Love

Galatians 5:22,23

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."

As the Spirit guides and directs the life of a believer who is sensitive to His prodding, certain characteristics in the believer's life will become evident. During these next few blog posts, I will seek to describe each fruit of the Spirit so that we may be able to better apply them to our lives. Today I begin with Love..

It is no coincidence that the apostle Paul listed love first. This word is derived from the Greek word agape, which means a willing and deliberate love. It is not hyped feelings or warm-fuzzies, but a sacrificial giving to others as you place their interests and needs above your own. This is seen by Christ praying for his enemies, ministering among the poor and low in status, giving all He had to those in need, healing the sick, and even asking God to forgive those who put Him to death. It is also seen by great men of the faith who gave their lives and material goods to those around them, friend or foe, traveled to hostile lands and foreign cultures, suffered persecution for their faith, and ministered among all in their reach by God's calling. This is the ultimate fruit because he who has sacrificial love for those around him will not act sinfully and selfishly but will be patient, kind, forgiving, and so forth. All other fruits of the Spirit are built on love, for without love it is impossible to please God, serve Him, and serve those whom He has placed around us. Let us therefore work diligently to follow Christ's example of love and make it a vital part of our lives as we seek to be a testimony for Christ to those He has placed in our sphere of influence.

1 John 4:21

"And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also."

Luke 10: 27

"So He answered and said, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'"