FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT - LOVE

 FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT - LOVE

 

Galatians  5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Merriam-Webster defines the word ‘fruit’ as:

1.      A product of plant growth

2.     The effect of an action or operation

Fruit is the product of growth.

When we have the Holy Ghost living inside of us and we stay FULL of the Holy Ghost, there will be a product, an evidence, of Spiritual Growth that will be produced in our lives.  The Bible calls it ‘the fruit of the Spirit’. 

Fruit are normally sweet and delicious to taste such as apples, oranges, bananas, pineapple, and so forth.  These fruit contain vitamins and nutrients that our bodies need to maintain health.

Some fruit can be a little tart or sour to taste but that does not make them unhealthy. 

Lemons, for example, are tart and make a person pucker when tasted yet people will add them to water to make lemon water or combine them with sugar to make lemonade.  

Why?  Because people know lemons are good for you and when combined with other ingredients, they can actually be pleasant to the taste buds. 

Lemons promote hydration, contain vitamin C, improves skin quality, supports weight loss, aids digestion, helps prevent kidney stones, and reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer. 

I’ll admit – there are some fruit I do not like and avoid eating such as grapefruit.  But my distaste for this particular fruit does not change the fact that it’s good for a person.

When we have the Holy Ghost living inside of us, we are going to begin to produce fruit…good things in our lives that will cause others to see the evidence that Jesus is living and working inside of us. 

The first fruit mentioned is….. LOVE

The word love is mentioned at least 310 times in the Bible (KJV).

The first thing many think about when they hear the word LOVE is the love that God has toward us….

Romans 5:8 - While we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly.

God loved us when we were filthy and defiled by sin.

1 Cor 2:9 - But as it is written, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.

Ephesians 2:4 – But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us.

There are many more Scriptures about God’s love for us. We all love to hear about God’s love…the kind that makes us feel all fluffy and warm inside... but correction and chastisement are also expressions of God’s love toward us.

Revelation 3:19 – As many as I love, I rebuke (convict, tell a fault) and chasten (punish, discipline)…

If God loves you, He will convict and discipline you.   But above even God’s love toward us, Jesus said in Matthew 22:37-

…Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
THIS is the first and great commandment.
The second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

Loving God above anyone or anything in our lives is the first thing we are commanded to do.

Jesus was quoting Deuteronomy 6:4-5 where God said….
          Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:
          And thou shalt LOVE the LORD thy God with ALL thine HEART,
          and with ALL thy SOUL, and with ALL thy MIGHT.

We are to love God with every part of our being.

Psalm 31:23 - O love the Lord, all ye His saints...

Jesus had John write a letter to the Church in Ephesus warning them that they had forsaken their first love (Him).  They had everything else right except they were not spending adequate time or perhaps no time at all talking to Him in prayer. (Revelations 2:1-7) 

2 Timothy 3:4 warns that in the last days (before the return of Jesus), people will love pleasure (having fun) MORE than they love God.

Having fun is not wrong or bad unless it takes up more of our attention and time than spending time with Jesus.  The first and greatest of the commandments is to love God with every part of our being.

Jesus taught in John 14:15 – if ye love Me, KEEP my commandments.

He continued in John 14:23 - ….if a man love Me, he will keep my words…

If we love God, we’ll obey, observe and do whatever He has commanded in His Word.   Someone who does not keep (obey) His words does not love God. (John 14:24)

 

The second great commandment is that we are to love others as we love ourselves.  In other words, treat others the way you pamper and take care of yourself. 

I’ve heard teaching derived from this Scripture that this means God is telling us to love ourself.  That is not what Jesus was saying. 

Ephesians 5:29 – For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the Church.

We can look around and see various ways that we each love, nourish, and cherish our own flesh – that’s why you will find some who are overweight or binge eats (because we like to eat and give our flesh special treats) or is anorexic (because the person is concerned about body image) or works out and exercises or eats healthy (because the person wants to be healthy), and so on.  

Paul warned Timothy in his letter to him (2 Timothy 3:2) that in the last days many will be lovers of their own self.  That’s why you see so many selfies and pictures of food along with talk about needing to love self more or hearing about spa days and quotes like ‘I need a ME day.’ 

(By the way, pictures of food and self will get waaaaayyyyyy more likes than any post that is religious in nature. A past fb memory of a picture of food had 79 likes while religious posts had maybe 15.  That’s a sad reflection of what people gravitate to most.)

The Bible doesn’t tell us to love ourself more.  It, in fact, warns the opposite.  Jesus said we need to (1) love God first THEN (2) love others just as we love and take care of ourself.  We do not find a command to love ourself more.  It’s not in the Bible.

Jesus taught in John 13:34 – a new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

Notice Jesus admonished them to love each other twice…within the same verse.

He continues in John 13:35 - By THIS shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.

People will know that we truly love Jesus and are trying to follow and be like Him IF we love others.

Jesus again teaches on the same subject a couple chapters over in John 15…

Vs 12 – This is My commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you.

Vs 17 – These things I command you, that ye love one another.

Jesus asked Peter THREE TIMES in John 21:15-17, “lovest thou Me?” Three times Peter responded, “Lord, Thou knowest I love You.” Each time, Jesus responded back, “then feed my sheep.”  His point?  If we love Him, truly love Him, we will love OTHERS as He loved us.

1 John 4:7-8 - Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God;
and everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

Jesus warned in Matthew 24:12 – and because iniquity (sin) shall abound (spread), the love of many shall wax cold.

People do not love others as they used to.  People used to know their neighbors.  They used to care about their neighbors.  They used to have compassion on strangers.  But you rarely hear or feel that any more….because sin is growing, increasing, and spreading.  The love and care for others has grown cold in the hearts of so many.

Paul wrote to the Church in Rome in Romans 12:10 – Be kindly affectioned one to another with BROTHERLY LOVE; in honour preferring one another;

Romans 13:8 – Owe no man anything, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

Romans 13:10 – love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Galatians 5:13 - …by love serve one another.

Ephesians 3:17 – That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being ROOTED AND GROUNDED IN LOVE.

Ephesians 4:2 – With all lowliness (humbleness) and meekness (gentleness), with longsuffering (patience), forebearing (put up with) one another in love.

That’s what family does – puts up with one another and loves despite the flaws and differences.

Ephesians 4:15 – But speaking the Truth in love…

Speak the truth when and if needed, but speak it with love in your heart.

Ephesians 5:2 – and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us…

Galatians 2:2 – That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love…

There’s an old song: “Bind us together, Lord, with cords that cannot be broken…bind us together with love.”  Lifting each other up through prayer will help knit us together in love.

1 Thessalonians 3:12 – and the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men…

Not only should we love others, but our love toward others should be abounding (growing).  And not just toward the people we know, but also toward the strangers.  We need to have compassion and care for everyone.

1 Thessalonians 4:9 – But touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.

If you are staying full of the Holy Ghost, the Holy Ghost inside of you will  teach you how to love others.

1 Thessalonians 5:8 – …putting on the breastplate of faith and love…

Love is part of the armor that is a guard around our heart.

Hebrews 13:1 – let brotherly love continue

Don’t stop loving your brothers and sisters in Christ – keep loving each other.  Let brotherly love continue even when you feel hurt or betrayed.

1 Peter 1:22 – Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the Truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.

Don’t let your love be fake or for ulterior motives.  

1 Peter 3:8 – Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion (sympathy) one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful (tender hearted), be courteous (friendly, kind).

1 John 2:10 – he that loveth his brother abideth in the light…

1 John 3:10 – In this the children of God are manifest and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

Everyone claims and thinks they are a child of God but if they are not doing the things that are right and if they do not love their brothers and sisters in the Lord, Scriptures say they are not the children of God.  

1 John 3:11 – For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

1 John 3:14 – we know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.  He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

Cold hearts are a sign of spiritual death.

1 John 3:17 – But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

1 John 3:18 – My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

Talk is cheap. People throw out the phrase ‘love you’ so loosely. Actions speak louder than words.  Love is manifest more-so through our actions than by our words. 

1 John 4:7-8 – Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.  He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

1 John 4:11 – Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

1 John 4:12 – ….If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us.

1 John 4:20 – If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

1 John 4:21 – And this commandment have we from Him, that he who loveth God love his brother also.

1 John 5:2 – By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep His commandments.

2 John 1:5 ….love one another.

 

Paul taught in 1 Corinthians 13

{1} Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity (agape love), I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

{2} And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity (love), I am nothing.

{3} And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity (love), it profiteth me nothing.

{4} Love (Charity) suffereth long – love causes someone to be longsuffering and patient with others.  Longsuffering is another fruit of the Spirit.  So, love helps to develop and produce more fruit.  

and is kind – Love will cause a person to be generous, helpful, and care about others. 

Love (charity) envieth not – love is not jealous, doesn’t have ill feelings toward another.

Love (charity) vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up –Love doesn’t brag or boast. Love is not proud or haughty.

{5} Doth not behave itself unseemly – Love doesn’t act in ways that are inappropriate or not right.

seeketh not her own – isn’t self-seeking

is not easily provoked – not going to become angry easily.  Love will not lash out in retaliation.

thinketh no evil – love will not think and dwell on what is evil, wicked, ungodly.  Love will not wish ill or harm toward others. 

{6} Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth – Love is not happy about sin, unrighteousness, or wrongdoing.  It does not rejoice when injustice happens.  Rather, a person who has love will rejoice when truth triumphs and is revealed.

{7} Beareth all things – this word means covers with silence.  In other words, love will not be quick to broadcast their side of the story.  Sometimes, the best way to fight a battle is to stay silent and let God fight the battle for us. 

believeth all things, hopeth all things -  love believes and has faith that our loved ones are going to make that turn around and get back on the right path.

endureth all things – Endure means to continue to stand firm or resolute through trials and difficulties.  Sometimes, we’ll have to patiently put up with things: being done wrong, reviled, persecuted, and so on.

{8} Love (Charity) never faileth – faileth means to be driven off of one’s course.  If you have love, you won’t be driven off course.  You will stay steady and unmoveable no matter what may come. 

{13} And now abideth faith, hope, love (charity), these three; but the greatest of these is LOVE (charity).

Why is love mentioned first of all the fruit of the Spirit?  Because the greatest of all these is love.  When you love others you will exhibit all these aforementioned attributes.

A good challenge is to replace the word ‘love’ with our own name and ask ourselves, “Am I patient?  Am I kind? ….” Then continue down the list.  If we are lacking in any of these areas, we need to pray and ask God to help us to develop those characteristics.

Of all the fruit of the Spirit, the greatest of these is Love.

Love God – Love others