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Have you ever seen grape fruit and oranges turned into houses and cars? There’s nothing magical about it.
Thirty years ago, one could drive just north of Orlando and behold oranges as far as the eye could see. It was a spectacular sight. But such vistas are a memory now, at least in certain parts of the state of Florida. Freezes, disease, and neglect killed the groves, and developers claimed the land. Once-fertile land now raises subdivision after subdivision.
Time also can take a toll on believers. The longer we are Christians, it seems, the more we find saints who no longer are interested in developing Christian character. We wonder what happened to their zeal. Then we ask the haunting questions: “What happened to our zeal?” and “Where’s the fruit of our faith?”
Remember evangelism? Widows and orphans? Abortion protests? Those in prison? Remember when Bible studies actually studied the Bible? Loved your neighbor lately? (Even said hello?)
We are tempted to take solace by thinking that somebody, somewhere in the body of Christ is taking care of these things. But there is not much solace in realizing that sometimes the mighty don’t fall, they simply fade away. My fear is that someday the truth hits us—we don’t care anymore.
Paul expressed surprise at how quickly some Christians had forgotten what they had been taught (Gal. 1:6), and he warned believers to guard against making shipwreck of their faith. In his letters to the Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians, he spent time in theological insights and moved toward applications about sanctification and fruit:
- “Through love serve one another” (Gal. 5:13).
- “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22–23a).
- “With all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:2–3).
- “And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph. 4:32).
- “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Phil. 4:6).
- “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering” (Col. 3:12).
- “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving” (Col. 4:2).
Are these the things to which you are aspiring? Or has the pursuit of the fruit of the Spirit been replaced by (a preoccupation with) houses and cars?