Good Morning Brown Clee!
We have been thinking about THINKing before we speak and learning about the importance of Self Control recently – understanding that we are all responsible for our actions and words.
Today we are going to think about fruit – because there is a connection between self-control and fruit – let’s find out why!
First of all – what is fruit? Can you name some examples?…..
I wonder if you can describe how a fruit tree might look as it moves though the seasons of the year? Have a watch of this video showing the development of a plum from tiny shoot to fully-ripened fruit!
Now consider what conditions are needed for trees to grow and produce fruit like this?
The four main requirements are enough light, enough water, nutritious soil and favourable temperatures. If these conditions are present, a tree should grow through the seasons and produce fruit in the summer or autumn.
Fruit is mentioned in The Bible but this is a different type of fruit. In The Bible there was a man called Paul – he was one of the early leaders in the Christian Church and he wrote letters to several of the early churches to encourage them and to teach them more about Jesus. One of these letters was to a church in a place called Galatia, which would be in modern-day Turkey. In this letter, Paul wrote, ‘the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.’
When Paul talks about fruit here, he doesn’t mean fruit growing on a tree, which might be tasty to eat; he means good qualities or characteristics that we can see in people’s lives…..
As you think about these qualities have a moment to reflect on these questions…
What kind of people do you like to spend time with?
Do you think that these are all good qualities for a person to have? Why/why not?
Do you find it hard to show some of these qualities in your life? Why/why not?
Most people would agree that love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control are all good qualities to have in our lives. However, they are not always easy qualities to develop.
Paul describes all these qualities as ‘the fruit of the Spirit’. Christians believe that these qualities, or ‘fruit’, will develop in people’s lives as they get to know God better. They believe that this happens by spending time learning about the Bible, praying and asking God to help them to live in this way. Christians believe that God sends his Holy Spirit to live in people’s lives. This changes them on the inside and helps these qualities to develop within their lives.
Let’s take a moment now to reflect – remember what fruit trees need to produce fruit – light, water, nutrients in the soil and temperature. When we look at fruit trees in the spring, they may all appear very similar. However, in the summer and autumn, the amount and quality of the fruit that they produce varies.
This is similar to the fruit of the Spirit: when we first meet someone, we can’t see what kind of person they are on the inside. However, as we spend time with them, we can see the qualities in their lives. Qualities like the fruits of the Spirit are difficult to measure. The only way that we can really tell whether people have these fruits is to spend time with them and notice how they treat other people. Just looking at someone won’t tell us if they have good qualities in their lives. It is important not to judge people by what they look like on the outside. The fruit of the Spirit develops on the inside: the way people behave towards others shows something about the kind of person they are on the inside.
Prayer of the Day
Dear God,
Thank you for the beauty of the world around us and for the lessons that we can learn from nature.
Please help us to develop good qualities in our lives.
Help us to grow in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Help us to treat others with respect.
Amen.