel as if there is no way out.

TRAPPED.

The question I want to ask is….what is coming out of you when you are squeezed like that???

If you were an apple in a press….one would assume apple juice would be squeezed out, right?

If you were a lemon~lemon juice.

You get the picture.

The Bible tells us of another kind of fruit: the Fruit of the Spirit.

You may have heard of them from Galatians 5:22~

Love

Joy

Peace

Patience

Kindness

Goodness

Self-control

Sound familiar?

These are GIFTS from God that we are filled with and emptied of as we use them on a daily basis.

They are not of our own merit or doing.

These gifts work best when our own efforts fail us.

When we feel we can’t be loving to someone? The Holy Spirit helps us to supernaturally love that hard-to-love person in our life.

When we feel there is no NO WAY we could show kindness to another because there has been NO kindness shown to us? The Holy Spirit helps us to express a genuine kindness that will surprise even us.

When we think there isn’t a CHANCE we could use any will-power to keep our mouth shut/keep our opinion to ourself….The Holy Spirit is there with a hearty dose of self-control to assist us with the impossible.

This kind of Fruit works best in a tight vice…

So, I ask again….what is coming out of you when you feel pressed??

Are you showing peace in those times?

How about patience?

What about goodness?

When we belong to Christ, we begin to walk with the Spirit…Our conduct, therefore, is empowered by the Spirit (Galatians 5:25).

Therefore, it is possible, in times of great stress, trials, suffering, loss, or pain to reflect the Fruit of the Spirit -which is the evidence of Christ in us.

Our “job” is to ask for help in those hard times. Our “job” is to request a heart check in those days…

We can ask God what does my heart look like when I am in turmoil?

Do I reflect You, God?

Does it look like I’ve been changed by You while I struggling in this situation?

Will people see You in this and be encouraged themselves?

Could I be more loving….kind…good…patient… peaceful…joyful….self-controlled?

Decent thought to munch on today….tell me what you think!