Do you ever notice that even though you’ve done something that you would logically consider good or great somehow the results never end up that way?  Or, if you’ve done a good thing it takes forever to see a positive result from it?  Some people would just shrug their shoulders and say “That’s life!”  But is it?
If you’re a Christian, aren’t you supposed to be under God’s blessing?  Doesn’t that mean that everything you do that is good has His blessing?

Having a child is a good thing.  Always.  But having a child out of wedlock?  Well, even though a child is ALWAYS good, the timing in which that child comes to this world matters.  Bad timing can take something good and strip out the blessing that is associated with it.

Sex between a husband and wife is a good thing… well, maybe I’m understating that… it’s an OUTSTANDING thing!  But…  sex between two people who have no life commitment to each other… it becomes a tool to destroy lives.

Investing your money is a good thing.  You research the stock – verify the prospectus of the company offering it.  You compare it to similar stocks.  Or, you check out the land – test the soil.  Compare the asking price with land values around that plot.  You do your due diligence.  And, when the timing is right, you buy that stock.  You close on that plot of land.  You celebrate the purchase.  Why?

Because you bought it at the right time.

God’s timing is important.  Many times we try to rush Him.  We don’t see the big picture as He does.  So we go off on our own and git ‘er done.  And then we complain and wail and blame God when the results aren’t as expected.

Is it any wonder that Patience is one of the Fruits of the Spirit?

I mean, think about it.  The Word calls Patience a FRUIT.  Fruit is what you get when you wait for the tree to come to its full potential.  That takes time.  Fruit is ready to pluck when it is at its perfect time… It’s ripe, sweet, juicy, and full of nutrients.  As you bite into it, your mouth explodes in a burst of flavor overload.  That fruit brings joy to your mouth.  There is so much juice that it runs out on your chin – almost too much for you to handle.  You can’t help but be happy, inside and out. As you savor the flavors and lick your lips, the taste brings a smile to your face.  Life is good.

But… what happens if you pluck that fruit before its time?  You will get less.  Much of the sweetness will be missing.  It may actually be sour.  The juiciness?  Well, it’s the last few days when that tree packs in all that succulent juice.  In fact, it’s not juicy at all, but kind of woody and dull.  There is no enjoyment.  Your mouth rejects the flavors when you bite into it.  You spit it out.  Disappointment sets in.  This fruit does not generate happiness.

All is not lost!  There are ways to prepare that unripened fruit to bring out the potential inside.  Some recipes call for fruit that is plucked before it is ripe.  The recipes were written to rescue fruit harvested before its time.

Because God gave man a free will, He knew that there would be fruit harvested before it had reached it’s full potential.  So He sent his Son.  He stands as the Recipe that brings out the full potential in each of us – for ALL of us have plucked some type of unripened fruit in our lives some time or another.  His suffering, death, and resurrection are the only ingredients needed to bring out the potential in us.  Because of those ingredients, we can come under the covering of His blood that was shed for us, and begin to ripen our fruit.  He can bring the sweetness back!  He will pack in the juiciness until we are overflowing!  His words will nourish our souls and bring a smile of joy to our faces!

The wonderful thing about God’s Recipe?  Our earthly recipes only take the unripened fruit and make it palatable.  God’s Recipe for our lives not only makes our fruit palatable, but restores it to its full potential as if it had never been plucked!  We become new fruit, ripe, sweet, juicy, and full of God’s nutrients!  And, as you savor the flavors and lick your lips, the taste brings a smile to your face.

Life is good.