Our Pastor has begun a series on the Fruit of the Spirit, and Sunday he started with the first Fruit; Love. He read the entire chapter of 1 Corinthians 13 and used as his text Galatians 5:22-26. I am sharing today some of the gleanings from his message.
Our pastor said that Love is not a feeling, but love is an action. Jesus loved us and gave himself so that we could be saved. Some would possibly give their life for a friend, or family member, but probably not for an enemy. Yet Jesus laid down his life while we were yet sinners. The Love of God is unconditional - - He flat loves us!
In another place the Bible speaks about us being grafted into Christ. We become participants in all that he did and He continues to do. When we make the decision to connect with Jesus, - - we were there - - We died with Him, we were buried with Him, and we were resurrected with Him, and now we allow Jesus to live His life through us.
Our pastor told about a friend and his magnificent garden, full of flowers, and beautiful shrubs, and also with a number of exotic fruit trees. One tree in particular was a citrus tree and his friend had grafted 6 other citrus fruits into this one tree. It was an amazing tree with oranges, mandarins, tangerines, lemons, limes and grapefruit all on one tree.
Jesus is the union of all the Saints blended into one body. The first Psalm says that we are like a tree planted by the rivers of water and we are to bring forth Good fruit and to prosper. The first of these fruit of the Spirit is LOVE.
Because of His love, there was also an UGLY tree, the old rugged cross on which Jesus gave up his life. Jesus became a curse for us, taking our sin to the tree; all of our sins, past and present were nailed there. The resurrection brings the Holy Life of Jesus available to us. Love is what motivated Him to willing sacrifice himself for us.
The Key is the Tree; Jesus our tree, died on a tree so that we could be grafted in and bear good fruit for Him.
Galatians 5:25-27 Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.
This post was shared at: The Well Spring: http://www.lauraboggess.com/2011/09/playdates-with-god-mopping-as-spiritual.html
Also shared at: Hear it on Sunday, Use it on Monday. Please visit there to find other wonderful words: http://bit.ly/oRJcZP
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6 comments:
Interesting how as different as we are, we all work together as His fruit to make up His tree? Thanks for the reminder that love is an action that includes the assent of our will, not just some feeling as sold to us by Hollywood...
Love is an action, and a choice.
Thanks, Hazel.
Ok, so I have never heard of grafting other fruits into a tree! Wow, that's crazy.
Thanks for the post, Hazel.
Wow, that citrus tree -- what a metaphor!
Our small group is studying the Fruit of the Spirit as well. We talked about "peace" this week and it left a mark on me. When we talked about "love", we also read 1 Corinthians 13.
"The Key is the Tree; Jesus our tree"
Love that.
Such wonderful gleanings, Hazel! I love studying the Fruit of the Spirit--seems one can never get to the bottom of it. Great teaching here.
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