Fruit (or Vegetable) of the Spirit
I have 3 friends who are sisters and, due to their unique way of speaking, often say things that lead me into profound thought. They were over at my house the other day when such an instance occured.
My house always has a slightly pathetic garden coloring the yard out front in the summer. Unfortunately, this garden has a habit of mass-producing tomatoes and peppers beyond what any family could desire to consume. This results in a frenzy of asking everyone who comes near if they would like some tomatoes (I'm getting to the profound bit, I swear). So, of course, I offered to let my friends take some tomatoes home with them.
That's when one said "Look at them on the vine, all sad and dying. Sad and dying with nobody to pick them." That's when it struck me, what if my Christian walk is kind of like that, I'm leaving the fruit out to rot instead of gathering it. God said that we should bear fruit if we are faithful and following the Great Commission. I think that often we view this as a challenge, that people will come to Christ if we convince them and work hard enough. But maybe that's not the way it's supposed to be!
Instead of conversions being a result of our work, what if all we have to do is harvest the fruit? We can't convince somebody to become a Christian through our own efforts, any more than we can create a butterfly through sheer will-power. So while we focus on our own accomplishments and seek to complete the Great Commission without God's help, the fruit is dying sad and alone on the vine.
"Be fishers of men" he said. Fishers gather, they don't create. The fruit we are after isn't tomatoes or fish, it's people. They live and breathe, their hearts beat like ours, and then they die. Sad and Alone. Neglected on the vine. All because I tried to force them into slavery instead of just picking those that are ready. Don't let the fruit die sadly on the vine, waiting for somebody to pick it. I urge my readers as I urge myself, to gather those that are ready to accept Christ, don't force them, and don't give up on those that aren't ready yet.
