Good Eats!

Apples and pears have never been my favorites. I eat them because they are good for me. They are hardly as sweet as my summertime berries, yet they fill me up and keep those hunger pains at bay. Fall fruits also last longer, aren’t nearly as fragile and help scrape out the yuck in our gut!

There comes a time to push aside those sweet things that are tasty for those heartier things that will sustain.

I love devotionals and encouraging words but we must diligently seek God and study His Word. We need all of it and not just those verses we pick and choose. It is comforting to know better days lie ahead but we must prepare as best we can to stand strong against dark days and disappointments as well.

DSC_2709 (2)  Spiritual fruit takes time to grow and develop. Many people are led to Christ in a moment. Yet, it often takes years to transform us from who we are into who we can become.

Love, joy and peace are sweet fruits for me.

Long suffering?  Not so tasty.

Faithfulness and gentleness require a bit more from me as well.  It is often our trying experiences that cultivate the characteristics we lack and allow us to produce good fruit.

If we are to mature and fulfill our purpose, we must partake of some things that aren’t so sweet.

Forgiveness. Obedience. Submission.

We grow when we choose to partake of things that are good for us and not merely those things that taste good.

What are you hungry for?

“For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil,” Hebrews 5:13-14 NKJV

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV

By Lilka Finley Raphael

Author, Editor, Gardner, Photographer, Pharmacist

22 comments

  1. Lovely post! Great exhortation. Thank you for visiting holdingforthhisword. and reading Necessary. I hope it was a blessing to you. May Christ fill us with His fruit for His glory and pleasure. Amen!

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  2. I love the Word of God! The very fact that we can make analogies from the natural world to apply to the Word of God shows that God is truly the Creator of the natural and that it really is a pattern (to a degree) of the spiritual realm!!

    Been away for a couple of months and just got a new computer so am so enjoying making the rounds and reading what my brothers and sisters in the Lord have in store for all those that thirst and are hungry!!! Am tickled to get back into your articles for have always been edified and instructed and yes at 63 years young with decades of various areas of ministry behind me, I still learn something new and am ALWAYS on the “prowl” for inspiration from my brothers and sisters! Besides, it’s a great way to confirm that I am still holding to the path! It’s one of the best ways to remain accountable to one another when so many religious fads and doctrines are out there. It’s also evident of the Holy Spirit continuing to build up the Body of Christ with its many gifts and callings!!!

    God bless you for this Word as it really touched me today!! Going back to the banquet table to “eat and drink” some more!!! Until later, God bless you abundantly Sis, and keep fighting the good fight as you continue to “serve” (minister) good (no—GREAT) eats!!!

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    1. Thank you so much Pastor Roland! We are to encourage one another. So glad you dropped by. Sometimes I wonder what am I doing writing a blog? Thanks for affirmation that I am doing exactly what I’m supposed to be doing. Thank you so much for your kind words. They are quite timely. I’m glad the article spoke to you and thanks for taking time to speak into me.
      B Blessed! 🙂

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  3. Lilka, I loved this post. Partaking only of the “easy” fruit leaves us incomplete. Just as only eating the sweet things leaves our bodies lacking. Choosing to eat of obedience, forgiveness, giving grace when someone hurts us? Those are the harder fruits to eat. But it’s only when we partake of them that we can best reflect Jesus. You’ve given me good food for thought. 🙂

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  4. There definitely comes a time, when we grow in maturity, in our Faith, that we start producing the Fruit of the Spirit. Yet it takes much preparation, pruning so that we produce God Fruit. Our Lord tells us He is the Vine, we are the branches & the Father is the Gardener, the Vinedresser. He prunes us so that our fruit shall remain.

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  5. Pingback: Good Eats! | Fertiileground's Blog

  7. This is very well written Lilka, but I’ve come to expect that from you! I was particularly touched by this thought: “Spiritual fruit takes time to grow and develop. Many people are led to Christ in a moment. Yet, it often takes years to transform us from who we are into who we can become.”

    I see this trend taking place more often. People come to Christ in an emotional moment perhaps, but then they wander away believing the “job is done!” They eventually just fade away from their faith altogether…

    We need all the fruits which the bible feeds us as you say. And we must learn diligence and patience, two more of the difficult fruits, in order to transform into what God truly wants from us. It may be work at first, but it leads to so much goodness!

    Great post!!

    Steve

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    1. You are so correct Steve that diligence and patience can be hard to swallow. A lot of the things we tend to love the most can kill us if not kept in check. I agree some people to tend to fade but I also suspect that is because some of us “Christians” aren’t truthful about some sacrifices that must be made and “sweets”abandoned if we are ever to fulfill the purpose God has set for us. We often lead people to become saved and then leave them hanging to fend for themselves with little real guidance. Sugarcoating our own life stories doesn’t help matters either. Newcomers to Christ may feel abandoned or unworthy because of the facade they see in others.
      As always thanks for adding your thoughts and taking time to stop by! 🙂

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      1. As always, you are welcome for anything I may add in comment, Lilka. In fact, I posted my longest post ever, some 900 words, on inspiration from your post!

        We all can feed off each other at times. That’s a good reason for reading in our “Reader” section often, in addition to visiting our followers. Thanks for your support here as well Lilka, enjoy your weekend!

        Steve

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  8. “Many people are led to Christ in a moment. Yet, it often takes years to transform us from who we are into who we can become.”

    Beautiful and true (in my case), Lilka. Thank you.

    (and I think that when we have “become” – then we most certainly haven’t) 🙂

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    1. So true! I don’t think we every fully “become” here on earth. Thankfully, God is patient with us and our transformations though, sometimes painful, leave us better than we were before. Enjoy your weekend! 🙂

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