FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT SERIES: LOVE

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. I am planning to spend the next few days writing about the fruit of the Spirit. There is so much here that I could spend months talking about each part of the fruit but I will try to apply the "self-control" that God gives us and keep it somewhat brief.   We learn from scripture that these are not individual "fruits" from which we pick and choose. Rather, the fruit of the Spirit is one ninefold "fruit" that characterizes all who truly walk in the Holy Spirit. When you think about fruit there are different components that make the "whole" of the fruit. For instance, on an apple you have the peal, the meat, the core, the seed, etc. This is the way it is with the spiritual fruit that we are to bear for God. If we are to produce healthy fruit that shows all of the character of God, we have to develop each component. Too many times we want to focus on the things that we seem to have natural strength in. The truth is we should try to develop all these attributes equally so that we represent the nature of Christ fully in us. The first part of the Spirit's fruit is love. This makes sense because in 1 Corinthians 13, the scripture tells us that if we have all manner of good things and don't have love we really have nothing. So, it is logical that the first attribute on the component list of God's fruit is love. Now this is not brotherly love or sexual carnal love, this is "agape" or God's love. God's love is unconditional and stems from the love we have received from God. One of the characteristics of God's love is that it is unconditional. We, on our own, try to love, we come up very short. Our love is no match for the shortfalls of humanity. Sinners will sin-right in front of us. Fleshly love, even brotherly love is not enough to withstand the onslaught of sin. We will break down and toss aside those we are trying to love if we try to do it on our own.  The word of God tells us that God's love keeps on loving, even when we fail and fall. If we take that love we have been given from God, and then let it flow through us, we can keep on loving people even when they fail. The love of God is given with no expectation. It is there as an agent of change. It is also an attractive and irresistible love. If we love people with that love they will have to trample on the power of God and His drawing them.  One thing that is important to consider with fruit is that the life developing nutrition flows from the plant itself into the fruit through the stem. The fruit has to be connected to the plant in order to receive all that it needs. Sounds a little like John Chapter 15. Love - "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him" (1 John 4:16). Through Jesus Christ, our greatest goal is to do all things in love. "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" (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).