Sharing the Fruit and The Fullness of Joy

At the top of my list of most beautiful gifts are my dreams. They are lovely most of the time. Though they seem a bit bizarre and jumbled at times, there always seems to be a meaning or message that speaks straight to my heart. The dreams come as echoes of something God wants to reveal to me at times; or confirmation of something I've questioned. If there is a pattern or a theme taking place over the last couple of weeks, this also tells me the dream is of the Holy Spirit.

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 36:26).

Jesus said, "Make a tree good and its fruit will be good" (Matthew 12:33).

Likewise, when God gives us a new heart, our spiritual fruit will be good.

We can become like God by having His Spirit dwelling in us. As we grow spiritually, we should see more and more evidence of that miracle—more and more "fruit of the Spirit." And with more and more fruit, there is more and more to give to others [abundance]!

In this dream, there were several women; close to twenty of us. We all were gathered at a beach house which we rented for the week. I was going to the store for something, and had my purse and car keys in my hand. Before I left, I opened the refrigerator to take a quick inventory of what we needed. On the top shelf was a large wooden bowl, filled with heart-shaped apples. The bowl was very unique, as it was tiered with ledges. Each heart-shaped apple was placed specifically to display their beauty. The color was a very vibrant red, and they were perfectly shaped.


The bowl of apples was so beautiful, I had to taste one. Sounds a bit like Eve, doesn't it! However, when I bit into this perfect heart-shaped apple, it did not taste like an apple. The texture was even different. This is how vivid this dream was! The texture was fleshy, like a strawberry, with the firmness of the meat of an apple. And it tasted like I had bitten into a strawberry! I can still feel and taste that apple. It surprised me and made me smile. I HAD to share this sweetness with everyone! There was a powerful feeling of joy throughout this dream.

Suddenly, the setting changed...We all were gathered on the beach, singing of our joy to the Lord! It reminded me of the Newboys video, "He Reigns".

When Christ returns, may you not be counted as an "unprofitable [unfruitful] servant" (Matthew 25:30). Instead, may you hear the joyful words, "Well done, good and faithful servant" (verse 23).

In John 15, Jesus is talking heart to heart with His disciples—and heart to heart with us.

He tells us: "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5).

When the life-giving Spirit flows from Christ into us and through us, it produces much good fruit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

When God's Spirit is at work in a person, amazing things happen. The person's whole life blossoms and bears beautiful fruit. And the most wonderful fruit of all is the giving and receiving of true love. Creating a life of love requires that we allow love to pour into our own heart. Believing God's love for us creates the desire to share His love, and the fullness of joy that comes from His love.

When we have an abundance of fruit, fullness of joy, we experience the joy of giving it away to others!




Newsboys - He Reigns
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Friends, may our Lord Jesus Christ, the son of God, fill your heart with His love through the power of the Holy Spirit, the giver of life.