Orange blossoms and sunshine …
We drove from Naples on the west coast of Florida up the center of Florida to Kissimmee near Orlando, through the thousands of acres of solar panels, cattle grazing, orange orchards, farm worker villages, warehouses of fruits and vegetables . Tiny towns with no traffic congestion to large cities with stop and go traffic.
Finally stopping at an orchard side-road, I got out to stretch and got some close-up pictures.The fragrance of orange blossoms filled the air, nothing quite like it…
The fun thing about orange trees is that they are blooming and producing at the same time. There are blossoms and fresh fruit on the trees. So the fragrance is of the blossoms and ripe oranges.
My great grandparents planted oranges in Ontario, California, and lived among the orchards…my father recounted that during his childhood, he and his brothers would toss bad oranges at passing cars, much to the consternation of the drivers, his parents and grandparents…
Later, as a child, my family lived in central California, driving through miles of citrus orchards to get to anywhere…an orange was always a part of the Christmas stocking gifting as well as a box of oranges fresh from the nearby packing house…Meyer Lemons were/are the best for lemon meringue pies, fresh grapefruit split in half with a dusting of sugar was a treat for breakfast time….Mandarin oranges the pick for lunches in the winter… or finding the many “kisses” in the navel oranges for kisses from grandma or mom…
Fragrance….while orange orchards aren’t mentioned in the Bible (they came later)…fragrance, aroma…
The Old Testament speaks of making a pleasing aroma for the Lord…over and over…then in 2 Corinthians, Paul speaks of Christians as an aroma, fragrance…wouldn’t it be nice to be known by the fragrance we give as Christ’s…
That our fruit would be a blessing to Him and those around us…
But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.
For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.
Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.
2 Corinthians 2:14-17
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and whoever captures souls is wise.
Proverbs 11:30
From the fruit of a man's mouth his stomach is satisfied; he is satisfied by the yield of his lips.
Proverbs 18:20
20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
Matthew 7:20
5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
John 15:5,8
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
Galatians 5:22-26
Thank YOU…
Interesting articles…we saw orchard after orchard of citrus in Israel, mixed among the olive orchards..
https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/food/articles/rise-and-fall-of-israels-oranges
https://www.encyclopedia.com/plants-and-animals/plants/plants/citrus-fruits
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