Bear the Fruit of Love
Yesterday we discussed the importance of bearing fruit and how it requires connection with God. But, what kind of fruit does God want from us? How can we live a life that reproduces him? Carefully consider the following Scripture because it declares the type of fruit we must produce and how to do it.
John 15:9-14 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command.
The fruit that God wants us to bear is the fruit of love. The only way we can produce God’s love is to receive his love. This is why Jesus said, “Remain in my love.” Only those who live their lives inside of the love of God will be able to bear the fruit of love.
Bearing the fruit of love is not something small to God; it is everything! Only love can produce the righteousness of God.
When asked by the Pharisees what the greatest commandment was, Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40 Love is not merely important; all the Law and the Prophets hang on it.
Romans 13 8-10 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandments there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
In 1 Corinthians 13, apostle Paul makes it clear that nothing we do for God has value if it is done without love. Everything in the kingdom of God centers around love. Many people think they know God because they can quote a lot of Scripture, but a person who knows a lot of Scripture but does not operate in the love of God does not know God as they ought. One of the essential purposes of the Holy Spirit is to cause us to walk in love.
Romans 5:5 The love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.
When a person is led by and lives in step with the Holy Spirit, they are empowered to bear the fruit of love which fulfills the entirety of God’s righteousness.
A tree is recognized by its fruit. Matthew 7:15-23 says that a good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. The fruit that comes from the Holy Spirit is drastically different from the fruit from the flesh. The following is a list of those fruits.
Galatians 5:19-21 The acts (or fruits) of the sinful nature (the nature that is outside of love) are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things, there is no law.
When we live knowing that we are loved by God and perfect in his sight, everything that God is begins to be transferred to earth. I believe the final move of God will be the fulfillment of Jesus’ prayer in John 17, where he prayed five times for love and unity to happen to us. Yes! I believe that we are headed into the most glorious move of God this world has ever seen! Unity within the body of Christ is about to happen because we are getting ready to…
Bear the Fruit of Love