The Fruit Of The Spirit Is....Love

The difference between love and lust

The word is love is often abused and distorted. It is thought of as a warm fuzzy feeling, ecstatic sexual passion or a conditional commitment.

There is a difference between love and lust.
Love - A strong affection for another, devotion
Lust - A pleasure, a delight, an intense desire

Four Greek words translated as love

Phileo - Brotherly love
Eros - Passionate love
Storge - Family love
Agape - Sacrificial love. (This is the one used in Galatians and elsewhere)

'Agape expresses the deep and constant love and interest of a perfect Being towards entirely unworthy objects, producing and fostering a reverential love in them towards the giver, and a practical love towards those who are partakers of the same, and a desire to help others seek the giver'

Agape is used in the New Testament to convey five points

a) Attitude of God to his Son. John 17:26
b) Attitude of God to the human race. John 3:16
c) Attitude of Christians to each other. John 13; 34-35
d) Attitude of Christians to non-believers. I Thess 3:12
e) To express the essential nature of God. 1John 4:8

Love is more than a feeling

Why marriages break up - because feelings change.
Love is a commitment, it shouldn't depend on the way that we feel.
'Puppy love will not make it through the dog days'
'Puppy love has sent many a good man to the dogs'

Love desires the best for others

1 Corinthians 13: 4-7
Human nature is selfish - what's in it for me?

Love is unconditional

Romans 5:8
We should love regardless of the other person's attitude.

Love is not condescending

Not patronising, but genuine.
It's not about our annual visit to the drop in centre to help those less fortunate than ourselves, or the cheque that write to a charity every year. It's more than that.

Stewart Bloor

www.sicm.org