Fake Fruit

When I was small my brothers and I would visit my grandma on the weekends.

On her dining room table was a glass bowl that held apples and grapes.  For a long time I would reach out to grab a grape only to find it was fake....

PLASTIC.

Every time I would be disappointed and walk away in search of something tasty and

REAL.

One day I stopped reaching out because I had finally let it sink in that there was nothing but plastic fruit in that bowl. I had no expectation anymore of biting into a juicy, sweet grape.  Rather my little brothers and I pulled off those fake grapes one by one until my grandmothers display was ruined. But that's another story.

Unfortunately there are people hungry for something real in the kingdom of God who are going through the same thing.  They are reaching out for truth and power and walking away dejected.

Oh there are people who look like Christians, sound like Christians, and act like Christians but the fruit is

FAKE.

Let me explain.

There are those (with or without titles) who are in ministry or serving in some capacity in the church.  By their works and with their words they are assuring people that they know the way.  But when others come closer for wisdom, comfort, or help they bite into the fruit of the lives of these people and find it's just not real.

There are Christians who harbor unforgiveness, bitterness, or secret sins.  They can be angry, unapproachable, touchy, prideful. They call good evil and evil good. They do the work but their thoughts or deeds in private are ungodly

WICKED.

They tell others to serve, forgive, be truthful, love....be holy.  But they're private mantra is do as I say not as I do.

These are those that cause others who really love God to wonder are there any real Christians.

I think the question we all need to ask is...

IS THIS ME?

Am I preaching a gospel I really don't believe?

 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Gal 5:22-23