Love, Fruit of the Holy Spirit
Gal.5:22-23
Love is the first mentioned of the fruit of the Spirit. This fruit is not anything that you are producing, it only comes by the Holy Spirit’s work through you. The world’s definition and your flesh’s definition is not the love that is produced by the Spirit.
[Eph.5:9] This is the “core” of the fruit of the Spirit, all goodness, righteousness, and truth. Most people define it with the “core” being lust.
[Gal.5:16-17] Your flesh and the Spirit are contrary to each other. The flesh lusteth against the Spirit.
[Gal.5:19-21] This is the “standard equipment” you are born with. Your car came with certain “standard equipment’ that must be included or it’s not a car, steering wheel, brakes, etc. Because of being of Adam, you have a sin nature that comes as “Standard equipment”.
Dating/Marriage
- [Eph.5:25,28-29] Men, you are to love your wife as Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it. That kind has NO lust in it. It is sacrificial, it provides, protects, and it cares for. Men, is this the driving force that encourages you to seek out your wife? When it is, it is of God, and it is fruit of the Spirit of God. When it is not, it is lust.
- [Eph.5;22], submit, [1Pet.3:1], be in subjection, nowhere does it say for a woman to love her husband.
- [1 Pet.3:5] it does say, holy women trusted in God being in subjection to their own husbands.
- [Titus 2:4-5] says that women must be taught to love their husbands.
- This all means, that a woman loves her husband by trusting God and being in subjection to her husband. Clearly no lust involved it this.
- The love I have for my wife has come from years of fearing God and loving my wife like Christ love the church. I have failed many times, but this is something that I cannot produce! This is a fruit of the Spirit of God.
- My wife loves me by fearing God and being in submission to me. She certainly cannot do this but for the work of the Spirit of God in her.
- We have both had previous marriages where our spouses have died. We both can testify that our first marriages were not based on any sort of Godly Love. We both will testify that a marriage by God and for God, with love produced by the Spirit is far better.
- My question to you, women, is your search for a husband based on a man that you can totally be in subjection to? That should be your only standard.
- Men, are looking for a wife that you can love in a manner, that you will proudly stand before Jesus Christ at the Judgment, and have no doubt that lust was not part of the selection process?
The Things that God Loves
- [Jn.3:16] We ought to love the things that God loves. If you are allowing the Spirit of God bear fruit through you, you will begin to love the things that God loves, lost souls, righteousness, and truth.
- [Prov.6:16-19] we ought to hate the things that God hates also.