Cultivating a Healthy Heart - Inspect Your Fruit | August 11, 2024

When our missions team was in Czechia this summer to assist our missionary Christina Mayer, I was impressed with how the Czech people grow fruit and vegetables everywhere. Many of the trees throughout their cities bear fresh edible fruit, which are available for any passersby to eat. Czechia is flourishing in so many ways - economically, biologically, and even growing spiritually. One of the highlights of the trip for Michael Duguay, my son Josiah and myself, was to get to know a Czech family who were so hospitable. This family took the whole team to their house in the country where they grow all sorts of fruits and vegetables and raise chickens. I picked a fresh peach off one of their trees and it was the tastiest and juiciest peach I have ever had in my life. When I turned over the peach, I noticed a few bad spots on the fruit. This was a reminder that from first appearances and even tastes, fruit can look wonderful to eat. However, we need to inspect the fruit before consuming. This is also true in the spiritual realm. Our hearts are bearing fruit. Pastor Jason will remind us from Galatians 5:16-25 and Matthew 15:19-21, to inspect the fruit of our hearts so that they glorify God.