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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. KJV
LOVE
The original Greek word for Love in this text is agape (ag-ah’-pay): love, affection, a love feast, dear love.
I believe that if we take the time to really know God in a personal way through studying His Word and an active prayer life we can cultivate this kind of love in our lives.
I believe that when we have truly submitted our wills to God and allow ourselves to be rooted and grounded in Love, all of the manifestations of the flesh begin to diminish. When we really get this love thing and live it out, then all of the other fruits are naturally there. For if we have love, we lack nothing. When we get to a place where Jesus is truly Lord over our thoughts, actions, and lives we start shedding our fleshly behaviors and desires. We begin to have a mind like Christ. We begin to want what He wants. We begin to grow more fruit than weeds.
The only way to get to that place is to actively pursue God. If all we do is show up for church once or twice a week, and do our nursery duty, say our little amen’s here and there, we are useless, and poor examples for the One Who died for our sins.
We must choose to have an actual relationship with God. Now, I don’t believe in set formulas. Everyone is different and everyone has a different schedule and lifestyle. However, we should all spend time with God every day. It does not matter if it is five minutes or five hours. The point is that we are wanting a relationship with Him and pursuing it the best we can.
Think about it this way…
Would you only feed your body once or twice a week? No, of course not! We stuff our faces every day! Don’t you think our spirits should be fed daily?
Every day we should:
PRAY – This is something you can do under your breath all day long. You don’t need some dramatic place and planned out script every day. I think we should have structured prayers that include; praise, worship, thankfulness, prayer for others, and prayer for ourselves. However, there may be days you only have time for what I like to call, “the on the go prayers.” God is not offended. God is happy that we want to share our day with Him. I include Him in my grocery shopping, shows I want to watch, cooking dinner, etc. The point is talk to Him! Every day!
READ THE WORD – Not every one has an hour or two a day to spend in the Word. We all have some time though. Even five minutes. It is the best five minutes you will ever spend. It is your life source. It is the ONLY way to really know Who God is and His wonderful character.
If you are just starting out, I would suggest reading Psalms and/or Proverbs. They are great books and are filled with Life. Try memorizing one verse a week. Once you master that try two…and so on. It takes practice to study the Word. There may be days you feel like nothing was gained. But, I promise you did. You just don’t know it…yet. Trust me. I’ve been there.
PRAISE and THANKSGIVING – You can listen to some praise music while driving, cooking, cleaning, or exercising. Believe it or not, when we listen to Christian music it does wonders for our entire being. It renews our mind with the things of God. It reminds us to be thankful. It makes us want to praise the Lord. Find some good Christian music in the style that you like and cut loose. Anything that the world has, God has and then some.
When we begin to do all these things on a regular basis, we will begin to see major changes in our minds, attitudes, talk, and lives. Then all of a sudden we will have this big piece of fruit sticking out of our chest. The fruit of Love. The fruit that helps all the other fruit grow. The first and most important fruit. LOVE.
Let’s pray,
Daddy God, I want to thank You for Your Word. Thank You for loving me even when I am unlovable. Help me to get to know You better and more fully. Show me Who You are. I want to have a closer walk with You. I want to know You more and more every day. Thank You. I praise Your Holy and Precious Name. You are Worthy of all my praise. I love You, Daddy God. In Jesus Mighty Name, Amen.
In His Love and Service,
Lara ;)
Copyright © Lara Velez, Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved
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