Galatians 5:22-23a – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (NIV)

One of my favourite decorative items is a colourful basket of artificial fruit, now on a table on the sun porch. Through the years, it has been used in different areas. Many times, when preparing for a yard sale, I've been tempted to clear it out, but I can't part with it. It is colourful. It brightens up any room in which it's placed. I've also learned to associate this colourful bowl of fruit with the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Like the colours of my artificial fruit, these tend to brighten my life and bring blessings found in no other way.

As Christians, we display many fruits at different times. If my fruit bowl contained real fruit, I'd have to be careful about it spoiling. Our spiritual bowl of fruit can also have spoiled fruit at times — when love turns to hate, joy to sadness, peace to chaos — no beauty remains, and there's only an empty fruit bowl to offer to others.

Spiritual fruit is also a commodity that increases with use. The more spiritual fruit we share with others, the more we find in our own bowl. The more obedient we are in dishing out fruit, the more we find our bowls running over.

Psalm 34:8 – Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. (NIV)

God is willing to refill our fruit bowls if we find them in short supply. We are called to taste and see that He is good. We are told to ask and we shall receive. Our bowls can be kept colourful and running over.

Prayer: Lord, help us to keep our fruit bowls filled with the fruits of Your Spirit. Give us a taste for Your fruit and a desire to share with others. Amen.

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