When Paul wrote to the Galatians about the fruit of the Spirit, the first one he listed was love. Read Galatians 5:13-26.
How do you define love? It’s a word we use a lot, but have you ever stopped to think about what it means? Unfortunately, in our society, we find a distorted kind of love that is self-centered.
We see romantic movies and think love is about strong emotions and blissful feelings. And when those feelings fade, we think love has ended. Or we pursue friendships only insofar as our friends do not let us down. But true, biblical love is selfless, sacrificial and unconditional—it is not contingent on our feelings or circumstances.
While love is mentioned by Paul as a piece of the fruit of the Spirit, it is also synonymous with the fruit of the Spirit. Why? Because love encompasses all the other characteristics on the list. When we demonstrate a life of biblical love, we invariably express joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Prayer: “Father, help me to remember the importance of love and to practice true, biblical love in my life. Teach me how to abide in You moment by moment, that I might bear this fruit in my life daily. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.”
“Love never fails” (1 Cor. 13:8a).
Michael Youssef was born in Egypt and lived in Lebanon and Australia before coming to the United States and fulfilling a childhood dream of becoming an American citizen. With degrees in theology and social anthropology, God has gifted Dr. Youssef with a bold voice to bring Biblical clarity to today’s issues and speak to a worldwide audience.
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