We love fresh fruit...we love dessert....really, it was only a matter of time. By combining the best of both worlds we proudly bring to you....."Fresh Fruit Cake"!!!!
We made this for my husband and father-in-law's birthday party but it was simple enough to do for any occasion even on a school night!
"Fresh Fruit Cake"
Ingredients:
Watermelon
Cantelope
Strawberries
Grapes
Kiwi
Blueberries
Candles and toothpicks
Directions:
Carve watermelon into the shape of a round cake; carve cantelope into the shape of a smaller round cake; insert tooth picks into bottom of cantelope round and center on top of watermelon round. Decorate with remaining fruit using toothpicks. Slice and serve!
Helpful tip: use as few toothpicks as possible and only insert to hallway mark for easier removal upon serving.
Devotional
There are an abundance of verses that reference fruit so feel free implement your own lesson but here are a few verses that go really well with the "Fresh Fruit Cake" recipe.
Memory Verse
"The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who wins souls is wise."
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law." - Galatians 5:22-23
Fruit was a very popular food in biblical times just like it is today. Many times, Jesus used common items and foods in order to teach a new concept in a way that the people in that time could easily understand. In Matthew7:16-20, Jesus uses fruit as an example of how the father wants to "grow" his children and how He inspects or judges his crop.
"You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them." - Matthew 7:16-20
Questions:
1.)What is your favorite fruit and why?
2.) If you picked that fruit from it's plant/vine and all of its fruit tasted bad.....what would you think about that plant it came from?
answer-It is not a healthy plant.
3.) How do you know if a plant is good and healthy?
answer-By tasting its fruit; good fruit comes from good, healthy plants and bad fruit comes from bad, unhealthy plants.
4.)What does it mean for a person to "bear fruit"?
answer-Your actions, thoughts, words and attitude that you give off is your fruit. In other words, your fruit is your character!
5.) Name some characteristics that could be considered "good" fruit.
Name some characteristics that could be considered "bad" fruit.
6.)What kind of "fruits" do you want to be known for?
examples: kindness, generosity, loyalty, honesty, wisdom, love, etc.
7.)How can we produce good fruit?
The answer to that can be found in John 15:1-8 where Jesus says...
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, 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, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. - John 15:1-8
Questions:
1.) What does "abide" mean?
answer- To remain in, to dwell, live or "hang out" in and around!
2.) What happens to a branch that stays close to and "abides" in the vine?
answer-It is nourished by the vine and grows bigger, stronger and better because the vine is its source for nutrients.
3.) Can the branch get its nutrients from anywhere else?
answer - no
4.) What happens to a branch that breaks away from the vine?
answer-it shrivels up an dies.
5.) Why?
answer- because it now has now source for food and nutrients.
6.) So how can we abide in the Father?
answer-spend time with Him by reading the bible, praying to Him, worshipping Him at church and talking as a family about Him.
We are A LOT like fruit! We need to be nourished and fed in order to grow! Not just our bodies, but our spirits too! And God is the only source that can feed our hearts with what we need. If we stay connected to Him, He will grow us, guide us and help us bear "good" fruit...for our sake and for His glory!!! What an amazing promise! And all we have to do is stick close by His side and we will get everything we need!
Pray with your family about what you have learned and how God can help you stay close and "abide" in Him.
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