"May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God."
Good works are often described as fruit in the Bible. In the first chapter of Philippians, Paul indicates that the fruit of our salvation is the righteous character that Jesus helps us produce. Using the symbol of fruit to represent goodness and integrity in our lives is a powerful image. We know that fruit is nourishing and pleasing. God made fruit to be attractive. It comes in so many different shapes and colors.
In the same way, our good deeds should be attractive to others and bring encouragement. We should seek to bring godliness and love into every situation, whether this be through service, prayer, or patient listening.
Today, select two fruits that you most enjoy eating. Then decide how each one will represent a fruit of the spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23). For example, since I like mangoes and grapes I can decide to have a mango represent the fruit of joy and grapes to represent the fruit of kindness. Now whenever I enjoy a mango I should take a moment to feel the joy that Christ has given me. And whenever I need to show a bit more kindness in my life I can eat a grape and use its juicy flavor to inspire me to provide more care towards those around me.
(New Living Translation; photo credit: Julia Zolotova via Unsplash)
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