March Devotional: Fruit of the Spirit- Love
March Devotional: Fruit of the Spirit- Love
“22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” -Galatians 5:22-23
Greetings FFC family! As we continue our devotionals through the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5- we now come to Love. I want to take us to the upper room when Jesus is talking to his disciples- Judas has just left- time is now of the essence. Jesus wants to make it clear how we are to live moving forward. Jesus says in John 13:34 “A new commandment I give you -that you love one another; just as I have loved you- you are also to Love one another, by this all people will know that you are my disciples- if you have love for one another.” Friends- this verse has hit me so hard in recent time. This is something I struggle with in so many circumstances. Whether at work, with my friends, with my family- these words are instructions that as a Christian- I can’t ignore! Now something that has been preached to me and I want to pass on to you- there is no guilt in the Gospel. These words are for encouragement, instruction, guidance, a way to connect to our Creator. We are all trying our best to follow Jesus.
So with these words there is a call to follow Jesus. This a command we cannot ignore as Christians. So this means we don’t get to choose Who we love, How we Love or When we love. We have to Deny ourselves- it’s not about me anymore- it’s about service for the Kingdom. We have to Pick up our Cross- there will be trials (John 15:18-20). And we have to Follow Him- give Jesus Lordship of our lives- be done with our old ways.
This opens up the question- What is Love? The Greek word for Love is “Agape”- this translates to Unconditional Love! This is what God’s Love is for us. I once heard a scholar say that, “Love is the supreme ethic of God!” He goes on to say “that if you break down Galatians 5- the Fruits of the Spirit- that there are 9 fruits listed, but really there is only 8, because Love is the Godly virtue that brings out the other 8. Meaning- you are only as kind as you are loving, you are only as gentle as you are loving, you are only as patient as you are loving”…How amazing is that? Let’s talk about patience when it comes to Love. The Greek word for patience is Makrothumas. When you break it down- Makro means long/large and thumas is where we get the word thermometer. It means dynamic/ blow up- so Holy Spirit Patience means you have a long fuse before you blow up.
So how do we do this, put it in action. First- we realize that we need to depend on God’s Love, not my love. We rely on God’s power- not my power. We give people God’s Grace, not my grace. We remember that Love is not a feeling- it’s a choice. We get this power to make this choice with God’s Agape Love. Remember- Jesus said this is the Greatest Commandment. It’s a decision I make, not a feeling I feel. Like and Love are 2 totally different things. You don’t have to like the person that talks behind your back and spits in your face. But God did command us to love people that are hard to love. Not like them, not feel good about them, but show them the Love that we have been shown! I have to constantly remind myself that there are times when I am unlikable, but God has still chose to show me Love. Let’s always remember that God’s way is better than our way. People in our life don’t need us to fix them, as much as they just need us to Love them.
Later on in the upper room Jesus says In John 16:8-9 “And when He (the Holy Spirit) comes, He will convict the World concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me”. Did you know that there is 1 unforgivable sin? That is not knowing, following and putting your trust in Jesus. I heard a pastor say- “This means the Spirit will show people their need for Jesus- we are the channel to get them there- so what’s airing on your channel?” That hit me hard- are people seeing Jesus in me through the way I act, the things I say? For us Firefighters- the things we say in the rig, at the table, the way we treat patients on calls. Are you going to church and acting one way and then go to the firehouse and act another way? I have left a station after a shift that I’m not assigned to and said to myself, “I bet they don’t even know I’m a Christian because of the way I acted.” Again, I want to say- no guilt in the Gospel- we are human and this is why we need a Savior!
The goal of Loving everyone is to be the means to get them to Jesus. The biggest problem in the world is that people don’t know Christ. What is “being the means”? If we’re a football team- it’s not getting the most yards and then punting. It’s getting in the end zone- Jesus is the end zone. That same pastor said, “We need to remember- the Spirits goal is to not make me look good, the Spirits goal is to make him God!” Our goal is to not change the world’s thinking- it’s to bring them to Jesus. We need to care more about changing Heaven than changing Earth. And we will never be more like Jesus, than when we are loving, serving and telling people about Jesus. How do we be the means? We love people in the middle of their problems- we are God’s agent in the midst of their storms. As firefighters- we don’t judge and try to change people- we just love them and see them as Jesus does. Sons and daughters of God.
So let’s end with this question- When it comes to loving the people in my life I don’t like-What adjustments do I need to make? What child, family member, patient, coworker has been getting a short fuse- and God is asking us to make an adjustment- pray for God’s love- not mine and give them a long fuse. Who in your life is God saying “I know, I know, I get it, but I put you with them- so you can show them what I’m like- so will you please make an adjustment to them for Me”. You know Jesus made this adjustment for us when He took the cross. The world will be attracted to the way we Love each other. So may the picture of us in their life be like Jesus- that we would deny ourselves, pick up our cross and follow Jesus and make that adjustment. As firefighters we have such a amazing way to connect with people in their worst moments. Let’s follow this command and spread the Love of Jesus Christ to not only our families and coworkers, but the people we get to serve every day.
Discussion:
1. WHO in your life is getting a short fuse? Pray to Jesus for His love to you so you can give them a long fuse.
2. How can we focus on Loving people and not trying to fix them?
3. Focus on using Love as the Godly virtue to bring out more of the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23