Galatians 5:22, 23 - Fruit of the Spirit: LOVE.
Galatians 5:22, 23 (NLT) But the Holy Spirit
produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against
these things!
INTRODUCTION
Love" One of several Greek words for
love, agape, is the love of choice, referring not
to an emotional affection, physical attraction,
or a familial bond, but to respect, devotion,
and affection that leads to willing
self-sacrificial service (John 15:13; Rom. 5:8; 1 John 3:16,
17). [MacArthur Daily Bible 2003]
COMMENTARY PEARL
Impossible Love Made Possible
Only the Holy Spirit can enable us to
fulfill God's two greatest commandments.
Jesus said the two greatest commandments
are these: You shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart, and with all your soul, and
with all your mind and You shall love your
neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-39). What an
overwhelming assignment!
In our own strength, we will find success
out of reach, but the Lord has provided a way
for Christians to accomplish the impossible. The
indwelling Holy Spirit works to produce His fruit in us
(Gal. 5:22-23). The first quality listed is love,
and the remaining eight are actually
descriptions of how it is conveyed.
Love isnt produced by trying harder to
muster good will toward someone who is irritating
or hard to get along with. Instead, think of
the process more like sap running through a
branch on a grapevine. In a similar way, the Spirit
flows through us, producing Gods love so we can
express it to Him and to others.
Whenever we demonstrate kindness,
patience, or gentleness, its Gods doing, not
ours. Even the adoration we offer Him isnt
something we produce in our own heart apart from His
assistance. Though the command to love is enormous,
Gods grace makes it possible. [In Touch Daily
Devotional by Charles Stanley at www.intouch.org]
COMMENTARY
Looking for Fruit
As believers, we all want the fruit of
the Spirit, but how can we know if we truly have
it? Even unbelievers can display these qualities
when conditions are positive. This nine-fold
fruit of the Spirit is not what we do, but who we
are, and it is primarily on display in Christians
when circumstances are unfavorable. Two
characteristics help us recognize these traits in our
lives.
Fruitful believers are not controlled by
their environment. Everyone experiences trials and
pain, but those who are filled with the Spirit do
not lose His fruit because of their situations.
They keep their joy even when difficulties
overwhelm. If someone speaks harshly, they respond with
kindness. Because the Holy Spirit is in control, He is
free to produce His fruit no matter what the
circumstances are. Even though such believers may feel
pain, anger, or a desire for revenge, they choose
to trust the Lord to protect them and direct
the outcome.
Fruitful Christians recover quickly after
a fall. These believers are not perfect, but
they are sensitive to the Spirit's conviction and
are quick to return to the Lord in repentance.
In fact, they are actually grateful for the
correction and praise God, not only for revealing their
weakness but also for drawing them back to
obedience.
No one produces these amazing qualities
in himself. Trying harder to be godly will
never work. Character transformation occurs when
we submit to God, giving Him complete control
of our lives. Only then will the Spirit be free
to produce fruit that remains even in the
deepest, darkest storms. [In Touch Daily Devotional
by Charles Stanley at www.intouch.org]
CLOSING THOUGHT
A Fire for Cold Hearts
It happened in a large,
seventy-five-year-old stone house on the west side of Houston. A
massive stairway led up to several bedrooms. The den
down below was done in rough-hewn boards with
soft leather chairs and a couple of matching
sofas. The wet bar had been converted into a small
library, including a shelf of tape recordings and a
multiple-speaker sound system. The ideal place to spend a
weekend unfortunately, my wife and I were there
just for the evening.
The smell of char-broiled T-bones drifted
through the rooms. The ladies laughed in the kitchen
as they fussed around with ranch-style baked
beans, a variety of salads, and homemade pies.
Everybody knew everybody. An easy, relaxing atmosphere
made you want to kick off your shoes and run your
fingers over the thick, black hair of the sleeping
Labrador retriever sprawled across the hearth of a
crackling fireplace.
The host, a lifelong Christian friend,
leaned his broad shoulders against the mantle as he
told of the bass that got away last week. While
the guys chided him loudly for exaggerating ("it
had to weigh ten to twelve pounds!"), my eyes
ran a horizontal path across the carved message
on the mantle. The room was too dark to read
what it said from where I sat. I was intrigued
and strangely drawn from my overstuffed chair to
get a closer look.
I ran my fingers along the outline of
each letter as my lips silently formed the
words:
IF YOUR HEART IS COLD
MY FIRE CANNOT WARM IT.
"Hmmmm," I thought, "how true."
Fireplaces don't warm hearts. Neither
does fine furniture nor a four-car garage nor a
full stomach nor a job with a six-figure salary.
No, a cold heart can be warmed only by the fire
of the living God.
I settled back down, stayed quiet, and
mused over those thoughts. I even prayed as I
stared into the fire:
"Lord, keep my heart warm. Stop me when I
rev my motor and get to moving too fast toward
stuff I think will make me happy. Guard me from
this stupid tendency to substitute things for
You."
The dinner bell broke the spell. I stood
up with all the men and we strolled toward the
patio. I took a quick glance to remind myself of
the words on the mantle one more time. The logs
were now burned down to embers, and in the glow I
remembered:
IF YOUR HEART IS COLD
MY FIRE CANNOT WARM IT.
I thanked God for His fire that has never
burned down.
That memorable scenario happened over
twenty years ago. My heart has, since then,
occasionally cooled off. Today, however, it is warm
because He never left me when I was cold. [Chuck
Swindoll www.insight.org.]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
John 3:16 - LOVE SUPREME!
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20211206-0816.html
Galatians 5:22, 23 - JOY IN JESUS!
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20211212-0929.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
