Bearing Good Fruit vs. Being Sour

I love a good salad and seeing now as I'm able to actually eat one low calorie meal a day now, I usually pick a small salad to indulge in. If a salad has fresh veggies in it, it can be so enjoyable. The other day, I pulled into my favorite fast-food place and ordered a grilled chicken salad. I was almost finished eating and got to my favorite part---the cherry tomatoes! I took a bite and thought I was going to spit it out. That cherry tomato looked so red and plump on the outside, but the truth was, it was sour. Yuk!

Waiting on the Lord will try your innermost patience. While you and I are waiting on the Lord to answer our prayers, we need to be about the business of bearing good fruit. We should be like a tree planted by the water, drawing strength and life from its source because its roots go down deep into the ground. Even in the dry times, a deeply rooted tree will continue to bear good fruit.

If you and I are firmly rooted in Jesus and His love, even though we may have all sorts of issues in our lives, we will still bear the fruit of the Spirit described in Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

Sometimes we seem to think because we are going through a hard time, we have "a right" or a license to be miserable and ugly to other people. Acting that way won't bring God's answer to us any faster. The Bible tells us we are not to give in to such evil tendencies, but to continue bearing good fruit, giving thanks and praising God even in the middle of the difficult circumstances.

And you know, there isn't anything that tastes worse than a sour piece of fruit!