My last blog post was about making the most of our season of cultivation and understanding the critical play it has on our blooming and producing. I mentioned that I had a goal last year to study the fruit of the spirit. Well, I am finally getting around to that. What better attribute to start with than love? Shoutout to God for perfectly aligning this inspiration with Valentine’s Day.

The reference: 1 John 4: 7-21

You can take a minute to read it if you want (or you can just read my rundown).

The Rundown

We should love others because God loved us. He expressed that love by sending His son into the world so that we could live forever. Our love for each other allows us show God to that person. We are given the Holy Spirit as verification that we walk by faith and Christ is in us. The more Christians walk out their faith, the more our love looks like God’s love. As we continue to walk by faith and show love, we have more confidence to face God at judgment day.

My Thoughts

You might be thinking, so wait, God saved me and now I have to sacrifice myself for everyone else? Precisely! Love is a fruit of the spirit and the spirit the proof of our devotion to Christ and the benefits that we received through him because of his death. So when we accept Jesus as the son of God (who is love) - love takes residence in our hearts. We receive a number of benefits when this happens (see Galatians 5:22-23). The evidence of those benefits is love.

Have you ever visited a friend’s home and every square foot of the space reflects their personality? Every room that you enter has something in it that makes you say “Oh, that’s so you”. That’s what it’s like when we’re filled with Christ and we let love take residence in our hearts. We should live as if love is within us. Every square inch of our lives should reflect Christ and His love. When we encounter others, they should be taken aback by the way we treat them and everyone around us.

Take a Step Back...

How does it make you feel to know that love is evidence of your spiritual benefits?

Think about the ways can you show love to others in your daily life?

Love causes us to show compassion for the non-believer. It enables us to encourage our fellow believers to continue to fight for the faith. It disarms hatred. And it makes zero sense to anyone who has never experienced it. That’s why it is so important that we show it off in every aspect of our lives. Every corner of your life should reflect this love, so whenever you invite someone into your space they’ll think, “Oh, that’s so God”.

My Prayer

Dear Lord - I thank you for whoever is reading this. Thank you for the gift of your love. I pray that you would give us the boldness to love like you do. I pray that you would reveal the areas of our lives where we need to show less of us and more of you. My hope is that our lives would so unapologetically represent who you are, that your presence in our lives would be undeniable. Give us humble hearts to submit to your will for our lives. Amen.