You're a Peach!

A very kind couple in my church who live on a farm dropped off perfectly ripened peaches at our house this week.  Peaches are my favorite fruit.  The problem with fruit is that there is usually a small window of shelf life in eating them at just the right time before they go bad.  Or you can have the opposite problem and eat them too soon when they don't taste very good.

I've been thinking how fruit is a very biblical image.  We are called to be fruitful by living out our faith so that we can see tangible results of God's transforming work in our community and world.  Just like I can't imagine not having any fruit in my diet especially during the summer months, it's difficult to imagine the church not having any fruit since we are called to live out our faith and make a difference in our world.

When we don't live out our faith, we miss out on being the fruitful people that God has called us to be.  Without a little patience, we are sometimes like that hardened peach that still needs to soften.  It takes time to be the people we have been created to be.  And sometimes, we wait way too long to step out in faith.  The time is "ripe" for a new ministry and to take on a new spiritual opportunity, but we wait too long and miss the opportunity, kind of like eating a peach that has started to spoil!

In the heart of the summer, God calls us to be fruitful.  We are invited to allow the "fruit of the Spirit" (Galatians 5:22-23,) love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control to be evident in all that we say and do.  Remember, you're a peach!  Be fruitful!

And that's not just a warm and fuzzy thought!