Fruit Salad

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Galatians 5:16-26

TO CHEW ON: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." Galatians 5:22,23a



What do you like about fruit - its sweetness? Its juiciness? The way it feels in your mouth? What is your favorite kind of fruit?

If you live in a place where fruit grows, you know only certain plants produce fruit. You don’t expect to pick apples from an oak tree or find blackberries on a cedar bush. Even fruit trees can only produce one kind of fruit. Plum trees will not grow peaches, neither will cherry trees grow pineapples.

We can think of people as plants. Their fruit is the things they do. But unlike plants, people’s lives can grow many kinds of fruit - a real fruit salad.

In the letter he wrote to the church in Galatia, Paul talks about the kinds of fruit a person who has given their life to Jesus should grow. It's Holy Spirit fruit. When we give Jesus our lives and let the Holy Spirit change us to be like Him, our lives will grow this kind of fruit too.

Today’s verse lists nine Spirit fruits. There’s a piece taken out of each those fruits, below. Complete each by filling in the missing piece from the fruit salad bowl.

1. g __ __ __ leness       5. l __ __ e

2. __ __ __ ience          6. __ __ __ dness

3. g __ __ __ ness         7. f__ __ __ hfulness

4. self-c__ __ __ rol      8. __ __ y

9. __ __ __ ce

PRAYER: Dear Holy Spirit, help me to let You grow Your good fruit from my life. Amen.

MORE: A Helping of Fruit Please
Which Spirit fruit do you think you would need in the following situations (you may need more than one)?

1. Your deaf grandmother comes for a visit.

2. You have to get up at 6:30 every morning to deliver papers.

3. You have to cancel your vacation trip because your dad has to work.

4. Your little sister keeps getting into your stuff.

5. Your best friend needs help with homework

ANSWERS

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.