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Fruit of Love |
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Article by Tom Gilbert —
October 2006
Autumn is the time of harvest. The fruits
of the field are more prevalent this time of year than any other.
The bounty of the harvest is something we celebrate and you
can see signs of it all around you. Harvest festivals, farmers’
markets, the preparation of meals that so often become centerpieces
of fellowship – these are all acknowledgements of the
food of the land.
The fruits of love should be evident among all followers of
God and especially so with Christians. The message of Jesus
Christ, the Messiah prophesied in the Jewish scriptures, is
one of love. It is not just love of self (something we all have
an easier time with), but one of love for all God’s creation.
Jesus is quoted in the gospel of John as giving us the message
from the Father, from God, to love God with all our strength,
mind and body and to love others (our neighbors) as we love
ourselves. Sadly, this is so often not the case with the very
people who claim to be believers and Christians.
How Do We Grow?
How do we grow like a well-fertilized crop to the point of bearing
fruit? This is something we must all confront. Are we planted
in good soil? Are we allowing God’s grace to rain down
on us, providing us the spiritual sustenance that will fill
us with love for others, especially those it is hardest to love?
In chapter 15 of John’s gospel Jesus tells his disciples
that they are all branches of the one true vine. God’s
love is the nutrient that spreads through the vines. On our
own we are unable to bear the fruit of love. We must be connected
to the vine. One of the great mysteries the Christ brings us
is that of unity – of being at one with God – and
He shows us how. It is through love.
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The Spirit of God
The Spirit of God can, and does, surely
dwell in us when we accept God’s call on our hearts. The
parable of the sower of the seeds tells us that some will hear
the message but not accept it, but some will gladly embrace
it only to turn away when the cares and worries of the world
make it too hard to persevere. Fortunately, there are some who
will hear the message and take it to heart and these people
will be evident by their love for others. We can all talk about
loving others, but unless we truly have love in our hearts expressed
in outgoing and unselfish care, concern and compassion for others
we will be merely making noise (1 Corinthians 13).
The quest for a meaningful and lasting relationship with God
is a spiritual journey that will inevitable be fraught with
hardship. This is the test of our love. We must find a way to
love despite the way of the world which is so often counter
to the teachings of Christ. This is a tall order. If we say
we love God but there are people that we make an exception to
the law of love then we are not true to the teachings. Jesus
makes it clear that God’s commandment is to love. We should
not view this commandment as a harsh law. It is the nature of
God. To love others is to live as God created us to live. If
we don’t choose this way of love we fail to live the abundant
life both Jesus and the Father want us to have. And God allows
us to choose because of love! To force us to obey is not love.
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It's Not Always Logical
Love may not always appear to be the logical
choice, but the apostle Paul reminds us in his first letter
to the Corinthians that it is the most important of all virtues.
One of the greatest demonstrations of love from anyone was from
the Messiah himself, hanging in agony on a cross and yet refusing
to return the spite and hate of those killing him with vengeance,
anger or hate. Instead, Jesus transformed all the negativity
towards him that day on Calvary Hill and returned only love
and forgiveness.
To live a life of spiritual progress that bears the fruit of
love is a choice. It is not an easy choice no matter how beautiful
and right it sounds. All of us want to be loved. It is much
easier to return love from those who love us. It’s not
so easy to love when we are hurt, hated or persecuted. I really
don’t think any of us is capable of doing that without
the help of a loving God (no matter how you conceive of that
God or by what name you call it).
I often think one of the most powerful prayers any of us can
ever make is “God help me”. God does help, but often
not in the ways we hope or expect. God goes deeper, pruning
us of our selfishness and asking us to be different from the
instincts that cry out for revenge.
The Perfect Way
History has shown us there are brave individuals willing to
live a life of love. They have always faced great persecution
(often dying for their beliefs) and they’ve had their
share of struggles following the way of love. They are not superhuman.
They’ve simply persevered and sought God’s help.
Yes, it can mean times of loneliness and anguish. But we cannot
reverse the tide of hate by anything other than the perfect
way of love.
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Scripture taken from the Holy
Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.Copyright © 1973,
1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved
throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible
Society.
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks
of International Bible Society. Use of either trademark for
the offering of goods or services requires the prior written
consent of International Bible Society.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible,
New Living Translation, copyright ©1996. Used by permission
of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189, USA. All
rights reserved.
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