h2odevos encores 030812 Good Fruit

"How can I come before you?
What worthy gift could I bring?
What glorious feast could I offer?

What songs of majesty sing?

Lift this heart of sadness into gladness by Your peace

Before I can come before You, You come to me"

Ever Walk With Me Lord by  Peter Mayer

St. Paul catalogues the things not to do, but then he writes,  "By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things." (Galatians 5:22-23)

I once led a weeklong Bible study and lecture series entitled, "The 7 Deadly Sins meet The Fruits of the Spirit." It was a blended version of HBO confronts the VeggieTales. My purpose was to provide concrete examples of being able to bear fruit in one's spiritual life while at the same time acknowledging those things "we have done and left undone."

My motivation this morning is similar. It is my intention to help you feel and see that there are things you might already be doing that are "fruit of the spirit." Just stop for a moment today and meditate on "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." You might even want to write those "fruits" on a post-it note around your home, office or car. How can you grow and nurture these actions and feelings on a daily basis?

As you know, I am a proponent of increasing physical activity and decreasing caloric intake. I'm also a big fan of 5-9 Fruits and Veggies per Day. Check out this wonderful resource: http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/

My hope and prayer for you this day is that you will bear good fruit and also eat some today and each day this coming week. Let me know how it is going for you.

And as Peter sings, "Before I can come before You, You come to me."

That's grace, Amazing Grace!

Peace,

rtg