Fruit # 1 - LOVE

As I mentioned in my previous post, I have decided to write about one of the fruits of the spirit each week for the next nine (ish, I am not off to a great start) weeks.  This week's post is about love.

According to dictionary.com, love is: 

1. a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.
2. a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.
3. affectionate concern for the well-being of others.
4. the benevolent affection of God for His creatures, or the reverent affection due from them to God.

What do you think of when you think of the word "love?"  For me, when I first think of love, I think of the relationships that I have with my family and friends. I think of the overwhelming sense of love I feel from them and the feeling of love that wells up in my heart when I interact with them.  My second thought (which probably should have been my first) is about how much I am loved by God, my Creator.

Did you know that the only reason that we are able to love is because God first loved us?  That's right, according to 1John 4:19, "We love because He first loved us."  Isn't that a crazy thought.  Do you want to know what is even crazier?  This will give you a sense of just how much God loves us...John 3:16 says "For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son (Jesus), so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."  For those of you who have children, can you imagine giving your child over to death to save another person, much less someone who has wronged you as we wrong God everyday by sinning?  Yep, that is how wide, long, high, and deep God's love for us truly is. Mind-blowing isn't it?

So, how are we supposed to live this fruit of the spirit in our daily lives?  I think that 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 below sums it up quite nicely.  To exude love, we must be patient and kind in our dealings with others.  We must also humble ourselves and be thankful for who God made us instead of being envious of others.  We should do what is best for others instead of always doing what is best for us.  We should not let conflicts fester and root bitterness in our soul. And, we should always protect and trust the people we love. 

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

What are some simple ways you plan on showing LOVE this week?

Resolution Update - Falling off the Wagon

Well, I hate to report this, but I fell off the wagon pretty early on in my New Year's resolution.  As one of my colleagues put it, not only did I fall off the wagon, but the darn thing ran me over and is dragging me behind it because I don't want to let go.  So, I am going to muster up all of my physical strength and climb back in the darn thing and strap myself in this time. If you have no idea what I am talking about, you may need to read my resolution post before you keep reading this one. 

Although I failed, I did try, at least the first week, to pick a fruit of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control) each day and live it out in my daily life.  I found that it was difficult to remember to pick a new fruit each day and to try to find ways to live it out on top of the other responsibilities, activities, and distractions I deal with on a daily basis.  Excuses, excuses...  Well, I am not giving up and I now have a plan I really think I can do.  Instead of picking a new fruit of the spirit each day, I plan to focus on a different fruit each week.  In my paper calendar, I am going to (today) assign a fruit to each week throughout the rest of the year.  I am also going to add a reminder in my work Outlook calendar to pop up each Monday morning.  Then, I will not have the excuse of forgetfulness.  To get me really committed to this resolution, I also pledge (to you) that for the next nine weeks, I will write one post each week describing the fruit that I am focusing on and how we (you and I) can live it out in our daily lives.

So, if you have also fallen off the resolution wagon, have hope.  Together, you and I still have a chance of being (322 days left this year/365 days per year=) 88% successful this year.  That's pretty good!

Next week's post - LOVE

A fruitful new year

I was sitting in church this past Sunday and Patrick, the head pastor of my church, said something about new year's resolutions.  I suddenly realized that I had not made any resolutions for the new year.  YIKES!  What's the point right?  It always seems like a great way to start the year, but by the end of January the resolution is either forgotten or completely trampled leaving you with a sense of failure.  Sitting there in church, I almost made a snap resolution like eating healthier, exercising more often, or reading my Bible more, but I decided that I did not want to make a fruitless resolution this year.  So, I let the moment pass.

In the last 24 hours I have been thinking a lot more about resolutions and goals for the new year and fruit came to mind.  Not the kind you eat, but a different kind.  Ultimately, as a Christian, not only my year goal, but my life goal is to become more like Christ. So, I had the idea to focus on and try to exhibit one of the "fruits of the Spirit" each day of this new year.

Galatians 5:22-23 says:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

I'm not going to tell you which fruit I am going to focus on first, but I will periodically give you an update to let you know which one I am focused on and how the resolution is going.  I'm sure I'll fall off the wagon throughout the year, but my goal is to keep chasing the wagon down and jumping back on so that I can become more like Christ.  Keep your fingers crossed, we'll see how it goes!