As we begin this new year let us consider that the Bible tells us that Jesus came to show us God’s love. When we see Jesus loving people, forgiving them, and accepting them into His family, we can know that Jesus is showing us what our heavenly Father is like.
The Bible also describes God’s personality by listing some of His character traits. These same character traits can grow in us, with God's help—just like fruit grows on a tree—because God’s Spirit lives in us. That’s why these characteristics are called the fruit of the Spirit.
Let’s look at some of the fruits of the Spirit. The fruits of the Spirit are not just nice words that describe God—they are actually who God is. In other words, God is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
And because this is who God the Father is, it is also who Jesus is. And because this is who God the Father is and who Jesus is, this is who the Holy Spirit is and who the Holy Spirit helps us to become.
Let me put it this way. If we are saying yes to God, then this fruit is growing in us. He wants to grow all of His characteristics in us. He wants us to be full of His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Love
You’ve told someone—Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, your BFF—you love them. You probably say, “Love you!” almost every day. And you know all of us love to hear that we’re loved! From time to time, you probably also say, “I love that!”—and “that” can be a restaurant, a movie, a dog breed, a band, or even a teacher. “Love” is a popular word, and we use it all the time when we’re talking about all kinds of things. Do we love sleeping in on Saturday morning the same way we love Mom? Do we love the smell of the ocean the way we love God?
Often when we think of love, we think of pink hearts, red roses, kind words, and big hugs. We also think of people who make us smile, places we like to visit, or our favorite foods to eat. All those things are awesome, but saying that we love them doesn’t give us a clear or accurate picture of what love is.
You see—and as you’ve probably noticed, as I have—it’s not always easy to love people. And if we’re saying yes to God, we need to learn how to love people even when we don’t want to or we don’t feel like it.
God asks us to show His love to others every minute of every day. That means that at several points throughout the day, we can choose to love or not to love. We can say yes, or we can say no. Saying yes to showing love is not always easy, but we must think about Jesus. Remember how much He loves us? And He loves us no matter what! Well, God wants to help us love like that too.
So my brothers and sisters in Christ we must go forth in the name of Christ, loving God and our neighbor.
And with God’s help, we can, Amen!
With Love,
Valerie+
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