Discovering the Fruits of The Spirit
Love
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
Galatians 5:22-23
When we look at and consider what the Bible tells us about love, my attention is turned immediately to 1 Corinthians 13 and 1 John 4. 1 Corinthians 13 tell us what love is and how to show our love to others while John, in his letter to the Church, in 1 John 4, tells us the description of God’s attribute of love. For example, Paul tells us, “if we speak, if we prophecy, if we give all we have to help others – but have not love – we are nothing but a mess of flesh and bones and squabbling noises.” Then we are given a list of attributes that describe how our love should look to other people as we go through our daily life. John then proceeds to examine how the love of God shall direct us through our days and how, if we truly love God, that God’s love will abide in us, work in us, and radiate through us to all who we surround ourselves with.
Love is infectious, like a disease, so-to-say. When we truly find God’s love in us and discover what it means, we desire nothing more than to have more of God’s love in us. God’s love in us then naturally turns us towards others and we start loving on others as God loves on us. Like a disease God’s love starts to spread uncontrollably as it takes root in us. If God’s love does not grow and spread in us and through us to those around us, then we must ask the hard question: “Is God’s love truly planted inside of me?” Chances are, if you do not see the attributes of God’s love being displayed in and through you from 1 Corinthians 13 and 1 John 4, maybe God’s love is not fully planted in you, and has not fully taken root in your spirit yet.
How can we ensure that God’s love has taken root in us? Reading the Bible everyday is a great place to start. Confess to others that you trust and love in the Church of your need for God in your life. And simply praying and asking God to grant you more of His love for others. Love is one of the greatest gifts that you will ever receive from God Himself.
The Attributes of Love from 1 Corinthains 13: Patience; Kindness; Not Jealous; Not Bragging; Not Arrogant; Not Unbecoming; Seeks Good for Others; Not Provoked; Does Not Hold Grudges; Despises Unrighteousness; Rejoices in the Truth; Bears All Things; Believes All Things; Hopes All Things; Endures All Things; Love Never Fails.
One of my favorite aspects of the attributes of love is that they apply to everyone. No one is exempt or too good (for none are good but God) from loving others according to the love of God. Loving people God’s way is saying that you are committed to the betterment of all people. As Paul said in 1 Cor. 13, “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.”
Fruit Scale
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8 – 9 – 10
On a scale of 1 – 10 (10 being the greatest amount), how much of the fruit of LOVE do you feel and believe you currently possess?
Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you how to LOVE more today, to LOVE God and to LOVE people.
Prayer
Abba, Father God, You are our great Daddy. And it is the Daddy in the family who can most teach us about loving one another. I pray that You would teach us about the way in which You love us so that we can love other people in the same way that You love us, unconditionally. In the Name of Jesus, Yeshua HaMashiach, our Messiah. Amen!
Questions for Further Thought
Of the different attributes of love, which one would you say is your strongest?
Of the different attributes of love, which one would you say is your weakest?
The attribute of Love (1 Corinthians 13) in which you feel weakest, purpose yourself over the next week to work on strengthening this area of your love towards other people. We all have the ability to increase our love towards others, and with God, All Things Are Possible!
