Walking Therein

Fruit of the Spirit Friday ~ Love

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

Jesus Said, “A tree is judged by its fruit.”

LOVE

What is Love? Is love a peck on the cheek? Is it saying your sorry? Is it being greatly wronged and forgiving *and* forgetting? Is it spending time with someone? Is it giving someone the last piece of your favorite pie?

It is all of the above, at different times and much much more. It is making a mistake and apologizing. It is laying down your own self and looking like the fool and saying I am sorry instead of covering up your mistakes and sins. It is not being stubborn. It is believing in someone, even though they may not deserve to be believed.

Love is sacrificial and selfless. It is sacrificial in that it puts others above yourself. Jesus said no greater love has a man than he lay down his life for his friends. That is both sacrificial and selfless. Love does not always require so much of us. It will vary from relationship to relationship. Love is also knowing how to prioritize those relationships.

It is love to do all you can for your children, but it is also love to make them wait and not always be put in first place in your life. Showing them you are clearly going to love them in the Lord is a lovely and important lesson they can see in living action. Showing them the love you have for Daddy is also a great expression of love for your children. Sending them to bed early to spend time with Daddy is one of the best ways to love your children. It shows Daddy he is loved, too!

Love is bringing up children in the way the Lord designed them to be. Love is teaching them His ways. Love, as defined in the Bible, is the very essence of God. The Word says God is Love. We are commanded to love one another that our "joy may be full."

I do not struggle with LOVE. Not as long as I can define it in my terms. It is when I have to look at it in God's terms that I see the real me and the real struggle I do have with living it.  I am reading about how to truly love and serve my husband as God intended, and it is a lot to swallow. I see in my children where I have failed to see God's meaning of the word love, and it grieves me. It motivates me to change and walk in the LOVE that God desires of me.

One thing I have recognized more in the past year is that God's ways ARE higher than man's. Now, let me clarify that. I, obviously, have never had a diffcult time knowing this. I have just gained a clearer understanding of what that means. I have learned that God's ways - His instructions and attributes are not always something that will make sense to me. It doesn't make sense to give money to a ministry so that God can take care of us. That does not make sense to my mind, but to my spirit, it is clear.

We will never have a total understanding of everything. I think there are some things we will not have an answer for this side of heaven, but I know that God is not hidden when it comes to the meaning of love. We are told to lay down our lives, and we see the Son of God do this very thing. Have you ever heard the saying, "Don't tell someone to do something you wouldn't be willing to do yourself"? Do you ever think about that?

I was speaking with Amanda today, and this subject came up. I asked her if she saw in my life that I do things because it's a job that has to be done or if she saw a love for what I did that needed to be done. If we just do it as a job that needs done, what is the love in that? What is the joy in that? What is the blessing in that? I really hadn't considered my motivation in what I do until I heard myself ask that question. It was kind of strange. I never have thought, "Well, somebody has to do it or it won't get done." I see something that needs to be done, and loving my family, my household, being wife and mom, I do it.

As Moms, we give of ourselves for years with no expectation of anything. Certainly we are blessed as we watch our children grow and experience life with them. I brought up several things that are "without reward": cleaning out dirty diapers, washing dishes, giving up your time, cleaning, finding things dirty again, cleaning, finding things dirty again, cleaning. Things without earthly reward. And, is that what we focus on? The reward? No. We love what we do, and do it out of that love.

If we struggle with doing it out of love - and we all more than likely do, or have, at times - then, it is a heart issue. Jesus did give up himself out of love. He was looking toward the reward, but not an earthly one. He was looking where we need to look to know love, to His Father. To the plans He set forth for His people. Jesus had his eyes on heaven when He laid down his rights and loved us.

Diapers, dirty dishes, spending extra time on a project, taking time to be patient with a toddler or an older child... it is love in action. Having a heart pure before God, learning His Word so that I am prepared when struggles arise, that is love. Being prepared to live in peace and agreement in brotherly love, that is love. Seeing one's sin and offering forgiveness and walking with him/her; that is love.

I hope I am becoming a person who desires to love as God defines, not just as I am willing to give.

Blessings!!

    -Jacque

Super post jacque!

9:03 PM, Friday, June 29, 2007 .. Posted by heartofwisdom

I like your description. Love is sacrificial and selfless. All the Mommy things we do is love in action. I also have no problem with love when I describe it but struggle to Christ-like love.

I always get a lot out of these studies. I need a structured day to force me to study and ponder. It sweet.

So glad you joined Fruity Friday. Don't woory about the questions. I just put the questions in to make it easier. Just focus one of the lists fruits in anyway you want

Thanks also for posting a prayer request for me.

In Him,
Robin