ARE YOU A PLUM OR A PRUNE?

Are you a Plum or a Prune?

1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 (KJV)

9 But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.

10 And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more;

11 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;

12 That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.

The scripture was part of our Sunday School lesson. It came to me, that even in church, we have plums and prunes.

A plum being the sweet natural nature of Christian brethren. But! There are always some prunes among us. Prunes are those that can never encourage others. Instead, they look down their noses and condemn us. I've encountered both types over the years. Prunes often the cause of church splits and member loses.

As Christians, we are called to love one another, in brotherly love. Be helpers and encourages.

My question remains. Are you a plum or a Prunes?

A Prune, while still beneficial, becomes a leathery fruit. It still has some sweetness, but it's tough to partake of. It still has some meat, full of fiber and nutrients, but it's harder to digest. Prunes have to be boiled to be edible.

A plum, is a firm flesh that is full and sweet. It's easy to digest. It contains fiber and nutrients, that nurish us and refresh us.

We can be either a prune or a plum. The choice is ours!

Don't let other's behavior dictate how you are. GOD expects us to always be at our best behavior.

Now, we are a sinful people, saved by grace. Let's give other's the benefit of making mistakes and not taking it to heart. We simply be gracious to them and pray for them. GOD handles the rest!

YT071023