Bearing the fruit of the Spirit, with love as the greatest.
Jesus said, “You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed you [I have planted you], that you might go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit may be lasting [that it may remain, abide], so that whatever you ask the Father in My Name [as presenting all that I AM], He may give it to you”. [John 15:16 (AMP)]
Since our purpose is to be fruitful and to be prosperous, to keep on bearing fruit; assuming in faith that we are now empowered from on high, let’s look at how we can get fruity; J
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence)… (Galatians 5:22-23, AMP)
The first on Paul’s list of fruits is love, and its fair to say that all else – all the other fruits and gifts proceed out of love; Jesus said “I give you a new commandment: that you should love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you too should love one another. [John 13:34 (AMP)]
Remembering all the gifts of the spirit; “wisdom, knowledge, faith, healings, wonders, prophecy, discernment, speaking in tongues and interpretation of tongues” Paul goes on to say “But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet I will show you a more excellent way.” This more excellent way is Love and he says
Love is patient
Love is kind
Love does not envy
Love does not boast
Love is not proud
Love is not rude
Love is not self seeking
Love is not easily angered
Love keeps no record of wrongs
Love does not delight in evil, but;
Love rejoices with the truth
Love always protects,
Love always trusts,
Love always hopes,
Love always perseveres
Love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:4-8, AMP)
He concludes “And so faith, hope, love [faith—faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen; hope—joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation; love—true affection for God and man, growing out of God’s love for and in us], abide these three; but the greatest of these is love. [1 Corinthians 13:13 (AMP)]
It is worth remembering
1 John 4:8 (KJV) God is love. Therefore
God is patient
God is kind
God does not envy
God does not boast
God is not proud
God is not rude
God is not self seeking
God is not easily angered
God keeps no record of wrongs
God does not delight in evil, but;
God rejoices with the truth
God always protects,
God always trusts,
God always hopes,
God always perseveres
God never fails