There is the story of the apple, in the Garden of Eden, that was not really an apple.

Curious George is the story of a curious monkey ...curious of yellow hats, and an appetite for bananas.

You may have cheered your team on in the Orange Bowl.

I always liked Strawberry Shortcake, blackberries on cereal, blueberries on ice cream, and spitting seeds from watermelon with juice dripping down the chin on a hot summer day.

I like the story of the coconut ...and how it floats across an ocean to wash ashore and sprout upon the beaches.

Actually, I'm not going to tell the story ...for two reasons. The story has already been told, is one reason, but that's not the real reason because most of you know I repeat myself. The real reason is because it's not my story.

But, I will tell you about the story ...it is called the Pineapple Story.

The story is told by Otto Koning, and presented by the Institute in Basic Life Principles.

Most people have told the story of the Prodigal Son, focusing on the son who left home to squander his money ...and little attention to the brother who thought it unfair how intensely their father welcomed the wayward son back home.

This story is quite different ...in that, where the Prodigal Son left his father to see what the world had to offer, the missionary felt led by his Heavenly father to go out to see what he could offer the world.  The problem was ...the missionary didn't realize what else he was offering.

The Pineapple Story shows how a disgruntled missionary seems unable to cope with the fact that the natives want to continually raid his pineapples.  But, often we can learn one lesson when two can be learned.  And this is the case in the Pineapple Story. It was not just the missionary who learned something ...it was primarily the natives who needed to change, but as is the case often, they needed to be shown the contrast first.

At the onset, each was so busy looking at the faults of the other that there was no room for personal growth. 

As Jim Elliot said, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."  Jim was later martyred in Ecuador.  And Jim knew that the natives could gain a friend in Jesus, whom they would never lose.

Later, with the help of his wife, Elisabeth, who returned shortly after her husband's death ...there was much eventual winning.

So, we can choose our fruits ...as we can also choose our passions, or anything else.

But, it is best to choose the fruits of the Spirit:

• Love
• Joy
• Peace
• Forbearance
• Kindness
• Goodness
• Faithfulness
• Gentleness
• Self-control

The works of the flesh are:  

• Adultery
• Fornication
• Uncleanness
• Lewdness
• Idolatry
• Sorcery
• Hatred
• Contentions
• Jealousies
• Outbursts of wrath
• Selfish ambitions
• Dissensions
• Heresies
• Envy
• Murders
• Drunkenness
• Revelries
• ...and the like 

What appears to be the soup-of-the-day for us??

And do we only look at it as a side order??