"How Do You Eat Goodness"

As I get older I'm appreciative of the opportunity to be surrounded by children and teens. The church where I fellowship and lead the youth ministry has a weekly program aptly called Friday Night Live. It is a program for youth of all ages to engage each other and grow in a positive Christian environment. This past Friday during a bible quiz/trivia, the subject of producing spiritual fruit came into question. It was at this moment as we briefly discussed the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy peace, long suffering, goodness etc.) that one of my teens turned to me and asked "How do you eat goodness?".

Needless to say, I couldn't help myself as I burst into laughter and thought about the simplicity yet absolute profundity of the question. This brings me to my thought for the day: What kind of fruit are we producing for others to eat? Jesus said, "I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit" (John 15:1). Everyday that we have the opportunity to open our eyes and interact with people, we are feeding them the produce from our spiritual garden. How is your spiritual garden being cultivated or cared for? Is it full of weeds? Has it been watered and given some type of fertilizer or nutrients for your tree to grow so that your branch may produce fruit?
How we treat others, whether with disdain and disregard or with love and respect; how we respond to those in need is in essence allowing others to eat of the fruit produced in our garden. Each of us have the responsibility to impact the lives of others. This will occur willingly or unintentionally because we interact with people on a daily basis. As the saying goes "No man is an Island". When we are connected to the "true vine" which is Christ and are developed in producing the fruit of the Spirit, then the lives of the people we interact with will be positively influenced as they experience the love of Christ through us.
In stark contrast, if we are not connected to the "true vine" then the only other possible outcome is the demonstration or the produce that comes from the "works of the flesh" (See Galatians 5:19-21). These are adultery, fornication, jealousy, hatred , envy, strife etc. We are not responsible for how people respond to us, but we are responsible for how we respond to them. However, the way in which we respond is without question determined by the nurturing our tree has received. Take some time today and evaluate how you're treating the people with whom you come in contact.

Galatians 5:22 But the fuit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,