September 12, 13 & 14 Devotion - Love, the first fruit of THE SPIRIT

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

واما ثمر الروح فهو محبة فرح سلام طول اناة لطف صلاح ايمان

وداعة تعفف.

                                                            Galatians 5:22–23

 

"Fruit of the Spirit" is a Biblical term that sums up the nine visible attributes of a true Christian life. We learn from scripture that these are not individual "fruits" from which we pick and choose. Rather, the fruit of the Spirit is one ninefold "fruit" that characterizes all who truly walk in the Holy Spirit.

 The fruit of the Holy Spirit is first and foremost love. All of the other qualities associated with having the Holy Spirit flow from the presence of God’s love in us.

And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

1 John 4:16

 God does not merely love; He is love itself. Everything God does flows from His love. God loves because that is His nature and the expression of His being. He loves the unlovable and the unlovely (us), not because we deserve to be loved, but because it is His nature to do so, and He must be true to His nature and character.

How does God love us? It is an Agape love, a sacrificial love. Here is how He described His love for us:

Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.

⁵ It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].

⁶ It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail.

⁷ Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].

⁸ Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end].

                           1 Corinthians 13:4–8 AMP

 

We are the undeserving recipients upon whom He lavishes that love. His love was demonstrated when Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice for those He loves.

…for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Luke 19:10

 Amazingly, God has given those who receive His Son Jesus as their personal Savior the ability to love as He does, through the power of the Holy Spirit because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:5

And this is His order (His command, His injunction): that we should believe in (put our faith and trust in and adhere to and rely on) the name of His Son Jesus Christ (the Messiah), and that we should love one another, just as He has commanded us.

²⁴ All who keep His commandments [who obey His orders and follow His plan, live and continue to live, to stay and] abide in Him, and He in them. [They let Christ be a home to them and they are the home of Christ.] And by this we know and understand and have the proof that He [really] lives and makes His home in us: by the [Holy] Spirit Whom He has given us.

1 John 3:23–24

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and love. I praise You and glorify You.

O gracious and merciful God, fill my heart with the fruit of Your Holy Spirit - love.

Teach and strengthen me Lord, let the Holy Spirit within me love others the way You love me, and to love my enemies so that I may be a child of God. Fill my heart dear Lord with Your unconditional Agape love.

I pray that out of Your glorious riches You may strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that Christ may dwell in my heart through faith. Ephesians 3:16-17
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that I ask or think, according to the power that works in me, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

والقادر ان يفعل فوق كل شيء اكثر جدا مما نطلب او نفتكر بحسب القوة التي تعمل فينا

له المجد في الكنيسة في المسيح يسوع الى جميع اجيال دهر الدهور.آمين

 
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, John 1:12
واما كل الذين قبلوه فاعطاهم سلطانا ان يصيروا اولاد الله أي المؤمنون باسمه.

Jesus loves you

In Him,
Wagdi Henein