A Daily Devotional

When we go to the modern grocery store we see huge displays of fruits and vegetables. There are aisles of canned goods, dry cereals, snack foods, frozen food, and other edible products. All the foods we consume, even meat products, are the result of a farmer planting seeds. When the farmer does the planting he or she must plow, till, fertilize, do weed and pest control, and in some areas, irrigate the soil. When we buy a bag of apples all we see is the fruit, not the labor. Most of us want the fruit of the Spirit. But like the fruit of the tree, the fruit of the Spirit must come with labor, sweat, pain, and hard work. We are not born with the fruit of the Spirit in us. We are born selfish, wanting what we want, when we want it. If we are fortunate, our times of spiritual maturation will give us the capability to (a) do the hard labor required to plant the seed. (b) teach us to work long enough to sweat, (c) imbue in us a vision so we can endure pain of doing the work, and (d) instill values in us so we are willing to persevere to do hard work. From these maturation experiences, we can then plant the seeds from which the fruit comes. Let us all strive to mature  and be mature regardless of our age.

For A Fast, Complete Search Of All Sites Use
Site Search Engine [Go]

Shepherd's Care Ministries
TUCSON,  AZ

Your Feedback Is Treasured.
Please
Contact Us
To Give Us Your Feedback
******************
Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION�. NIV�. Copyright � 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (RSV) are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Copyright � 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.


Entire contents copyright � by Rev. Patrick Kelly, All rights reserved.
All content is presented on behalf of Shepherd's Care Ministries. Shepherd's Care Ministries reserves no right or claim upon content.

Shepherd's Care Ministries author and webmaster, Rev. Patrick Kelly, is affiliated through ministerial ordination with Church of God Ministries, Anderson IN 46018