Love ~ The First Fruit of the Spirit

Well, another week has passed and a new one begins.  Seems all the things I couldn't fit into last weeks agenda are on this weeks and I will probably end up finding some silly excuse not to do them.
That's life.  At least for me.  

So, I thought I'd get a head start on my list of things to do tomorrow and post the next part in my Fruit of the Spirit series. Any idea what the first fruit of the spirit is?  HINT:  the picture above is a dead giveaway.  Yep, Love.  So let's talk about love.

Love (The Sacrifice of Self) – Love is too often mistaken for a feeling.  All the romance movies and romance novels promoted by the world have given us an unrealistic view of love. Yes, love is a feeling but it is so much more than just a feeling. One thing you will learn about the Fruit of the Spirit is that every fruit is a decision and love is no different.  We can choose to love others or we can choose not to.  We, as Christians, are to choose to love. No matter how we feel it is our duty to share God's love with others. We are to love others when we are tired or sick.  We are to love everyone, even those who don't give us any love back in return. And here's the hard one. We are to love our enemies. The Bible doesn't only say to love our enemies but it also tells us pray for our enemies.

Love is an action, not just words. Words aren't the only way to share God's love with others. You can tell someone you love them in so many ways. You don't have to say those three coveted words, "I love you," in order to let someone know that you love them.  By serving others, even when it's hard, you are showing them love. And serving others can be as easy as cleaning up after someone or making them a meal.  Believe it or not these small acts of kindness are sending a message to the person that you care about them and that you love them.

And you must remember that this kind of love is impossible without God's help. Our devotion to God is outwardly displayed when we love others. You cannot love God and somehow not love others. God is love and He has created us to be currents for His love to travel through. Once we are filled with God's love we won't be able to conceal it and the whole world will see God's love shining through us.