The Fruit of the Spirit (1/9) – Love

The Lord Jesus once said that we are destined to bear fruit. Our aim in life should, therefore, be to bear lasting fruit that is so valuable to God.

Ultimately, bearing fruit means reflecting the characteristics of the Lord Jesus. When He is seen in us, God is glorified.

In this series, we want to reflect on the individual fruits that the Holy SpiritThe Holy Spirit is God, a divine person in the Trinity of God; in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit works, for example, in creation or on individuals. The Holy... More wants to work in our lives. And since our Lord is always the perfect role model (cf. Mt 11:29; Jn 13:15; 1 Pet 2:21), we will look directly at incidents from His life where these characteristics become visible.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love ..."

This is not about eros (the passionate love between man and woman) or phileo (friendly love), but about agape, which loves even when there is nothing lovable in the other. It is impartial and demands no thanks. It sacrifices itself without asking the cost. In this, it is absolutely selfless and respects the needs of others more than its own. Love takes the banana with the dark spot so that the nice one is available for the person next to me. Love empties the full garbage can, fetches a new roll of toilet paper from the cellar, and gladly takes a detour to bring the sister home.

With this love, we should love our fellow brothers and sisters unconditionally, to such an extent that unbelievers will recognize us as Christians (John 13:35). Incidentally, this love is not an option but a debt (Rom 13:8; 1 John 3:16) – the "normal" thing for a child of God.

But it goes even further: true love is even capable of loving your enemies, those who hate you (Lk 6:27).

Examples of love from the life of the Lord that we can learn from:

• The Lord loved the rich young man, even though He knew full well that his money and luxury were more important to him (Mk 10:21).
• The Lord loved Lazarus so sincerely that His deep feelings became visible through His tears (John 11:35, 36).
• The Lord had contact with unloved "tax collectors and sinners" to reach them. Others, therefore, called him a "glutton and a winebibber" (Mt 11:19).
• The Lord addressed Judas as a "friend," even though he had just betrayed Him to His enemies for a ridiculous sum (Mt 26:50).
• The Lord loved the lost so much that He was moved with compassion for them (Mt 9:36).
• The Lord prayed for those who had just crucified Him most brutally (Lk 23:34).