Monday, June 13, - Fresh Fruit Salad

Nothing tastes better or feels as refreshing to the taste palate as fresh fruit in the summer time. The water in the fruit satisfies thirst, the pulp, or meat, satisfies hunger and the colors seem designed to call us to health and the joy of living and eating. I feel a little lighter, healthier, and happier just looking at these photos. 

     I Googled "fruit salad" to find 14,600,000 results, but when I Googled "fresh fruit salad" there were only 180,000 results. Today's Scriptures and both devtionals focus on the originality, color and fresh fruit God produces in the lives of believers who abandon themselves to Him daily.

 "In the life of a saint there is this amazing wellspring of original life all the time;

the well of God is a well of water springing up perenially fresh."

(My Utmost for His Highest)

"I am creating something new in you:

a bubbling spring of Joy that spills over into others' lives."

(Jesus Calling)

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22

God creates an original mixture of His fruit in us to satisfy our desire for Him and to draw others to Him. The world doesn't need cookie cutter Christians; it needs believers who allow God to live through them in fresh ways every day. We're not to keep up with the Grahams or try to clone Mother Teresa, but to let Jesus live vividly through us in colorful ways today. He called fishermen, tax collectors, women, zealots, rulers, rich and poor to follow Him because He knew each one's testimony would appeal to and reach a different group of people. While we all have the same Spirit, the same God, the same Savior and the same fruit, God still loves to mix it up a little in each of us to come up with one more original recipe for fresh fruit salad.  

"As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 'Come, follow Me,' Jesus said, ' and I will make you fishers of men.'  At once they left their nets and followed Him."

Father, every day I intend to abandon myself to you and then I get in the way and block Your flow. Don't let me do that today. No dams, no weeds. Just You working through me where I am as the original, fresh follower You want me to be!
In the Name of Jesus, Who never runs out of ideas

Inspired by My Utmost for His Highest, Jesus Calling and fruit salads everywhere

Photos from photobucket.com