Are we Known by our Appealing or Appalling Fruit?

How easy it is to judge the likes of folks whose poor attitude, angry spirit and crankiness seems to bring a dark cloud with them when they step into the room. We randomly judge someone when they’ve made a bad decision that you warned them not to make or maybe we judge an outfit someone wore, a new hairstyle, the lack of someone’s personal pride, the way they handle their business affairs, and the good or bad language they speak. Whew! Oftentimes, it’s a workout to keep from being judgmental especially when we see the “fruit” of the actions of some of those folks.

But Jesus set the record straight about judging. He said in Matthew 7:1 “Judge not so you won’t be judged.” Yikes! I sure don’t want to be judged. On the other hand, maybe we should be Fruit Inspectors -- especially when we see fruit that causes us to check out our own fruit as to whether what others see in us is sweet and tasty fruit. Matthew 7:20 – “Therefore, by their fruits, you will know them.”

Having love for some unlovable folks, finding peace in the midst of chaos, experiencing joy when folks may be getting on our last nerve -- can be quite a feat any time, but most certainly, since the election of 2016, we’ve been given all kinds of opportunities to decide. Is it love or hate, peace or anger, bitterness or happiness, crankiness or joyfulness? Remembering the scripture… "What the heart is full of....the mouth speaks" (Luke 6:45) Doesn’t that give us pause for giving ourselves a good old fruit inspection?

When we opened the door of our hearts to God....He walked through the door with a treasure chest full of everything we would need to overcome and be successful in every area of our life. And, it is He Who inspects our fruit and says to us: I'm not asking you to be their Fruit Inspector. I'm asking you to inspect your own fruit." That's when I know God is telling me to amp up that fruit in my own life -- to be sure that what my heart is full of, bears the Fruit of the Spirit qualities: Galatians 5:22,23 "But the Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control."

Let's be sure to pass the test on the fruits we are bearing. After all, as believers, we know Holy Spirit is in us so we already have the good soil, fertilizer, nutrients and everything else we need to be choice, bright, luscious, sweet, refreshing, top quality FRUIT bearers to a world that could sure use some.

Go Ahead. Judge a Watermelon By Its Cover!

Watermelon is my favorite summer fruit. It’s amusing to watch people thumping on watermelons trying to find the best one. I could never nail that sound. But HOLD ON Mr. Watermelon Thumper! I finally aced my watermelon sweetness picks. Here's the real deal on picking the sweetest watermelon:
~ Make sure it has a prominent yellow spot. This is where it sat on the ground ripening. No spot = premature pick = not ripe. ~
~ Look for "webbing". This is the brown, coarse web-looking material caused when bees pollinate the flower and scar the membranes that later form the fruit. The more pollination = more webbing = sweeter fruit. *****You're welcome!!!*****

Did you read between the lines of picking a sweet watermelon? We need to find the sweetest ones by looking for imperfections, flaws, defects, yellow spots, brown, coarse webbing, and scars.
Yes, we SHOULD judge a watermelon by its cover – but NEVER should we judge a book OR another person by their cover. Those perfect and well put together, dressed-to-the-nines folks might be filled with anger and hard-heartedness. And those with scars, body piercings, tattoos, or multi-colored hairdos might be the most genuine, loving and caring people with hearts after God and care more about others than we can imagine. Only God knows the hearts of His children and is their "fruit inspector".

Guilty -- as charged. I was at a church a couple of weeks ago and sat by a beautiful young woman who had tattoos all over her arms and legs. I hugged her and "God blessed her", but inwardly I was thinking "What was she thinking when she did all that?" Yes, I was judging. Then, on a video was a guy speaking who was all tattooed (from what I could see) except for his face. I think I may have gasped because the person I was with whispered:"He is the kindest, SWEETEST and devoted-to-Christ person you will ever meet." I later found out the gal beside me was his wife and "is also, the SWEETEST".

Immediately, I remembered when the Lord sent the prophet Samuel to Jesse's home to anoint the next king of Israel. Jesse had eight sons to choose from. Sure, with Samuel's eyes, it was plain to see that the obvious pick -- the tallest, most handsome, and best choice to be king would be Eliab. "But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7.

That sounds a lot like the sweetness of a watermelon, doesn’t it? Little, ruddy, shepherd-boy-David was overlooked. In fact, he wasn’t even invited to the “beauty pageant”, but when Samuel asked “Are these all of your sons?” and when Jesse replied, “I have one more son – young shepherd boy David”, Samuel asked for him to brought to him. We know the rest of that story. Young David was anointed king of Israel that day. His heart was a heart after God's own heart. (1 Samuel 13:14)

What God cares about the most is the sweetness of the fruit that is growing inside us. Our Master "Picker" sees that we are all very precious and valuable and He is always "checking out our flaws and imperfections", giving us "heavenly" thumping because He's very aware of the "maturing" that needs to go on inside.

Obviously, this post is pointed at you with one-finger. The other four are pointing back at me. I'm on a mission to have my Father's eyes. Eyes that find the good in things and people; eyes full of compassion and sensitivity -- NOT looking at the outward appearance. Sure we all have imperfections and flaws and that's a good thing because, like the watermelon -- the greater the flaws and imperfections.....the sweeter the fruit. I certainly want the Fruit of the Spirit to be a reflection of He who is the sweetest and most desirable in me. May we be imitators of our Creator and rather than the desire to BE beautiful....that we desire to create His beauty everywhere WE ARE and everywhere WE GO!

Kind Words = Sweetness and Good Health

Kind Words = Sweetness and Good Health
Yesterday, I exposed my DELIGHT for chocolate -- that SWEET, savory, God-given, delicacy of DELIGHT and I exposed my DELIGHT in God and His Word. I must be all about sweetness, because today, I was led to carry on in that same vein.

KIND: friendly, generous, considerate, loving, warm, caring Proverbs 16:24 says "KIND words are like honey— sweet to the soul and healthy for the body."

"KIND words are like honey - sweet to the soul" (That reminds me of honey on a biscuit or roll - YUM!), and whenever I think of something healthy, I think of fresh tomatoes, avocados, basil picked from my little herb garden (garden is an overstatement -- it's a little patch of my favorite herbs: basil and cilantro) slathered in balsamic vinegar glaze, perfectly guilt-free and healthy to eat.

The words SWEET and HEALTHY are rarely mentioned in the same sentence yet that is exactly how this proverb describes KIND words. They are like honey. And it’s both sweet to the soul (our soul -- our will, mind and emotions would be in sweetness -- not anger, fear, anxiety) and healthy for the body (our body would reap the rewards of our kindness). Just imagine what a steady diet of our kind words could do -- not only for others, but for us!

What if we chose to use our words, the ones we speak and the ones we write, to bring KINDNESS into the lives of everyone around us? What if we actually saw each and every KIND word we say as an agent of healing, a sweet balm for another’s soul AND our soul? What if we became very intentional about being a bearer of KIND words?

There are enough of harsh, bitter, angry, stinging words being thrown around today. What if we were KINDNESS dealers, handing out doses of KINDNESS everywhere we go? Kindness costs little but pays huge dividends in our own lives and in the lives of those we touch. It’s a habit that paves the way to a sweet and healthy, joy-filled life.

Lord, we give our words to You. We pray that Your words of loving kindness will fill us to overflowing to others. Help us to speak only kind and encouraging words. Help us to be a people of love. Thank You for being the Giver of all true kindness. We recognize that all kindness comes, first and foremost, from You and You alone. And we thank You. Through Christ our Lord, we pray! Amen! So be it, Lord! AMEN!

I've Got the Eye of the Tiger.....Roaring Like a Lion

Heading to bed with NO fear, NO worry, No doubt -- sweet sleep is on its way -- because.......
"I've got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire
'Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar!
Louder, louder than a lion
'Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar!"