week 2

Week 2:  The fruit of the Spirit is LOVE

Questions to think about:

• How does it feel to love someone?
• How does it feel to be loved by someone?
• What do you think it takes to grow love?

Reflection:

It should be no surprise that the first quality of the Fruit of the Spirit is love.  Love is at the center of the Gospel message:  For God so LOVED the world that he gave his only son, so that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).  We see God’s love through Jesus’ life and ministry, and ultimately in the cross of Jesus.  We show God’s love by loving our neighbor (Matthew 22:37-39) and laying our lives down for others (1 John 3:16).  It is the Holy Spirit that grows this love in us, and it is the Holy Spirit that challenges us to share this love with others.

Just as fruit is no good to anybody if it stays on the tree until it rots, so love is no good if it is just kept to one’s self.  God’s love is an active love…a love that worked to bring redemption through Jesus and a love that works to draw us each to Himself.  Similarly, the love the Spirit grows in us is meant to be an active one…a love that seeks to share itself with others and a love that works for the good of those around us.

Verse to remember:

“Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth.”  1 John 3:18

Ask yourself:

• How do I know God loves me?  How would I be different if I didn’t know about God’s love?
• How can I share God’s love with my words, thoughts and actions this week?

Pray:

Dear God, thank you for Jesus, who shows me what it means that You love me.  Help me to love you, myself and others this week.  With the help of the Holy Spirit I pray…AMEN.

Extended learning Activity Suggestions:

• Find a random act of kindness you can surprise someone with…just to show them you love them.
• Get a few people together to visit those who may feel forgotten (i.e. older adults in a retirement center or children in a hospital).
• Be intentional about telling the people who are close to you what you appreciate about them.