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The 1st fruit of the Spirit
I recently wrote a blog about the fruits of the spirit and I feel that God is wanting me to break them down one by one. Love Joy Peace Patience Kindness Goodness Faithfulness Gentleness Self-Control. The definition of love is an intense feeling of deep affection. Now as women it’s very easy for us to show affection to our children and husbands. It would be unnatural for us not you show love to them.
So the question I ask is what about those in our life that are not our children or spouse?
Do you show an intense feeling of deep affection? Do you show great interest in them?
Do you find pleasure with them?
These are really hard questions to ask ourselves, to reflect with honesty. See God is love and for those of us that are his children we want him to find pleasure with us and to have deep affection for us. I want my father to be proud of me and trust me with his business.
Which brings me back to the first fruit of the spirit being LOVE, do you feel a deep affection for someone who is homeless or do you pass judgement in a blink of an eye?
What about the parentless child?
The widower or the beggar?
Or even our enemy?
We need to really search our hearts to make sure that we can say YES that we show deep affection for those that Christ said we were to love. Why, see I don’t have to try and love my kids or my husband it comes natural. What about someone who has no home or place to shower and smells?
It’s in these moments that our character as a believer is tested, it’s in these tests that we find that we all fall short of this. My challenge for myself is that anytime I fall short in this that I strive to run my race strong and with love. By helping the orphan, widow, beggar and prisoner we are given an opportunity to SHOW God’s love to them.
To love them through their situation, to help with with the struggle they are facing. On a deeper level everyone regardless of color or creed wants to be loved and accepted. It is inherently who we were made to be and then came that little bump in the road called SIN.
In Genesis 6:4 “There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.” it teaches us that the Sons of God married the Sons of Men and that they had giants on the earth. The Hebrew word for giants does not mean what we think it too mean in English.
It is read like this “The term in Hebrew implies not so much the idea of great stature as of reckless ferocity, impious and daring characters, who spread devastation and carnage far and wide.” This part of scripture shows from the beginning of man we have spread devastation and carnage of our fellow man. Over 5,000 years later we are still seeing the same behavior today.
Where wickedness over rules the land why? Because of a lack of LOVE for one another. The bible is really a love story of God and his creation, when you read it you can see it over and over again. He loved us so much he gave his only begotten Son to take a punishment that had our name on it. I don’t know about you but man does that take all the wind out of my sails of what I think I am owed in life. When Jesus walked the earth he showed us how to love one another, his life is our blueprint to the kingdom.
So is God’s love a reflection in your daily life?
Do you have compassion for your fellow man?
I find that the closer I walk with God the more I have for people. Complete strangers who are hurting and need an answer that will forever change them. A simple smile, a ride, something to eat or drink, a kind word makes all the difference in the world. How many times have you had a bad day and a smile or someone buying your coffee change your mood at that moment? Simple acts of kindness to strangers will snowball into a life full of love to those who need it. In doing so God will open up the heavens on you.
This morning while spending time with the Lord the Holy Spirit whispered the word COURAGE to me. That is what has been missing the last few days in my walk.
