Bible Reading: Galatians 5:16-26
Have you ever closely examined an orange?
An orange is one fruit but it is made of many parts. First there is the peel. The peel
has two parts, the outside called the flavedo, and the creamy-colored inside part called the albedo.
Next, the flesh of the orange is made up of about twelve sections filled with juice sacs. The juice sacs are made of pulp and hold the juice. Even the juice and pulp are made up of smaller parts: vitamins, minerals, water, and acids that give the orange its tangy taste and its nutritional value.
Often in oranges you will find seeds. Each seed contains all the parts needed to grow a new orange tree and produce hundreds more oranges.
The Fruit of the Spirit in today’s verses is like that orange. It is one fruit with many parts. It takes all nine parts of the Fruit to make up the single Fruit. Galatians 5:22 & 23 tell us the nine parts of the Fruit of the Spirit are, “is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” God doesn’t give us just one part when we accept Jesus he gives us the whole Fruit all nine parts! I hope you are using them all!
“This is my prayer for you…your life will be full of the many good works that are produced by Jesus Christ to bring glory and praise to God.” Philippians 1:9a & 11
Prayer: God, thank you for your Fruit. Help me use all of its parts to honor You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.