Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."
With a new look
Many people think of love, Christian love, as a fruit of the Spirit; but that’s not all it is. They know that God is Love, but for some unexplained reason most people don’t associate God’s Love as being a fruit of the Spirit.
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First off, when talking about the fruit, the Spirit is the Holy Spirit of God who is Love. So, what would be the fruit of Love? The Bible, pastors, everyone whom I know, and me too, always say that things reproduce after their kind; humans beget humans, dogs beget dogs, cats beget cats, the list goes on. Just so, Love begets love.
“But the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit within you is divine love in all its varied expressions: joy that overflows, peace that subdues, patience that endures, kindness in action, a life full of virtue, faith that prevails, gentleness of heart, and strength of spirit. Never set the law above these qualities, for they are meant to be limitless,” (Galatians 5:22-23 The Passion Translation).
I had a friend who complained to me that he wanted friends but had none. I told him, as many have said, ‘If you want friends be a friend.’
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There is a movement going on called ‘The Kindness Revolution’ and I agree with it whole heartedly. Kindness is an expression of the love of God. We are supposed to do kind acts for others because what we do for others will eventually get back to us, it could be right away or it could take years—up to a lifetime.
“Do for others what you want them to do for you. This is the teaching of the laws of Moses in a nutshell,” (Matthew 7:12 Living Bible). NOTICE: That does not say do to them because they won’t do it to you. Nor does it say to do it because they did it to you.
Patience is not just endurance (looooongsuffering, waiting); patience is how you wait and what you do while you wait. If you don’t continue in your confession of the outcome then your waiting is in vain. The question should be asked, what are you waiting for?
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The expression of love called joy will reveal an upbeat life. It is not happiness, but without joy happiness can only be faked and will not last. True love, the fruit of the Spirit—love, will express itself as the strangest peace from within that nothing and no one, no one except the Godhead, can explain. When you are walking is this love you will have a gentleness that radiates from you; babies will love to be around you because babies are usually more sensitive to this. You can just look at a crying baby and he/she will stop crying; I can’t explain it any other way, but I have experienced it.
“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” (Galatians 5:22:23 New Living Translation).
I used this version also because it speaks of goodness, which The Passion Translation called “a life full of virtue” and it uses faithfulness instead of just faith. Ya see, faithfulness is the quality of love to remain true to your word, whereas faith is a result of being faithful. Faithfulness also means being loyal and walking in integrity. If a gunman walks in to your office and dares everyone to spit on a girl caught in sin, if they didn’t he would shoot them, the faithfulness of God’s love will not and might be shot. Goodness is honesty, holding to your word.
“In whose eyes a vile person is despised, But he honors those who fear the Lord; He who swears to his own hurt and does not change; He who does not put out his money at usury, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.” (Psalm 15:4-5 New King James Bible).