Fruit of the Spirit - Love

Galatians 5:22-25 (New International Version) 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Over the next several days, we are going to explore the Fruit of the Spirit....notice that the word fruit is singular....it is not fruits of the Spirit. When we walk in the Spirit, we walk with ALL of these qualities. We don't get to pick and choose which ones we want to portray...if we truly accept the Holy Spirit into our lives and into our heart, these are the qualities we begin to portray in everything we do, a singular fruit of the Spirit.

Love is the first fruit. I believe there is a reason it is first, because God is love. He created us for love. From love all others flow. To understand the fruit of Love we have to start with how much God loves us.

1 John 4:10 (New International Version)
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for[a] our sins.

1 John 4:14 (New International Version)
And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

Romans 5:6-8 (New International Version)
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Consider this, in the beginning God was sitting there...He didn't need man, God is all powerful He didn't need anything. However, even though he knew what a royal pain we would be and that we would turn on Him and not always love Him as our Father, He created man....Why?

Because he wanted someone to pour out His love onto. And then even after everything we as men had done to Him, the number of times we turned from Him, after He rescued us repeatedly and never learned, He still wanted to save us and sent His only Son to die for us! How many of us would sacrifice our child for anything or anyone. But God loved us that much, so much that He wanted to save us from ourselves...."For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life."!!

Well, hence comes this fruit of the Spirit....Love. When we accept God into our lives and understand the kind of love He has for us. The ultimate gift He gave us, it will change the way we see love. When I think of everything God has done for me, the love that pours out of my heart is immeasurable. My heart overflows with love for God, which in turn is love for everything He created....all his people. It leads us to walk with Love everyday and with that love, we serve others, want to help others....through God's love we pour ourselves out on other people and give away that love. By pouring out this love, God intended for us to change the world around us for the better.

We have all heard the following verse...one of the most common at weddings....
1 Corinthians 13:4-13 (New International Version)
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Today, consider it a little bit differently....consider that if we accept God's love for us and through His love He calls us to love Him and everyone else with the same love He has for us. If that is the case, then in the verse above, put your own name in everywhere it says or refers to love....(Michelle is patient, Michelle is kind. Michelle does not envy, Michelle does not boast, Michelle is not proud....).

Consider this is the way God intends for us to love everyday. Wow, what a test!! Do you love like that every day? Probably not, but if we call on the Holy Spirit who lives inside of us, we can aspire to love like that everyday. If we let the Holy Spirit work in us, God will fill us with His love.

Finally, consider this...

1 John 4:7-8 (New International Version)
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. Filled with the Holy Spirit, we become imitators of God. We pour out the same love he has poured out on us.

Ephesians 5:1-3 (New International Version)
Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Let us today pour out the love we have received from God into everything we do and everything we touch. Through the power of the Holy Spirit may your fruit to grow stronger everyday.

Prayer: Lord God, thank You for Your never ceasing love toward me, even when I do not deserve it. You have continued to be by my side, even when I have not been very loving toward You or my fellow man. I ask that You fill me with the Holy Spirit and grant me the fruit of love so that I may become an imitator of your love, serving others. Allow me to show all the characteristics of Your love so that I might be a true light of God in this world. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.