The Fruit part 2
You are what you eat. I've said it many times, and will probably keep saying it. Because it's important. What you put in (or what you believe is in) is what will come out. What you feed is what will grow. What you magnify in your life is what will manifest in your life. So it's important to be on the right diet. That's why Jesus would say something like what we see in Matthew 26:26 (NLT), "As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, "Take this and eat it, for this is my body." That's why the Bible uses pictures of food so often. The bread and the wine. The Lamb and the living water. That's the kind of diet we need to be on. And no diet is healthy without fruit. The fruit of the Spirit. Which is love. In fact, look at 1 John 4:16, "And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." The word "love" there is number 26 in Strong's Greek Concordance and it means, "affection or benevolence; specifically (plural) a love feast." Love is the six course meal (the six steps to the throne) that Jesus prepared for us in the presence of our enemies. Love is what makes the abundant life... abundant. Love is what it's all about. So let's be real: If you are what you eat, and there's a love feast available to you... you'd be crazy not to sit down. In fact, I believe that's what John was writing about in Revelation 22:17 (NLT), "The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." Let anyone who hears this say, "Come." Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life." It's not "Come... or else." It's, "Come and get it!" God has made this feast available to us by making HIMSELF available to us. He GAVE us His only begotten Son. Gave us His life. Gave us His Spirit. And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." Come and get it. Sit down and eat. And what else could the Spirit invite us to eat, but the fruit of the Spirit! When we get on the right diet it changes everything. When we focus on what's really important we don't have to stress out about everything and anything else. God is love. Love is a feast. God is a feast. Again--the bread and the wine. His body and His blood. The Lamb and the living water. It's all available to us. He has given it to us. All we have to do is respond. God made the Way of Grace. We respond with the Walk of Faith. Walking by faith and not by sight. Making sure that what we do lines up with what God wants us to do. And I know, on the surface, that can sound constricting. But, let's be real, we need boundaries and limits. We CAN do anything, but that doesn't mean we SHOULD. If God KNOWS what's best for me, it's probably not a great idea for me to go against that because I think I know better. You don't. And, by the way, obedience is a trust issue. If you trust God, you won't have a problem doing what He says. And when you understand God--that God is love--you'll understand that the only thing He ever tells you to do is love. God and people. Love God and love people. Love God BY loving people. It's not complicated. It's pretty simple, really. But unless and until you know what you have, you can't do it. Because you can't give what you don't have and you can only give what you do have. So, if you're not feeling great... change your diet. Garbage in, garbage out, right? Fill yourself to overflowing with what GOD has already filled you with, and you will not only give others what they need... you will experience what you need. What God has already given you!