Kentucky peach orchard

 

The words "vegetable" and "fruit" both evoke positive responses in my
mind.  Veggies are good for me, I know, and I happen to like most of
them.  When gardening season is in full swing, I can make my supper
entirely out of fresh vegetables.  Green beans, corn, summer squash,
black-eyed peas, etc. make for a mighty tasty meal (with a little
cornbread on the side, thank you).

If I have to choose between the two, however, I'll probably reach for
the fruit.  There is an amazing variety of fruits: apples, pears,
strawberries, cantaloupes, pineapples, etc.  My visits to other
countries have introduced me to previously unknown fruits.  I can't
remember any that I have not enjoyed.  The natural sweetness that
bursts upon the taste buds keeps me reaching for more.

Within the past week I've had the double pleasure of enjoying fruits
even as I harvested them.  A week ago I visited a peach orchard in (of
all places!) Kentucky.  Being able to walk out into the grove and pick
half a bushel of these sweet treats was a sensory rush.  Two days ago
a trip into Western North Carolina took me to a blueberry farm.  For
two hours I enjoyed spectacular scenery as I plucked plump berries
from well-cultivated bushes.  (More than a few of these made their way
into my mouth while I picked.)

I often wonder what kinds of fruit were found in the Garden of Eden,
man's first home.  Genesis 1-3 tells us about this place, and we learn
that God Himself planted the fruit trees found there (Genesis 1:11).
Whatever was there was for the enjoyment of Adam and Eve (except for
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Genesis 2:17).

Another fact is noted in the first chapter of the Bible's first book:
"And God said, 'See, I have given you every herb that yields seed
which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit
yields seed; to you it shall be for food'" (Genesis 1:29).  Within
each piece of fruit God placed seeds.  Not only did the Lord provide
the delicious fruit, but He also provided the means to keep it coming.

Fruit is at the heart of an image used by Jesus in John 15:1,2: "I am
the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.  Every branch in Me
that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that bears
fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit."  This lesson points
directly at you, me and all who claim to follow Jesus.  Our primary
purpose, Jesus said, is to produce fruit.

Paul said more about the fruit we are to bear in Galatians 5:22,23.
Life in Christ should lead us to develop qualities like love, joy,
peace, kindness and gentleness.  Those traits are not common outside
of Christ, but most will agree they are "sweet".  They're also
wholesome, helping to build up our own souls as well as others who
taste them.

Packaged within each sweet act of Christian service should also be the
"seed" that will lead others to grow such fruit in their own lives.
Such acts will not usually grab headlines; Jesus spoke of giving
someone a cup of cold water "in the name of a disciple" (Matthew
10:42).  When done "in the name of a disciple", we are not boasting
but pointing to the source of all good traits.

Enjoy God's natural sweetness.  And become a spiritual Johnny
Appleseed!

Timothy D. Hall.