Meet my grandmother, Alice Leslie. Is she the cutest thing or what? And see that peach tree loaded with peaches? It’s right outside her house and, honey, she’s working overtime these days to protect every single one of those peaches.
See those pie pans dangling from the branches? Grandmother hung them there to keep the birds away. And the wind chimes? She hung those to scare off the deer and raccoons.
And did you notice the boards propping up the heavy branches? Yep, Grandmother’s handiwork again. She put them there so the branches wouldn’t break.
Each and every day, my 94-year-old grandmother is fighting a war to protect her peaches until they are ripe and ready to put in a cobbler.
I spent all last week with Grandmother (and my mother and daddy, too – she lives in a house right behind theirs), and we had a glorious time. And the minute I saw her peach tree, these words flashed across my mind:
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing . . . My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” John 15:4-8 (NASB)
Now, at this point, I could give you an in-depth scriptural analysis of John 15:4-8 . . . but I’m not. Because this picture pretty much says it all. And what it’s saying is this: Jesus wants you and me to look like Grandmother’s peach tree – full and loaded down with beautiful fruit. Fruit like this:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23 (NASB)
But just like my grandmother is protecting her peaches, you and I must protect the fruit of the Spirit in our lives:
“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith.” 1 Peter 5:8-9 (NASB)
Pie pans, wind chimes, and some old boards are the weapons Grandmother’s using to protect her peaches. But these are ours:
- The belt of truth (Eph. 6:14)
- The breastplate of righteousness (Eph. 6:14)
- The Gospel shoes of peace (Eph. 6: 15)
- The shield of faith (Eph. 6:16)
- The helmet of salvation (Eph. 6:17)
- The sword of the Spirit – the Word of God (Eph. 6:17)
- And Spirit-filled prayer (Eph. 6:18)
It’s Monday, precious sister, the beginning of a new week of bearing fruit for Christ and battling the enemy. It won’t be easy, and you will get discouraged. But when you do, I want you to remember this:
There’s a 94-year-old woman in North Texas who gets up every morning to fight for her peaches. And trust me, she will win. And YOU. Can. TOO!
Let’s fight the good fight this week!
Your sister-warrior and Alice Leslie’s proud granddaughter,
