Fruit of the Spirit

Fruit of the Spirit

Mooster: Hi everyone! Today is a great day to be alive. Every day that God gives you breath, you should be thankful for it!

Moe: Howdy howdy howdy! Lovely day we are having today! Hello Mooster! What’s up?

Mooster: We are going to talk about fruits today, Moe.

Moe: oooh goody! I love oranges and bananas and pears and bananas and watermelons and bananas and peaches and bananas and apricots and  bananas…

Mooster: Um, not that kind of fruit.

Moe: Um….ohhhhkay. I know there’s some people in my neighborhood that seem a little off-balance, but I don’t usually refer to them as fruits…

Mooster: Not that kind either.

Moe: Hmmm….Oh I know! You are talking about the fruits of our labor, right? So if we work hard we’ll have good things to show for it.

Mooster: Hey that’s a very good guess, Moe. Not what we are talking about today, but you are right – if you work hard you will earn fruits, or good things, from your labors.

Moe: So I give up. What fruits are you talking about today?

Mooster: The fruit of the spirit.

Moe: Uh…you know, I’m really kinda creeped out by ghosts and spirits and that stuff. Do we have to talk about that today?

Mooster: Moe, I’m not talking about the creepy kinds of ghosts or spirits that you see people promoting for Halloween. I’m talking about fruit of the Holy Spirit! Fruit that shows you belong to Jesus Christ.

Moe: Ohhhhh that fruit! Why didn’t you just say so. I got it now.

So…..um…….what exactly is the fruit of the spirit?

Mooster: We have to read about it in the Bible. Let’s start in Galatians chapter 5, verses 22-23:  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance. Ephesians 5:9 says that the fruit of the spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth.

Moe: Oh that fruit! I do all that already.

Mooster: Reallllly?

Moe: Yep, sure do!

Mooster: Let’s start with love. Do you love all those around you? What about your super crabby neighbor, Mr. Yelzalot. I thought you didn’t like him.

Moe: Oh, well that doesn’t count. I love my friends and my family!

Mooster: When Jesus was telling the story of the Good Samaritan, He proved that everyone is our neighbor and that good Samaritan showed Godly love by caring for the injured man.

Moe: Oh, yeah. So I guess I could show Mr. Yelzalot love by taking him some cookies or raking his yard for him, huh? Okay well move on to the next one. I’m telling you, I got these! Like the next one – JOY! I’m a joyous kinda monkey, Mooster! You know me – I’m always happy!

Mooster: Well, happiness and joy aren’t always the same thing. Joy is something you have forever in heart no matter what your outside circumstances.

Moe: Yeah, and?

Mooster: Well you didn’t seem to joyful when you failed that spelling test last week. I think you blamed the teacher.  

Moe:  Oh yeah….That was wrong of me. It wasn’t my teacher’s fault. It was mine because I didn’t study. And I was pretty upset. I see what you are saying….I didn’t let the joy of the Lord shine through me that day, did I?

Mooster: Nope. And joy is something that we can have even in sorrow. It’s what people feel even when a loved one dies. For instance, when your friend Chuckie’s grandma died, he was sad because he would miss her, but he had joy in his heart because she knew Jesus and he knew that he would see her again in heaven.

Moe: The next one is peace. I do have peace! I have peace in my heart no matter what is happening around me because I know Jesus is in control. And, I know that in the end, all things will work as He has them planned. ANND – I read the book of Revelation in the Bible and Jesus will be the victor and we will live with Him forever in heaven if we know Him as Saviour!

Mooster: Right, Moe! That’s exactly right. We can be at peace even when things are bad. What about longsuffering?

Moe:  Oh I got that. I’m the most longsufferingist person I know! Yep. That’s me. Longsufferer. Yep. Totally. Um..Mooster?

Mooster: Yes Moe?

Moe:  What does longsuffering mean? It sounds painful…

Mooster:  Well, sometimes it could be, like if you had a disease you had to learn to live with. But, mostly it means something like patience. It means you are willing to wait for God to supply something, or you are willing to wait for healing, or an answer to prayer.

Moe: Oh. Maybe I don’t got that. I’m kind of an impatient type of monkey. Let’s move on to the next one. Hurry up.

Mooster: Gentleness.

Moe: Oh that’s me! That’s me! Did you see how I gently got Mrs. Meecham’s cat out of her oak tree last week? I didn’t even drop it!

Mooster:  Yes, you did great with that! But, do you remember how you told Mr. Oglesby that his socks didn’t match?

Moe: Oh yeah…I, uh, guess I wasn’t too kind about that, huh? But Mooster, come on, I mean..seriously? Yellow on one foot and bright purple on the other? He looked silly!

Mooster:  Moe, he’s 98 years old and he doesn’t care and he can’t see that well. He has lots of interesting stories that he tells people and he’s always bringing little treats to the kids at church. Do you think any of those little children care if his socks match?

Moe: No because they don’t have any clothing savvy yet.

Mooster:  No, Moe, it’s because it doesn’t matter. You know that. What’s important is that they all want to spend time with each other, not what they are wearing.

Moe: Yeah, yeah, I gotta work on that. I’m clothing challenged…I always gotta match. Next one please!

Mooster:  Goodness.

Moe: But Mooster, none of us are good. The Bible even says that. The Bible says all of us are sinners.

Mooster:  That’s true – but, we can still do good works. Once we are saved, Jesus helps us do good things – like when you got the cat out of the tree or when you helped that lost girl at the mall find her mom.

Moe:  Oh yeah. Thanks, Mooster. That’s true. What’s next?

Mooster:  Faith.

Moe: I got that I got that I got that! I asked Jesus to be my Saviour. I’m good with faith.

Mooster: But faith is also believing that He has things under control. Like when your dad had to change jobs and you had to move. You had to have faith that God knew what He was doing.

Moe: Oh. Yeah, that kind of faith is hard sometimes. But I keep working on it. God is always faithful, even when our faith is not strong.

Mooster: That’s right! Only two left: Meekness and Temperance.

Moe: Oh, I’m the most meek monkey in the whole neighborhood! I’m so meek, I should give classes on meekness. I have meekness down to a science. Other people come up to me all the time and say, “How can I be meek like you?” It’s embarrassing really, but I’m okay with it.

Mooster:  Moe…Meekness means the opposite of being filled with pride. It means you are not trying to say how good or wonderful you are. You are someone who is willing to step aside and let others have the praise.

Moe:  Oh. BUSTED….Phooey.

Mooster:  And lastly, temperance.

Moe: Oh! Let me tell the kids what temperance means, please, please, please!! I so have this one! I can do it, let me do it, you got to do all the other ones, this one is mine, let me tell them, please please please please!!!!

Mooster: Go ahead, Moe. Tell everyone.

Moe:  Temperance means self-control.

Mooster:  I’m shocked you know that! Hahahahaah

Moe:   Very funny. I may not be able to demonstrate it very well, but I know what it is.

Mooster: Well, there you have it kids – the fruit of the spirit. Why not try to look for these fruits this week in yourself and in others. If we are Christians, we need to try and practice them everyday.

Moe:  Sounds like a good idea, Mooster.

BOTH: Bye everyone!!