FRUIT CHECK REVISITED!!!

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,  peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.  Against such there is no law.                       Galations 5:22-23. (NKJV)

                                                                      

If you are a Believer, Christian, or Saved, then the Spirit of God (the Holy Spirit) lives within you and you are called to bear fruit that will bring God glory.  What is love and why is it listed first in the list?

To be clear, we are not referring to romantic love or the kind of "love" you have for your favorite tv show, dessert or sports team.  This love is pure and comes from God. (1 John 4:7).  Love is one of the central themes throughout scripture.  I Corinthians 13:4-8a (ESV) gives us descriptions or characteristics of what Biblical love is and what it is not.  It is patient and kind, does not envy or boast, is not arrogant or rude, does not insist on its own way, is not irritable or resentful, does not rejoice at wrongdoing, rejoices with the truth, and never fails.  This is a tall order.

But why is it listed first?  Love is the motivator and foundation from which all the other fruit exist.  We do not have the capacity within ourselves to authentically possess or display any of the other fruit in our lives without first having love.   Jesus demonstrated what it means to love unconditionally when He suffered, bled (Hebrews 9:22b) and died for our sins, and even now is sitting on the right hand of God interceding on our behalf. 

If we are honest with ourselves and God, our sinful, human nature makes it impossible to live up to anything on that list. We cannot do that without genuine, love in our hearts.  Feigned or counterfit love does not glorify or honor God (1 Corinthians 13:1).  That is why we must consistently pray that the love of God authentically be manifested in our hearts, as well as, our daily lives and relationships.    

Blessings.

~CWP~