In my last installment of "what to write", I introduced the topic of the Fruit of the Spirit. I thought it would be fun to explore each fruit and dedicate a letter to each one. So first up is LOVE.
Dear....
How are you? We are well. Do you remember what I talked about in my last letter? I asked you to memorize Galatians 5:22....
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.I thought in each of my letters to you, I could share some thoughts about each fruit so today I'll start with the first one...LOVE. What is love?
In 1 John 4:8 it says "God is love", therefore if we are to know what love is, we better know who God is. In Matthew 22:37 Jesus says...
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'I believe we are to love God by giving our lives to Him. By acknowledging we are sinners and are nothing without Him. By thanking Him for dying on the cross and forgiving our sins. By reading the Bible and obeying His commands. By worshiping him with every action, every word and every thought. I also believe we are to love those around us - our family members, our friends, our teachers, even strangers and enemies. We should treat others exactly how we want to be treated....with kindness and respect.
Another Bible verse that helps me understand love is John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.This is how much God loves you. He let His only Son - Jesus - die on the cross and take on the sin of the world. He did this so that you and I can have eternal life with Him.
Love can be hard and painful and costly. But love is beautiful. God loves us, therefore we must love Him back by loving others.
What is your favorite Bible verse about love? Praying for you - that God will teach you how to love like He loves.
