Fruit for Thought

Funny story.

One time my sister and I were casually discussing the fall of man, and got to the point of the forbidden fruit. When my sister said it made her not want to eat apples, I said it probably wasn’t an apple (although it is often depicted in cartoons and pictures as one)

I further offered that perhaps it was a peach or a nectarine.

Favoring these over the apple, she responded in horror.

Honestly, I don’t know what KIND of fruit it was, and I should guess it doesn’t much matter, because if it was important, God would have told us.

And I feel confident saying that we shouldn’t worry about the type of fruit we’re eating. Not that anybody does, but hey, you never know what people are doing out there…

Acts 10:15 says, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.”. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

The point isn’t about forbidden fruit or good fruit– there is no forbidden fruit anymore. All fruit is just your regular old fruit.

What I’m getting at is, our reasons to eat matters most. Adam and Eve didn’t have good reasons to eat the forbidden fruit, and in turn, they died. Sound harsh?

Not so much. Rewind the story a little bit and hear how God told them they could eat of ANY tree in the garden, EXCEPT one. That’s a lot of freedom.

I, along with many others, have struggled with an addiction to food. Sometimes it’s stronger than others. One minute I’m justifying it, and the next I’m regretting it yet again. I want to eat for the glory of God. Hence, I look before I leap (or try to, I’m not perfect). Doing it to be skinny isn’t a good enough reason for me– I need a greater purpose to drop my shackels. I need to do it for God. Not myself, not man. Because I can never throw my hands up and say ‘not worth it!’ if it’s for Him. Because He’s everything to me.

Matthew 4:2-4, “And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.'”

I love the details of the nectarine– from the specks, to the sunset shades washing over it. The patterns it has are unique to any other nectarine, and God designed it personally. Doesn’t it look like a work of art?

Abigail