The Challenge of Love (A study of the Fruit of The Spirit)
Since the beginning of the month we have been looking at the connected life.
This is a study of the fruit of the Spirit which every believer in Christ is supposed to exhibit as they grow in Christ.
Today we are continuing our study and we are looking atThe Challenge of Love.
Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control.
Against such there is no law.
The salvation of our souls started with the love of God.
The bible tells us that For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.
It all started with love.1John 4:8
He who does not love does not know God,
for God is love.
What is Love?
Now there are four different Greek words translated asLove; they are
Eros.,Storge, Phileo, Agape, Roman 12: 10
Be kindly affectionate to one another
with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;
Agape is the very nature of God, for God is love (1 John 4:7-12, 16b).
This is why God can command us to love our enemies (Matt. 5:44; Exod. 23:1-5).
How do you know that you are demonstrating the Agape love of God?
John 14: 21 gives us the answer…
Agape love keeps on loving even when the loved one is unresponsive,unkind, unlovable, and unworthy. It is unconditional love.
It is used approximately 320 times in the New Testament.
John 3:16, 3:35, 13:34, 14:15, 15:9, 15:13; Romans 5:5, 13:8-10; Gal. 5:22; Eph. 3:17, 4:2, 4:15, 5:2, 5:25;
I Corinthian 13:4-7
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love is aware and still love anyway
That is why Rom. 5:7-8 tells us
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
How do we show this love?Matthew 22:37-40
37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’[d] 38 This is the first and great commandment.
Love’s Challenge
Roman 5: 8 tells us…
God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Love’s Challenge
Paul gave us a clue why it might be difficult to demonstrate love in verse 5 .. Paul said
The love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us at salvation.
Why is because Agape love flows from the love of God which receive when we are born again.
Is there anyone who want to demonstrate this God like love…
Is there anyone who want to take the challenge to demonstrate the God kind of love?
You can only do so when you are connected to God through the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary
Will you take the challenge to love today?
Pastor Otuno expounds on this and much more on the exciting journey of Fresh Encounter Radio Podcast originally aired on Aor. 15, 2018 on WNQM, Nashville Quality Ministries and WWCR World Wide Christian Radio broadcasts to all 7-continents on this big beautiful blue marble earth floating through space. Please be prayerful before studying The Word of God so that you will receive the most inspiration possible.
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