Fruit of the Spirit: Love (Part 5)

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.

(Galatians 5:22-23)

To demonstrate love, we have to remember the 15 attributes of love as described in 1 Corinthians 13~

Love is patient.

Love is kind.

Love does not envy.

Love does not boast.

Love is not arrogant.

Love is not rude.

Love is not selfish.

Love is not provoked.

Love thinks no evil.

Love does rejoices in truth.

Love bears all things.

Love believes all things.

Love hopes all things.

Love endures all things.

Love never fails.

In the rest of this blog series on Fruit of the Spirit: Love, we'll go over a few of these attributes per post.

Love is Kind

Kindness starts in the mind.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.  (Romans 12:2)

We are kind when we renew our mind and our feelings about someone else. We are not naturally kind. Instead, we are naturally selfish. In order to show the love of God for others, we have to learn to become kind. Kindness is thoughtfulness, graciousness, helpfulness, and consideration. It is when we put someone else's needs above our own, and meeting those needs as we see them. Today, I ask God to open your eyes to see the needs around you so that you can fulfill them. 

Fruit of the Spirit: Love (Part 4)

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.

(Galatians 5:22-23)

The First Fruit: Love (Continued...)

But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. (Luke 6:35)

"Do good..." Love must become an action. We can declare all day that we love this, or love that, but unless we can demonstrate our love through action, they are simply words.

How do we do it? How can we act in love?

To demonstrate love, we have to remember the 15 attributes of love as described in 1 Corinthians 13~

Love is patient.

Love is kind.

Love does not envy.

Love does not boast.

Love is not arrogant.

Love is not rude.

Love is not selfish.

Love is not provoked.

Love thinks no evil.

Love does rejoices in truth.

Love bears all things.

Love believes all things.

Love hopes all things.

Love endures all things.

Love never fails.

In the rest of this blog series on Fruit of the Spirit: Love, we'll go over a few of these attributes per post.

Love is patient - Love endures all things:

Our patience is our willingness to endure. Endure discomfort, endure inconvenience, endure disappointment, endure heartbreak. We may be asked to suffer any of these negative things and not let it affect us in such a way as to veer us from our path. We must love in spite of the things which happen to us. To stand out as a believer in Christ, we must be willing to endure.

 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. (Hebrews 10:36)

It's all about focus. If our focus is on ourselves, then we will not be able to endure. The first discomfort, inconvenience, disappointment, or heartbreak will send us off to recover. We want to avoid these negatives in our lives, because we don't deserve them. But love says endure it. Be patient. keep your focus on Jesus, and remember His promises. Remember how much He endured to save you and realize that this suffering is temporary. Though at times it may feel like forever that you've been suffering through it, this momentary lapse is just a blip in the face of eternity. So today, I pray that you will endure whatever is troubling you and act in the love that shows patience.