Bible reading: Galatians 5:16-22 When the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23a, NLT).
Here’s a quick little test for you. See if you can match up the trees listed in the column on the left with the fruits those trees bear in the column on the right:
apple tree
orange tree
oak tree
banana tree
pear tree
peach tree
hickory tree
walnut tree
cherry tree
pineapple tree
pecan tree
mulberry tree
pecans
pears
oranges
hickory nuts
acorns
cherries
apples
pineapples
mulberries
walnuts
peaches
bananas
Pretty dumb test, huh? Too easy, right? The only answer that wasn’t totally obvious was acorns, which come from oak trees, right? After all, everybody knows that apples come from apple trees, and walnuts come from walnut trees.
Making right choices works the same way.
No matter how hard it tries, a cherry tree could never produce apples. No matter how much it wanted to, a pecan tree couldn’t squeeze out a single banana. Why not? Because they don’t have what it takes.
Well, because we are not perfect, none of us humans can make right choices all the time. Some days it seems like we can’t even make right choices at all! Why not? Because we don’t have what it takes to produce that kind of fruit--not by ourselves, at least. We might as well try to squeeze a pineapple out our ears!
So, does that mean we should just give up?
No, but it does mean that the only way we can consistently make right choices is through the Spirit of Christ living in us. His Spirit lives in everyone who has trusted Christ for salvation, and it is only by relying on Him every day--through prayer and Bible reading--that we can consistently make right choices. In fact, you might say that making right choices is the fruit that the Holy Spirit produces in our lives when we trust God day by day.
Review: The Holy Spirit lives in you, if you have trusted Christ for salvation, and He will produce good fruit in your life as you begin each day with prayer, give Him control of your day, and seek His help in making right choices all day long.
Reflect: What kind of choices have you been making recently? Have they been sort of prickly, like a pineapple? Nutty, like an acorn? Sweet, like a cherry? Sour, like a crabapple? Something else? What kind of choices do you want to make from now on (with the Spirit’s help)?
Reinforce: Try making a simple song or poem out of Galatians 5:22 and 23.
Remember: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23a, NIV).
