Fruit of the Spirit: Love

 

 From reading the title you know that today I'm writing about the Fruit of the Spirit.  But I'm not going to be talking about them all today, I'll be doing them one at a time, so this will take 9 weeks!
   But don't worry you may learn some things that you never knew before.  So lets get started!

Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) 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. 

   LOVE.

   what is love? Well according to the dictionary love is: an intense feeling of deep affection.  But if we look at the Bible we'll get a little different answer.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NIV) Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, 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.  

   So what does that mean for us? Well...we are suppose to live out the Fruit of the Spirit.  Which means we are to love.

   But who or what are we suppose to love? God tells us to love ALL people.

 Luke 6:27-28 (NIV) “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you

   I know this is a BIG ask.  But God knew that this would me hard for us.  If he thought is would be easy, do you think he would have asked us to it? Probably not.  Go back and read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 again but this time change the word love for God.

   It all describes God, doesn't it.  The love God wants us to have and share is the love that He has.  That He is.  Are we always going to get it right? No.  But God wouldn't have put love in the Bible 551 (NIV) times if He didn't want us to do it.

   So lets try to love more, in the little things and the big things.

   Till next time
    LiveTheTruth :)

Happy Endings

 

Once apon a time, in a far away land lived...
 
   This is how most 'fairy tales' start. But is this how our lives are?

    No, not really.
 
   But can this be how our lives are? Probably not, but we can make the world better. We can change how we act around people, even if we don't like them.

    Matthew 5:43-44 (NIV) “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor  and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,     

   Luke 6:27-28 (NIV) “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you

 
   If you want to read the the whole part on loving your enemies they are: Matthew 5: 43-48 and Luke 6:27-36.
 
   Loving your enemies seems like a pretty big ask of us. I mean how are we supposed to love the bully at school? The boss that always yells at you? Or the group of people that think they are better than you and make fun of you?
   You're probably thinking, 'yeah I can't love them they're mean to me'.

   But we're wrong.

   We are to love them. Why do you think they act this way? People are not just mean to be mean. Normally they are doing this to hide their own problems.
   Like their parents fight all the time, they were bullied growing up, people make fun of them, or they're going through a divorce. There are a lot of possibilities for why they act this way.  But that does not mean we should not love them. Maybe being their friend is the only good thing that's happened to them that day.  
   And by doing this we can change our once not so 'fairy tale' lives into...

   ...And they all lived happily ever after.


   Till next time,
     LiveTheTruth :)