Artificial or Real Fruit?
Tell us about how God has been squeezing you in order to get sweetness out of you. http://talk.thelife.com/2006/06/21/artificial-or-real-fruit-2/
“Blessed are those…(who) yield their fruit in season… ” (Psalm 1)
A display of waxy artificial fruit sat on my aunt’s dining room table. On every visit, my dad took great delight in baiting Aunt Elsie by pretending to take a bite out of one of the artificially shiny apples or pluck some of the grapes. Of course he knew that before his teeth even came close to biting into the object, there would be a horrified cry, “DON’T DO THAT!???
Artificial fruit, whether the wax variety of fifty years ago or today’s shiny red wooden apples, are definitely not “for public consumption.??? They are mere representatives of the real thing. There can be no sweet, juicy, tasty nectar dripping down the chin, no fruity aroma reminding one of freshly picked apples, peaches or grapes.
In My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers writes, “It is not that God makes us beautifully rounded grapes, but that He squeezes the sweetness out of us.??? To paraphrase, God didn’t make us perfectly formed, wooden Christians; rather He created us to be living, breathing persons designed to have the life of Christ squeezed out of us so those around would be drawn by the tantalizing aroma of our presence.
Grapes squashed in the grocery bag on the way to my kitchen are not attractive; they are thrown into the garbage. Yet if I were starving, even those squashed grapes would become a tantalizing morsel. People, circumstances, events frequently are used by God to squeeze me. Unlike the grape, I have the choice of exuding the aroma – the very life – of Christ to the starving people around me.
~Father, help me recognize that the “squeezings??? of life can be used of You. May I see Your hand in all the circumstances and people of my life.
About the Author
This devotional was written by Marilyn Ehle. Read more about Marilyn: http://www.talk.thelife.com/authors/marilyn-ehle/
Questions
1) How can we know the difference between real “fruit??? and the imitation?
2) How do you respond when to have the life of Christ squeezed out of you?
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Anna, I pray that whatever you are going through physically. God heals you and that you will find where your place is with youth. What a gift you must have to work with youth :-) God bless you!
I love the part of this devotion where it says…”squeezed out of us so those around would be drawn by the tantalizing aroma ofour presence.” That is beautiful! and what I hope to be like. With diligent work and God’s helping hand I will have that Christ like aroma. :-)
I always ask myself…when I leave people do they feel as if they were rubbed with burlap or silk? I want to be more like Jesus! A life journey, yes! But “I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO GIVE ME STRENGTH!(phil.4:13) AMEN!!!
Love Tracy
I was forced to stop teaching in October due to health issues and since then it seems I have been squashed to a mere shell. They have found more medical problems and I think I could write a fatter medical journal than their medicines have made me. I feel tired and dragged out and like I have nothing to give to anyone, but I feel myself wanting more and more to serve God in some way. I am so used to working with youth at school and at church that I feel pulled in that direction. I am waiting for God’s wisdom to lead me in His direction, and hoping I can be patient and wait for Him. I feel about as imperfect as He can get me now and He surely must be ready to use me for some purpose other than sitting around hurting and feeling depressed, dizzy, and deaf in one ear. I remember in Proverbs he tells us to never let loyalty and kindness get away from us. I will put my loyalty in him and try to give my kindness to others.
Well, cindy I like that.. especially what you said:
“The above statement reminds me that in a starving world, we all (as God’s people) have something to offer. As squashed and imperfect as I am, I do have the source of life. Not so worthless after all.”
Yes many at time I find myself so indequate in so many things and whole of raw and seems so unwise but I learn of God’s Grace. No failure is BIGGER than God’s Grace!!! All are fall short of the glory of God… I rather boost of my weakness….bcoz through my weakness and imperfections I see the Glory of the Lord, His Grace that is a gift that not that we can learn for it but bcoz of His Great Love for us, God’s work Mightily and He works all the Impossible to POSSIBLE!! He is I AM, THE GREAT I AM. Amen. What a privilege to be the willing vessel for the Lord looks for one who is willing to be use by Him. He is looking the heart and not what one can do infact it is what is LEFT balance fragments..broken pieces of one life. He is always willing are you?????
Lord let me be the one, use me for Your Glory. I do not want any vain glory instead help me in times and due let me give You all praise honor glory due unto Your Precious name. Although I m not good in most things I want to be made useful for You Lord. Transform me through Your spirit for You Lord that is why I am living. My Life is made with purpose and meaning because of You Jesus. It is my desires guess to express my love for God.
“Grapes squashed in the grocery bag on the way to my kitchen are not attractive; they are thrown into the garbage. Yet if I were starving, even those squashed
grapes would become a tantalizing morsel.”
Sometimes I think that my flawed life is useless to God — even a detriment to the Kingdom. Only the mighty, well-developed Christians have anything valuable to offer.
The above statement reminds me that in a starving world, we all (as God’s people) have something to offer. As squashed and imperfect as I am, I do have the source of life. Not so worthless after all.