What's Love Got To Do With It?

During the summer, I often visit my 8 blueberry bushes daily for a fresh, healthy snack. As the summer season runs its course, fresh local fruit is now more absent in my yard and at the grocery store. In contrast to this nutritional disappointment, there is much excitement in this year’s theme for chapel services: The Fruit of the Spirit! 

Each month during our 1st-12th chapel, we will introduce a new fruit of the Spirit. God's redeeming presence is the source and power for the ripening of each fruit in our lives. The Greek language used four separate words to describe the word “love.” It is no surprise that in our English language, the word “love” can carry varying degrees of meaning.

I love the sound of sprinklers.
I love you, Mom!
I love my cat Mittens.
I love my wife. 
I love Spicy Doritos.
I love my new teammate.

Jesus shared how loving God and loving others is the greatest fulfillment of His good design for us. Our love for God and each other certainly must transcend our common and often flippant affections we often ascribe the word “love” to.

So how should love live inside of us and through us by the power of the Holy Spirit? The answer is both simple, impressive, and challenging. The love God wants to live inside of us is the same love He has for us. His love for us is unconditional, immeasurable, and wonderful. God’s love for us is best found in the sacrifice of His son on the cross for our eternal benefit. 

The more we understand and embrace God’s love for us, the greater this kind of fruit will abound in our own lives. Love is a choice we make moment by moment. But it is out of the abundance of our hearts that love plays out according to God’s design. As each of us is filled daily with God’s love, the daily overflow to others only brings glory to Him!