“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
REFERENCE:
Still, on the Holy Spirit, we will spend the coming days getting acquainted with the fruit of the Holy Spirit – the virtues the presence of the Holy Spirit in us will produce. The objective is that our lives will manifest every one of them. We will begin today with love. ‘Love’ means different things to different people. However, the love described in our text is ‘Agape’ in Greek. It is often termed the God-kind of love or unconditional and unfailing love.
Agape is love by decision, a matter of the heart more than the head or mind. It loves the undeserving; it is deliberate and not (always) emotional – it is beyond natural affection or loyalty to blood or family. It is sacrificial love, as demonstrated by the cross of Jesus Christ. It puts others and their needs above self. It seeks ways to make life better for another.
I Corinthians 13:4-8 describes the characteristics of agape; therefore, you can tell if your life is producing the fruit of this love. In John 13:34-35, Jesus set a standard of measuring if you have agape; He said, love one another just as I loved you. Jesus loved the unlovable; He forgave us when we offended Him and taught us to bless those who curse us and pray for them.
You may ask, “How would I demonstrate agape?” Daily ask yourself, “What impact can I make in someone’s life? How can I add value to those I am connected to? Who can I make life a little better for or inconvenience myself for? How can I let someone experience Jesus through me? Who will thank God today because I reached out to them?” God’s love is not always convenient. To love like Him, we must inconvenience ourselves and be deliberate about it.
If loving is not stretching and inconveniencing you, then you have not begun manifesting the selfless love of God. The God-kind of love will cost you something. It will inconvenience, offend, stretch, challenge your flesh, and may bruise your ego. If you think you are not there yet, do not despair. The presence of the Holy Spirit in you proves that love is resident in you presently. You only need to cultivate it by yielding consciously to the Spirit’s promptings.
PHOTO QUOTE
ADDITIONAL TEXTS:
Philippians 2:3-4, Romans 13:10, & I John 3:16-19
PRAYER:
+ Holy Spirit, please teach me to turn on the tap-flow of love and empower me to be a blessing.
+ Help me to forget about myself long enough to give a helping hand to someone in need.
+ Help me love like Jesus – in truth, humility, simplicity, and self-sacrifice.
