Day & Night
What Fruit Do You See?
Day & Night contrasts character attributes reflected by the children of the world and the children of God.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22
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Oh, what joy nature’s lesson reveals!
The cherry tree bears cherry fruit.
The acacia tree bears thorns and no fruit.
The peach tree bears peach fruit.
The honey locust tree bears thorns and no fruit.
So, what?
So, what lesson does nature reveal?
It’s about fruit. But not fruit from trees.
The Holy Spirit gives fruit to the children of God.
The children of God live in the light of day.
The spirit of the world gives no fruit to the children of the world.
The children of the world live in the dark of night.
Oh, what joy to reveal Spirit’s fruit given to the children of God!
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LOVE
The fruit of love…
Love for God is the first love. This is followed by love for others that is selfless and sacrificial; grounded in commitment and not emotion.
No fruit…
Love of self. Self has replaced God and claims to be god.
Day and night. What fruit do you see?
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JOY
The fruit of joy…
Ability to rejoice under every circumstance because the focus is on who God is—not what’s seen.
No fruit…
Joy through the attainment of money, power, status, and pleasure.
Day and night? What fruit do you see?
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PEACE
The fruit of peace…
Inner peace despite outside turmoil because security is in God and not men.
No fruit…
Absence of cares and trials attributed to favorable circumstances and the work of men.
Day and night. What fruit do you see?
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PATIENCE
The fruit of patience…
Steadfast and persistent under trials and patient forbearance with one another in love.
No fruit…
Instant gratification.
Day and night. What fruit do you see?
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KINDNESS
The fruit of kindness…
An outward action that benefits another with no thought of personal gain and can be done in the midst of suffering.
No fruit…
Outward action to gain approval from others.
Day and night. What fruit do you see?
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GOODNESS
The fruit of goodness…
Moral integrity in character and actions. A life lived that reflects righteousness with God.
No fruit…
Do all that is necessary to achieve goals—the end justifies the means.
Day and night. What fruit do you see?
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FAITHFULLNESS
The fruit of faithfulness…
Trust and dependence based on confidence in God’s Word and His promises.
No fruit…
Trust and dependence on self and men.
Day and night. What fruit do you see?
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GENTLENESS
The fruit of gentleness…
Humble and meek in actions and words towards others even when having power over them.
No fruit…
The weak perish and the strong survive.
Day and night. What fruit do you see?
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SELF-CONTROL
The fruit of self-control…
Discipline over one’s desires and behaviors particularly in the face of temptation.
No fruit…
If it feels good, do it.
Day and night. What fruit do you see?
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Nature opened our lesson and prayer closes it.
We pray that the children of the world will see the fruit God’s children bear and be drawn to Jesus.