"Give me another one, mom." "Ask me some more." This is what I repeatedly heard from Amber when she was prepping for an interview at a recent competition. She was on a roll, but there comes a point when a girl is prepared and you just need to stop. Besides that, I was just plain out of good questions to ask her. She pleaded. She smiled. I caved.
Finally I said, "If you were a fruit, what would you be and why?" Amber has this ability to think on the fly and give answers to crazy questions like that as if she knew the question in advance. She didn't miss a beat in responding. Her answer was something to the effect that if she were a fruit, she would definitely be a grape. They are sweet on the inside, and everyone loves the color purple. They are fun to eat, and they're also quite versatile. You can eat them with your hands or even turn them into juice to drink.
This morning I was reading in Matthew 7 and was reminded of that exchange between Amber and I. I love how God constantly puts circumstances in our lives that can be applied to Biblical principles. I find that all we have to do is look for it. Here's the passage from Matthew 7:
15 Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
17 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them
As I thought of the fruit parallels, I couldn't help but think about the Biblical ones as well. Am I grape for God? Am I attached to the vine, gaining life and growing for Him? Yes, this is a recurring theme in what I write about, because God seems to always be reminding me to not be content where I am with Him. I consider myself a mature Christian, but complacency can creep in without me even noticing it. I need to constantly be asking myself if I am growing.
Or am I raisin? Have I shriveled up because someone has hurt me, leaving me away from the vine? Has the desert of life taken a beating on me and caused me to wither away?
Galatians 5 tells us that a Christian's fruits should be love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. I know which one of these fruits is a constant struggle for me. How about you?
Jesus says every Christian should be bearing good fruit, and by our fruit people will know we are Christians. What kind of fruit are you producing? Are you sharing your faith with others? Are you investing yourself in someone else to help them know God better? Are you actively memorizing Scripture and having time alone with God each day, reading the Bible? What would your answer be if God said, "Are you a fruit, what kind and why?
---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com