What is Love (in the fruit of the Holy Spirit)

1. What is Love… in the Fruit of the Spirit - 9th March 2016 -
“But the fruit ofthe Spiritis love,joy, peace, forbearance,kindness,goodness,faithfulness,
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gentlenessand self-control.Againstsuchthingsthere is nolaw. Galatians5:22-23
The above passage from Galatians 5 is one of the most beloved passages in the Bible. The "fruit
of the Spirit" has also been misinterpreted as characteristics that believers should somehow
“manufacture” in their lives. On the contrary the key to understanding these qualities is in the
name. "Fruit" is the natural result of growth. And "of the Spirit" explains exactly Who causes
that growth—it’s not our striving or straining, but the power of the Holy Spirit. No amount of
human toil or gritty determination can produce spiritual fruit, but the Spirit’s influence in a
yielded heart can work miracles. The fruit of "love" may be the best example. We cannot
produce the type of love God desires without the leading and strength of the Holy Spirit.
Love is Patient... The Greek word (Makrothumein) means patience with people and not
patience with circumstances. Patient is the word used of the person who is wronged and who
has the power to avenge himself but will NOT! It describes the man who is slow to anger or will
NOT anger and it is used of God himself in His relationship with us. We can know for certain
that God is extremely patient with us when we consider the sin and sinful deeds that we
commit in our day to day life. Such patience is not the sign of weakness but the sign of strength
because the easiest thing to do is to go off on a tangent, get anger and react negatively. We can
learn in Romans 12:12, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer”. We must
know that patience and love is one sure way that we can conquer the abject evilness in the
world today.
We must also understand that Love is Kind. Philip the Second of Spain was a religious man, and
yet he founded the Spanish Inquisition and thought he was serving God by massacring those
who thought differently from him. He thought that he was doing so through love for God.
When we read of the Spanish Inquisition and things that were done in this pretext, we can
clearly understand that it was not driven through love of God because the kind of love
prescribed by God is kindness…not evil and sinful deeds. As Christians one cannot say ‘I have
loads of love within me’ without having loads of kindness within me! We can learn in Ephesians
4:32, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God
forgave you.
We can also learn that Love knows no Envy. It has been said that there are really only two
classes of people in this world--"those who are millionaires and those who would like to be."
There are two kinds of envy. The one covets the possessions of other people. The other is
worse. He grudges the very fact that others should have what he has not; he doesn’t so much
want things for himself as he wishes that others had not got them at all. We can also learn that
Love is not boastful. True love will always be far more impressed with its own unworthiness
than its own merit or boastfulness. Some people are in love with the idea that they are doing
somebody a favor. But we must know that Love is kept humble. If you help another we do not
need to make a song and dance about the deed but it should be within you and God. We can

2. learn of an important reaching that covers Patience, Kindness and Envy which We can learn in 1
Corinthians 13:4 “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not
proud”.
We must also know that Love is not proud. The really great man never thinks of his own
importance. WilliamCarey, who began life as a cobbler, was one of the greatest missionaries
and he translated at least parts of the Bible into no fewer than thirty-four Indian languages. At a
dinner party a snob, with the idea of humiliating him, said in a tone that everyone could hear, "I
suppose, Mr. Carey, you once worked as a shoe-maker." "No, your lordship," answered Carey,
"not a shoe-maker, only a cobbler." He did not state that he was a great shoe maker but simply
a cobbler…a man who repairs shoes!
Today we use the word love in many deferment ways. But what takes precedence is God’s love
and is referred by a Greek word called Agape love. It is selfless, sacrificial, unconditional love,
the highest of the four types of love in the Bible. This Greek word and variations of it are found
throughout the New Testament. Agape perfectly describes the kind of love Jesus Christ has for
his Father and for his love for us. We get a deep understanding of Agape love through John
15:13 that tells us: "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends".
It is because of Agape love that God carried out His plan to save the world through the sacrifice
of Jesus Christ His begotten son : “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten
Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
Jesus Christ is the very author of the meaning of true love. When we refer to the gospels, on
many times Jesus refers to the need for love. We can read of what Jesus refereed to as the
greatest commandment. We can learn that love is the very basis. Jesus said: “Love the Lord
your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your
strength. 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment
greater than these” (Mark 12:30-31). Therefore as Christians we must know and cherish that
“true Love” is the greatest gift that God has given. We can also learn in 1Corinthians 13:4 “Love
is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud”.
God desires to show His perfect, selfless love to a world that is routinely confused about what
true love is. God’s children are the conduits of His love, as they are empowered by the Holy
Spirit. We need to inspire others by discussing, speaking and shearing the word of God... so that
others too may learn what “true love” really means.