FRAUD FAKE PHONY?

 FRAUD, FAKE, PHONY?

One of the trees that grace our yard is a FRAUD. FAKE, and PHONY!  It sprawls beautifully across the side yard, gracefully decorating the landscape where it stands so stately and proud.  When it blossoms it is breathtaking with soft white flowers that bring the promise of fruit as lovely as its fragrance.  When we first moved here almost twenty years ago, not knowing even what kind of tree it was, I was sure we would have a bumper crop of some kind of fruit judging by the abundance of beautiful white blooms.  As I waited, little round objects grew from its blossoms but they did not grow any bigger than a good-sized pea.  It was then that I found out it was an ornamental pear tree.  In the dictionary, ornament means something pretty but not useful or practical.  So for a time, this tree is useful only in the temporary beauty that it displays in the spring.  Its fruit is inedible.  As I think about that tree, I think of myself and the fruit I produce.  Do I strive to look like a Christian and speak like a Christian, only to produce no fruit?  I hope not but I must always strive to have fellowship with the Lord and seek to please Him with my life in order to keep myself authentic. I like a humorous but true quote that gives a glimpse into such a life.

God save us all from wives who are angels in the street, saints in the church, and devils at home!  Charles Spurgeon

 For us to be able to be authentic, we must be filled with God’s Spirit.  The Bible says that if we have God’s Spirit living in us we should produce good fruit that is useful and beneficial to ourselves as well as others. Galatians 5 tells us that the Holy Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control which are the Fruits of the Spirit. As we live our lives these fruits or qualities should be exemplified in us.  I like the example I have shared many times.  If an orange is squeezed, what should come out of it?  Orange juice, right?  In life, we are squeezed regularly, like when a co-worker talks behind your back, when the boss is unfair, or when someone pulls out in front of you almost causing an accident.  Is it love, patience, or kindness that comes out?  Do you think gentle, kind, and good thoughts and react accordingly or does something else emerge?  Producing good fruit is not just a one-time event in our lives but can only be accomplished with an ongoing relationship with our Lord.  It is praying without ceasing, it is reading His precious God-breathed, Word, and a coming together with like believers to be strengthened and loved.  Is your life about loving God with all of your heart and your neighbor as yourself?  Lord, help me not to be  A FRAUD, A FAKE, or A PHONY, but genuine, bearing much good fruit.