Serve God, Serve People

We love, love. This notion makes sense to me because we were created in love, with the purpose of exchanging it in a relationship with our creator. We love because we were loved first by God. It is stitched into every purpose of our existence, and not only is it a beautiful gift, it feels amazing. Who doesn’t love, feeling loved? God’s love is abundant, everlasting, and unfaltering. It is guiding, forgiving, and ever evolving for our greater good. God loves us in a way that we will never be able to comprehend, and yet I still think we frequently mix up the very idea of what love is.

America sells us love. We have dedicated an entire holiday to the notion that love can be bought in a dozen roses, and a box of chocolates, maybe even some jewelry. America auctions love. We have entire binge-ready televisions shows masquerading lustful initial desires as lifetime commitments. America markets love. We have endless movies, and commercials depicting a happy couple, with the white picket fence, and the dog, and the kids – the complete happily ever after. America loves the idea of love, that is self-gaining. America smothers us in the idea that love is a deserved tangible gift. America loves the spirit of greed.

In the next few weeks as we continue to read through Galatians, we will see how Paul breaks down the spiritual warfare of following Christ through true faith, against making false claims with our tongue all the while living out a life led by flesh. There are always opposing spirits, and we have spent many Sundays questioning the integrity of our soil and sifting through scriptures of the fruits of the spirit. As Christians we want to produce good fruits, I believe it is in an innate desire when you accept Jesus as your savior. In Matthew 12:33 NLT Jesus states that ‘a tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad.’ I think it is important to note here that the tree produces fruit regardless of the spirit. It is the quality of the product that determines everything. In Galatians 5:22-23 it states that ‘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.’
 
So how do we produce the fruit of the spirit, love? The first step is the Holy Spirit. It cannot be produced or grown in any spirit other than that of the Holy Spirit.  We access the Holy Spirit through repentance and baptism, as Peter tells us in Acts 2:38. The second step is knowing and pursuing the true definition of love, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. Love is service. Love is not self-gaining. Love is not receiving gifts. Love is not deserved. ‘For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.’ - Galatians 5:13

Therefore, to bear the fruit of loving God, and loving people, you must serve God, and serve people.