Fruits of the Spirit
I have watched
I have waited
I have ached with wanting
I have needed
I have hoped
I have yearned for a sign
I have prayed
I have invited
I have faithfully kept watch
I have devoted
I have asked of God
Where is the Fruit your Spirit brings?
How many times have I thought
Why have I not developed the Fruit of the Spirit
Promised in the Scriptures?
Why am I still Impatient, or Unkind?
I could use each and every Fruit many times over
More Self Control would be great
Looking for the Joy in every moment
Would be such a blessing
Like a curtain pulled aside
My wise Lord revealed
Onions!
Onions?
Yes! Onions!
Red onions to be precise, grown in my garden
I was so proud of them.
The few I pulled and used in the kitchen were hot sweet, so fresh
But I left the others too long in the ground
Something I often do
I didn’t lay the tops over to stop them from growing
And they kept on growing – to seed
Like most plants when they run to seed
They became bitter, as protection
So they could not be eaten!
I needed to harvest the onions!
I need to harvest the fruit
I need to harvest the Fruit of the Spirit
I’d always wondered why Paul called it Fruit.
Now – onions have a season
A time to gather in
Whilst the Fruit of the Spirit is there to be harvested
In the time of need
And like Manna in the Wilderness
Best fresh for the moment
This is where the messages become familiar
God will do anything, everything
To draw me closer
To have fellowship with me
To work closely with me
Concerning Fruit of the Spirit He wants me to turn to Him
I need to Define and Declare what fruit I need and…
Ask Him!
As I see it
It’s a Loaves and Fishes kind of thing
He wants me to define the need
Which of the Fruits would enable me in this situation
When I don’t know, I ask that of Him too
Though I often forget to listen and watch for the answers
Then, I Bring what little I have to the table
Asking Him to Bless it
And watch with amazement
When what I have to offer
Goes further, than I ever thought possible
He and I working together
His Spirit within me providing
And like Manna fresh every day
It Satisfies!
Love Joy Peace Patience
Kindness Goodness Faithfulness
Gentleness and Self Control
My journal bears the record
The thanks I give Him
Never equal to His Abundant Provision and Grace
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control. Against such things, there is no law.” Gal 5 v22-23
Words Pictures © Denise Stanford-Buller 2018
Within the Vine 