Today begins a journey through the Fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 tells us that,
“the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
As you reflect on this fruit, I invite you to see, not a basket filled with oranges, grapes, and apples that you’ve worked hard to grow and gather, but I want you to picture your life as a strong and fruitful tree with roots planted deeply in the soil of God’s grace and nourished daily by His Word. The fruit of this tree is not produced through self-motivated striving but results from a life that is abiding in Christ. The fruit is the Spirit’s gift, flourishing in a life that remains close to Christ, delighting in Him, and seeking His will above all.
My prayer is that as you read these devotions and meditate on the Scriptures that accompany each one, the Lord will deepen your joy in Him, strengthen your love for Him, and shape you more and more into the likeness of Christ. May your life bear much fruit—for His glory and your good!
We will start with the fruit of Love….
Charles Spurgeon said of love,
“We shall not long have love for man if we do not first and chiefly cultivate love to for God.” Charles Spurgeon
To grow in the virtue of love, we must look to God, the One who is love. His love is eternal, existing within the triune relationships between the Father, Son and Spirit and most beautifully revealed to us in the Gospel.
Our growth in love for God and others doesn’t come by our own striving, but by dwelling on the love of God revealed in His Word. The Scriptures remind us that the Lord loved us when we were unlovable enemies and that Jesus came, in love, as a humble servant, obedient to death in His sacrificial service to atone for mankind. We love because He loved us and He has poured His love into our hearts.
Our love for God is a response to the overwhelming love Christ has shown to us. His great love ought to overwhelm our souls and compel us to walk in His ways, honoring Him and loving others with sacrificial service in gratitude and worship of our King.
So, let us fix our eyes on Christ. Let us rest in His love and allow it to transform us each day.
Scriptures for Meditation on Love
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:7-8
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. John 15:9-10 ESV
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved. Ephesians 2:4-6
“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Mark 10:45
Song Selection (Click to listen)
How Deep the Father’s Love For Us
