Fruit Inspection . . . Love!

"Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit . . . ," John 15:4-5.

When we think of fruit, we automatically think of apples, oranges, strawberries, kiwi, bananas, pears, figs and the like. While God did produce these wonderful fruits, this passage is speaking of something more. Just as the pear tree can not produce strawberries, nor the apple tree figs we can not produce the good of Christ in our lives unless we are connected to Him. If we are His we will see His fruit in our lives.

Scripture also teaches us to inspect the fruit of those who have influence over us. It's vital to know if they are really of God (this one thing will save us much time, heartache, and confusion) The Bible says it this way, "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them . . . ," Matthew 7:15-16.

So, what is this fruit supposed to look like? The Bible tells us the fruit of the Spirit is this, " . . . the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law," Galatians 5:22-23.

Over the next few weeks we will be looking at the biblical definitions of each characteristic so we can better answer these two questions. One, "Am I portraying Christ likeness in my life?" Two, "Is the advice , teaching, or preaching I'm listening to coming from someone who produces this godly fruit?

Today let's look at love. There are three kinds of love.

• Eros- this is a selfish love, often used in connection with sensuality.
• Philos- is defined as a friendship kind of love.
• Agape-(ag-ah'-pay) is defined as a godly love that goes beyong our feelings/emotions.

The best definition of this kind of love is found in I Corinthians 13:4-8, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails . . . "

Please take a few minutes now to go through each characteristic, and ask youself, "Am I portraying this kind of love in my life?" This is not always an easy thing to do. Non-Christians can eros and philos, but only a Christian has the power of Christ within them to accomplish this godly Agape love. Agape love is not controled by our feelings or our emotions, Agape loves sacrificially, and Agape love NEVER FAILS!

Dear Jesus,

Help us to recognize the love You lavish on us, and help us to readily display your love to others. I pray you will bring the characteristics of love to the forefront of our minds when we're dealing with unlovely people, and I pray our actions and reactions will represent you well. May walls be broken down, marriages healed, friendships restored, and truth be preserved in the heart of those who experience Your love flowing through Your people. I thank you for this promise, love never fails.

In Jesus Name,
Amen