Be Fruitful - Love

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"But the fruit of the Spirit is love . . ." - Galatians 5:22-23 (NASB)

   It is no coincidence that Paul begins this list we know as "the fruit of the Spirit" with love (agape). Love is the beginning, the middle, and the ending of this thing called faith. Our God is not merely a loving God, but love is His very essence, His nature (1 Jn. 4:7-8).  Love is the very reason God looked down on fallen humanity and provided a way for forgiveness, restoration, and salvation (Jn. 3:16). Furthermore, among the endearing religious qualities of faith, hope, and love, it is love which is the greatest (1 Cor. 13:13). In addition, it is this quality if agape love which proves to the world that we are believers and disciples of Jesus (Jn. 13:34-35). Finally, the greatest task that we can attempt, in honor of what Jesus did for us, is to emulate His life by laying down our lives for others (1 Jn. 3:16).
   Scholars have told us that the term agape does not exist in classical Greek, but only in religious settings. Agape  is the term that refers to the love which originates in God Himself. It is an selfless, unbiased, and unreserved esteeming of others more valuable than yourself (my definition) including family, friends, strangers, and even "enemies." I believe that the reason we sometimes have difficulty showing agape love to everyone is that we attempt it out of our own abilities. If I am clear in what Scripture says, agape love simply is not possible apart from God. We might be able to "fake it" from time to time, but eventually we will fail. However, for believers, the challenge is to exhibit agape love at all times, to every person. How can we accomplish this? Walking with God. There just simply is no other way to make it happen. The closer and more frequently we walk with God, the more we manifest His presence (agape) to those whom we encounter. Remember, we cannot make fruit grow. We can only provide the right environment for fruit-bearing to take place. Get closer to the LORD, and love will start showing up.

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