By their fruit you shall know; part 1

I went aboard a bus going to a particular city. It was an eighteen seater bus filled with all sort of passengers majorly traders and market women. I had just taken a five-day casual leave from work and decided to go for a short vacation.
First thing we did at the park was to pay our fares at the cash point and get our tickets. We were not usually given sit numbers so normally,  the earliest passengers would have to go in and sit down to secure their sits.

The passengers that arrived later would have to make do with the less comfortable sits left, or sit on the attatchment sits which usually do not have a back rest.
Also, passengers sitting on the last two rows ( back sits)  would normally go in first so that they wouldn't have to disturb those on the attachment sits to lift their chairs or get down for them to move into their back sits.
I had already secured my sit somewhere at the middle row and was relaxing over a can of coke with some snacks, waiting for all passengers to take their sits so that the journey can begin.
There was so much noise and chaos around me. I turned round to notice a neatly dressed elderly man standing at the entrance of the bus, arguing and scolding the other passengers.
They were pleading with him to get into his back sit ( since he wasn't doing anything standing outside) so that the passengers on the attachment sits can equally take their sits and relax without further disturbance. He adamantly refused, pouring abuses and curses on them and telling them to mind their businesses.

When the women (some with babies and heavy bags) got tired of standing waiting for him to get in, they got in, sat down and made themselves as comfortable as possible.
Almost immediately,  the driver came in and fired the engine, ready to move.

The elderly man jumped in and started telling those women to get down so he could get in. One of the women,  who was already breast feeding was angry and refused to respond. The man started tongue-lashing again, threatening to deal with somebody.  He spoke in a very arrogant manner telling all that he was a man of high calibre and wasn't sopposed to be in that public transport with us.
He was creating a scene so that the other passengers had to intervene.  Some  had to apologise to him to forgive the women for peace to reign. They equally pleaded with the women to get down for the man to enter so that the bus can move.
Finally,  the women gave the elderly man the chance to get in to his sit and the vehicle took off. For about five minutes there was calm and peace which was well appreciated by all.

Suddenly,  we heared a voice "praise the Living God!  Brethren let us commit this journey into God's hand after which we'll hear the word of God"
There was silence.

All eyes turned, including mine, then silence again.
Note that sharing the gospel in public transport is a normal exercise in this society, so  that's definitely not why we turned.

I turned because the voice was just too familiar,  it was the voice of the same man who had been causing chaos for the past thirty minutes about to share the word of God.
Some spiritualy minded people responded to him, others didn't.  Of course I was going to join in the prayer later but for a while I just sat there staring at him in bewilderment. I wondered if fire and water can emanate from the same source.
For a moment I was ashamed of being called a Christian and I just couldn't help imagining what the other passengers were equally conceiving in their minds too.
Don't get me wrong here, its not like I haven't quarrelled before, but not like this!  Why must we mock God?

An apple tree cannot produce strawberry fruit and  vice versa. A tree is recognised by its fruit. ( mathew 12:33 ).  In other words, a believer is also identified by the fruit of the holy spirit he bears. Jesus was so perfect that he exhibited all the nine fruit of the spirit (Galasian 5:13-26)  in his every day life.

As humans it can be sometimes difficult for us maintaining that standard because the world is full of evil and evil people.  Sometimes we get overstretched and we lose it. Yeah! People and life generally can be frustrating.
There's almost always someone who hates you somehow and shows it, and you may be tempted to hate in return. There are things and incidents around us, in the family, in the office or in our places of business that can always drain joy and peace from our hearts and minds at the end of a day.
People can be so annoying and so each day I ask God for the gift of long suffering and patience to  be able to tolerate others. I'm not perfect myself because I have my own flaws too.
people are discouraged from being good and kind because of their experiences.  People will take you for granted, some will never appreciate your efforts and others will pay you back with evil.  Whenever I show kindness to someone,  I just tell myself that I'm doing it for God.

These days when you tell people "I'm born-again" they just laugh. Yeah! Because they've heared it severally before from people whose lives never reflected Jesus. People are tired of  hearing that statement,  they want to see you being practical.

How do you explain the fact that a young lady who just ministered in the choir on Sunday,  having the whole congregation falling under the anointing is seen a night or two later at some uncomely place, so indecently dressed, drunk with alchohol, consumed by lust and openly defiling her body.
Or a man who takes a sermon or bible reading on Sunday and then goes back to his office the next day to continue his illicit affair with his assistant/secretary. Or to continue with his little official misdemeanours.
I'm not judging people here, I'm just saying we shouldn't be a discouragement to others who are trying to follow God.

God is watching us

"Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature and all it's passions and desires so they can live by the spirit "( Galasian 5: 24-25 )

It's not easy but we can try, we can make daily effort as God gives us his grace.

by chioma