~ By Faresha
One morning I was getting ready to take my daughters to school. I double-checked to make sure my youngest one had packed her fruit in her lunchbox. Interestingly enough, she never forgets to pack her snack, while simultaneously always forgetting to pack her fruit! I went to the fridge, pulled out the grapes, sat them on the counter so that I could properly clean them. I sat the first cluster in water with baking soda and then decided that I might as well clean the second cluster and would have them for my own breakfast. When I pulled the cluster out, I was immediately disgusted and grossed out! The grapes were no longer pretty, purple and perfect (like the first cluster); they were white, molded and mushy. Upon further inspection, I noticed that the grapes had different levels of mold: some were completely covered, some were partially covered, and some were starting to show signs of the presence of the white, fuzzy, yucky, sickness-causing fungus. I threw the entire cluster out. Then I went to the cluster being cleaned and did a closer, more thorough inspection. They were fine. I placed them back in the water, gave them a little scrub with my fingers and continued to let them soak.
What I love about Holy Spirit is that He speaks in and through everything- including molded grapes. The revelation I’m going to share is extremely relevant for the times we’re living in. Each grape represented a Believer. The physical appearance of the grapes represented the spiritual condition of the Believers heart, as it relates to LOVE. And the mold represented everything except love - bitter, anger, unforgiveness, offense and even hate. More mold, less love. The fact that grapes grow in close proximity (clusters), is significant because it shows how a grape full of love can become easily contaminated by the grapes it's surrounded with. Matthew 24:12 tells us that in the last days, the love of many will wane cold due to the lawlessness that abounds. One rogue, lawless, loveless grape has the potential to produce an entire cluster of rogue, lawless and loveless grapes.
We are living that very Scripture. Election decisions, political identities and differences in social ideology have been like mold contaminating the hearts of Believers producing cluster upon cluster of cold-hearted “Believers.” As I’ve engaged in conversations with different people, all claiming to be Believers, the one question that resonates in my spirit is: Where is the love? Love is not just one of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), it also happens to be the first fruit listed. Election decisions, political identities and differences in social ideology have been like mold contaminating the hearts of Believers producing cluster upon cluster of cold-hearted “Believers.”
In John 13:34-35, Jesus gave us a new command - to LOVE one another as He has loved us so that everyone will know we are His disciples. Do you look like Him? Do you sound like Him? Do you love like Him? Do others (non-Believers) KNOW that you belong to Him?
This might be a good point for you to ask Holy Spirit to inspect your love fruit. And not just yours, but the love fruit of those around you. Are there any molded grapes in your circle? Bad company corrupts good character (1 Corinthians 15:33). We are living in a world that needs to see (and hear) the love of Christ in you and through you. Do not allow the issues of this world to cause your love to wax cold. Now is the time to fan into flame the fire of God so that it melts every ice chip the enemy has used this season to strategically plant in your heart.
I pray that as Holy Spirit inspects your love fruit, He is pleased with the ripeness and continual perfection of what He sees.
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