One of my favourite memories growing up on the family farm in Central Alberta was our tiny orchard. By "tiny," I mean three apple trees. Because of the relatively harsh climate, we needed to tend those three trees with a lot of tender, loving care. The first few years, they were just twigs and we weren't sure they'd ever grow apples. So, you can imagine how we celebrated when we ate the first apples from our trees! Every year, we'd prune and tend them, and every year, we'd get more fruit. Apple sauce, apple pies, apple jelly.... mmm. So much to be thankful for!
We're about to begin a sermon series on the fruit of the Spirit. You might be feeling like your orchard is pretty sparse, but God's promise is that he can cause growth in any life! Or you might be enjoying the wonderful harvest of a well-tended life, thanking God for allowing your life to be fruitful.
In any case, our prayer is that you'll notice his abundant presense in your life, expressed in the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
