What we are doing in any season of life flavors our reading of the Bible, that is why you can read the same scipture many times and get a new interpretation of what it means in that moment. I love how the word of God is living! I read a Proverb a day and today I was reading Proverbs 18 when something new jumped out. We know this verse well, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” Love what? Love it. What is the it?

These are questions I ask as I read and what the Holy Spirit showed me this morning is the “it” is the fruits of life or the fruits of death. So the question is, what fruits do we love and how do we know? We have to go to Galatians 5 to know the fruits of death and life. Here is what Paul said, “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” What fruits are you enjoying, eating, loving? What do you have a taste for?

Life and death are in the power of the tongue we have been taught, is words and that is true, but it is also taste. The tongue is how we taste things and the Holy Spirit is saying, what fruit tastes do you love? The fruits of death or the fruits of life? We know what we do and what we do shows us what we love the taste of. I know this means taking personal responsibility for our choices, but that is what maturity does. If you don’t like what you love, change lovers. It’s not easy, but it is doable and all I can say from experience is, the taste of the fruits of death are temporary and has no nutritional value, but the taste of the fruits of life are everlasting and nourish the soul exponentially. It may be time to change what tastes good.