Gorgeous, juicy Pomegranates for sale at the gates of Kefar Nahum (Capernaum).
"If there is a fruit, there is a root" is a phrase I recently learned. Well, that makes sense, I thought. And then I thought some more....
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." Galatians 5:22 ( My "grands" and their friends at church used to sing the "Fruits of the Spirit", each child holding a sign with the name of a fruit written on it. Each time "their " fruit was named that child would pop up out of his/her seat in the choir loft with the appropriate sign. The song was lively and the children loved the popping up and down. And the audience loved their enthusiasm. Unfortunately, sometimes I feel like the fruit of my spirit "pops" up and down in my daily walk. I am inconsistent in my walk with the Spirit. And I don't like it!
I sympathize with the apostle Paul who wrote, "For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice." Romans 7:19
It was explained to me by a dear godly woman that "where there is a fruit, there is a root." I thank my parents for some godly roots! They had me in Mrs. Simons' Sunday School as a preschooler. When I was about ten-years-old, we moved just three or four blocks from our church and the church became my second home. My mother was a godly woman with the gift of hospitality. She was a fabulous cook--in fact, I think my husband married me for my mother's cooking. Today, we all have cell phones and can visit on the phone in privacy by stepping into another room when we receive a personal phone call. Not so when I was a teenager. Our telephone was stationed beside the refrigerator in our kitchen and the cord was barely long enough to reach a corner where I would attempt to have a private conversation. If my love and I were having a disagreement and my mother picked up on it, she would speak loud enough that he could hear over the phone and she would say, "Karla, invite Randy to dinner. We are having _________ (insert any mouth-watering delectable dishes that appeal to hungry young men). What was I to do? Invite him to dinner, of course!
Fortunately, I inherited my mother's love of cooking and that has helped our marriage through the years! Unfortunately, I also inherited traits from my "roots" or my ancestors that put a strain on our marriage. And I believe God uses marriage as a tool to refine us. Anyway, it certainly has revealed some different fruit in my life - some "tov" or good and some "ra" or bad. My godly friend explained that I need to be a "fruit inspector" and repent of any "bad fruit" that I see and, by faith, ask God to remove those "roots"so the fruit of the Holy Spirit can grow consistently in my life .
This past spring I planted pumpkin seeds in a wooden box filled with soil. I forgot that the soil was part sand. The plants came up vigorous and healthy - until the sweltering summer sun hit them. They withered and we watered but they only produced one pumpkin and it was so puny it could not withstand insects and it rotted.. Our grandchildren, however, planted their pumpkin seeds in rich, fertile soil and they have beautiful plump pumpkins growing on healthy vines. Our son is a conservationist, very involved with soil and water. He often points out that the plants grown on our farm can only be as healthy as the soil they are grown in. So he and my husband strive to enrich the soil, spending thousands of dollars on inputs such as fertilizer and minerals to improve it.
As I observe Teshuvah, I am examining the "soil" of my heart. Is my heart tender toward God's teaching? Is my heart stony - filled with unforgiveness or pride and arrogance? Or am I too sensitive to receive open rebukes and instead have become "throny" and "prickly" about certain issues that choke the Holy Spirit's work out my life? And what about the "seeds" that God wants to grow in me but they have fallen by the wayside and birds came and devoured them like what happened to the sower in Matthew 13:3-9?
Thank you, Mom and Dad, for taking me to Sunday School where Mrs. Norton taught me Psalm 1: "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly. Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law (teaching - Torah) of the LORD, And in His law (teaching, Torah) he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper."
Date Palms growing near EnGedi.
As I observe Teshuvah, I am examining the "soil" of my heart. Is my heart tender toward God's teaching? Is my heart stony - filled with unforgiveness or pride and arrogance? Or am I too sensitive to receive open rebukes and instead have become "thorny" and "prickly" about certain subjects choking the Holy Spirit's work out my life? And what about the "seeds" that God wants to grow in me but they have fallen by the wayside and birds came and devoured them like the sower in Matthew 13:3-9? It is time to Teshuvah or return to the good roots of the Spirit!
I served my Mother's delicious Chicken Casserole at Bible Study this week. My friends loved it and requested the recipe so here it is:
Eva Davis Mason's Chicken Casserole
2 C cooked chicken, diced
2 Cans cream of mushroom soup
2 C elbow macaroni (or pasta of your choice) uncooked
2 C milk
2 onions
1/4 lb cheese (Velveeta)
Mix together and pour into a buttered casserole dish. Bake uncovered one hour at 350 degrees or until bubbly.
(Browned and drained hamburger could be substituted for chicken and Cream of Chicken or Celery Soup could be substituted for the Cream of Mushroom Soup.)
Thank you, Mom!
コメント