Day 2

Love

from the The Fruit of the Spirit reading plan


Deuteronomy 4:31-38, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, Galatians 5:6, Galatians 5:13-14, 1 John 4:7-21

BY Jen Yokel

Of all the aspects of the fruit of the Spirit, love feels like the most universal and, somehow, the most elusive. If you’ve ever tried to explain what it’s like, you know what I mean. Love can feel like analyzing every word of every conversation between meeting someone and confessing your feelings. It can feel like the comfortable silence of deep friendship. It can feel like filling your Instagram feed with pictures of a new baby, or late-night scrolling through photographic memories of a faraway friend. We write songs about it, cry while watching movies that try to portray it, maybe even try to deny it, declaring it a lie when our hearts are broken. 

But Scripture tells us that the true definition of love is found in who God is. In fact, it’s one of the surest things we can know about God, a virtue greater than even faith and hope (1Corinthians 13:13). Scripture tells us “God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him” (1John 4:16). 

The famous “love chapter” of 1 Corinthians 13 outlines many attributes of this love: patience, kindness, not insisting on its own way, rejoicing in truth, hoping and enduring everything. Enduring wars and disease and hatred. Outlasting empires and buildings and movements. In this litany of love’s attributes, I see the face of God. I hear God’s invitation to make ourselves at home in this love and let it transform us through the indwelling Holy Spirit.

This sort of love is nonsensical, if you think about it. It isn’t a vague, obligatory love for people who are like you, and it goes beyond the bonds of family, friends, or spouse. This love extends the circle wider and wider, transcending rational thought about who is worthy of love; it persists no matter what and in any circumstance, without condition.

The apostle Paul said, “The whole law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself” (Galatians 5:14). What could that look like today, as we imitate Christ to seek the welfare of our neighbors? When we make ourselves at home in God’s transformative love, we are changed. We are empowered to join God in repairing the world, to press on and show our neighbors what we value and to whom we belong.

“You were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love” (Galatians 5:13). May it be so in us, the Holy Spirit growing love in our hearts for the flourishing of our families, our neighbors, and all of creation.

Post Comments (121)

121 thoughts on "Love"

  1. Amber Torrence says:

    This snatch my edges !! I can’t believe how much I haven’t been operating in love. I thought I was but today I realize with the word I haven’t. I pray tonight that I can walk in God’s love not my version of it !!

  2. Sarah González says:

    Rather than asking for more love for me to show my family, I need to keep myself in the Lord who is love.

  3. Laura Knochenhauer says:

    We love because he FIRST loved us ❤️

  4. Tyasia Goodwin says:

    I’ve been really convicted about grumbling and complaining and just being annoyed with people- I pray that God would replace that with gratitude and love

  5. Jannerys Luciano says:

    His word says, we can have faith, we can speak in tongues and prophesy, if we offer sacrifice and still have lack love in our hearts, we are nothing. We can have all the qualities God desires in us, but if we lack the one most important commandment, love; we are nothing. Learning to exercise this in my everyday life.

  6. Jannerys Luciano says:

    I love that last sentence, knowing someone felt God through you loving them, so powerful.

  7. Courtney Dennis says:

    Love demonstrates! The greatest life giving demonstration was and is the death burial and resurrection of our King! But we have to demonstrate love to daily and it takes a death of flesh to do such a thing but it brings great satisfaction knowing someone felt and saw God through you loving them

  8. Ruby Hunter says:

    Thank you, Lord, for demonstrating to us how much you love us and leaving us with instructions on how we out to follow I pray that our fruits are nourished on a daily

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