GRACE FOR LOVE
Galatians 5:22-23
One manifestation of the fruit of the spirit is love. It is essential that, as we study and run through these series we get to understand the need to appropriate the right view of the fruit. We need to know that, it is referred to as the fruit of the SPIRIT [of God]. This means they are spirit rooted and can best be harnessed by being a man or woman of the spirit. i.e. having one’s will directed and controlled by the spirit of God.
Today, we are looking at the fruit called love. It is deeper than expression of human feelings. It is the expression of God’s desire/nature through His representative [believers] on earth. Please note that true biblical love should be a spirit controlled choice, not just a feeling. You need to ask for Grace so that it can deliberately express itself in loving and seeking the welfare of others beyond the desires of man’s selfish nature.
Biblical love is dependent on the giver’s maturity in the things of the spirit, not emotion. For instance, a mature believer demonstrating love will not exercise his or her freedom if that action might harm another Christian in some way. Rather than risking the possibility of causing the immature Christian to question and stumble, the mature believer will exercise his freedom out of love for his brother (Romans 14:1-15). Love chooses to set aside one’s own preferences, desires, and sometimes even needs to put the other person first (Philippians 2:1-3). Have you ever wondered why God remains consistently God? It’s because He is Spirit and He is love too. Your spirit became God’s abode at new birth. You can’t express what you are not. Time will proove your ingenuity. Pray this nature of grace into your being daily and you’ll find yourself representing God and expressing the fruit of love better than you can imagine.
MEMORY VERSE: Galatians 5:22
PRAYER: Oh Lord, baptize me with the spirit of love. It shall profit me and the world around me for Jesus.
