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Galatians 5:22, 23 - Fruit of the Spirit: LOVE.

Galatians 5:22, 23 (NLT) 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! 

INTRODUCTION

Love" One of several Greek words for 
love, agape, is the love of choice, referring not 
to an emotional affection, physical attraction, 
or a familial bond, but to respect, devotion, 
and affection that leads to willing 
self-sacrificial service (John 15:13; Rom. 5:8; 1 John 3:16, 
17). [MacArthur Daily Bible 2003] 

COMMENTARY PEARL

Impossible Love Made Possible
Only the Holy Spirit can enable us to 
fulfill God's two greatest commandments. 
   Jesus said the two greatest commandments 
are these: You shall love the Lord your God 
with all your heart, and with all your soul, and 
with all your mind and You shall love your 
neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-39). What an 
overwhelming assignment!  
   In our own strength, we will find success 
out of reach, but the Lord has provided a way 
for Christians to accomplish the impossible. The 
indwelling Holy Spirit works to produce His fruit in us 
(Gal. 5:22-23). The first quality listed is love, 
and the remaining eight are actually 
descriptions of how it is conveyed.   
   Love isnt produced by trying harder to 
muster good will toward someone who is irritating 
or hard to get along with. Instead, think of 
the process more like sap running through a 
branch on a grapevine. In a similar way, the Spirit 
flows through us, producing Gods love so we can 
express it to Him and to others.  
   Whenever we demonstrate kindness, 
patience, or gentleness, its Gods doing, not 
ours. Even the adoration we offer Him isnt 
something we produce in our own heart apart from His 
assistance. Though the command to love is enormous, 
Gods grace makes it possible.  [In Touch Daily 
Devotional by Charles Stanley at www.intouch.org] 

COMMENTARY

Looking for Fruit
   As believers, we all want the fruit of 
the Spirit, but how can we know if we truly have 
it? Even unbelievers can display these qualities 
when conditions are positive. This nine-fold 
fruit of the Spirit is not what we do, but who we 
are, and it is primarily on display in Christians 
when circumstances are unfavorable. Two 
characteristics help us recognize these traits in our 
lives. 
   Fruitful believers are not controlled by 
their environment. Everyone experiences trials and 
pain, but those who are filled with the Spirit do 
not lose His fruit because of their situations. 
They keep their joy even when difficulties 
overwhelm. If someone speaks harshly, they respond with 
kindness. Because the Holy Spirit is in control, He is 
free to produce His fruit no matter what the 
circumstances are. Even though such believers may feel 
pain, anger, or a desire for revenge, they choose 
to trust the Lord to protect them and direct 
the outcome.   
   Fruitful Christians recover quickly after 
a fall. These believers are not perfect, but 
they are sensitive to the Spirit's conviction and 
are quick to return to the Lord in repentance. 
In fact, they are actually grateful for the 
correction and praise God, not only for revealing their 
weakness but also for drawing them back to 
obedience. 
   No one produces these amazing qualities 
in himself. Trying harder to be godly will 
never work. Character transformation occurs when 
we submit to God, giving Him complete control 
of our lives. Only then will the Spirit be free 
to produce fruit that remains even in the 
deepest, darkest storms. [In Touch Daily Devotional 
by Charles Stanley at www.intouch.org] 

CLOSING THOUGHT

A Fire for Cold Hearts
   It happened in a large, 
seventy-five-year-old stone house on the west side of Houston. A 
massive stairway led up to several bedrooms. The den 
down below was done in rough-hewn boards with 
soft leather chairs and a couple of matching 
sofas. The wet bar had been converted into a small 
library, including a shelf of tape recordings and a 
multiple-speaker sound system. The ideal place to spend a 
weekend  unfortunately, my wife and I were there 
just for the evening. 
   The smell of char-broiled T-bones drifted 
through the rooms. The ladies laughed in the kitchen 
as they fussed around with ranch-style baked 
beans, a variety of salads, and homemade pies. 
Everybody knew everybody. An easy, relaxing atmosphere 
made you want to kick off your shoes and run your 
fingers over the thick, black hair of the sleeping 
Labrador retriever sprawled across the hearth of a 
crackling fireplace. 
   The host, a lifelong Christian friend, 
leaned his broad shoulders against the mantle as he 
told of the bass that got away last week. While 
the guys chided him loudly for exaggerating ("it 
had to weigh ten to twelve pounds!"), my eyes 
ran a horizontal path across the carved message 
on the mantle. The room was too dark to read 
what it said from where I sat. I was intrigued 
and strangely drawn from my overstuffed chair to 
get a closer look. 
   I ran my fingers along the outline of 
each letter as my lips silently formed the 
words: 
      IF YOUR HEART IS COLD
      MY FIRE CANNOT WARM IT.
   "Hmmmm," I thought, "how true."
   Fireplaces don't warm hearts. Neither 
does fine furniture nor a four-car garage nor a 
full stomach nor a job with a six-figure salary. 
No, a cold heart can be warmed only by the fire 
of the living God. 
   I settled back down, stayed quiet, and 
mused over those thoughts. I even prayed as I 
stared into the fire: 
   "Lord, keep my heart warm. Stop me when I 
rev my motor and get to moving too fast toward 
stuff I think will make me happy. Guard me from 
this stupid tendency to substitute things for 
You." 
   The dinner bell broke the spell. I stood 
up with all the men and we strolled toward the 
patio. I took a quick glance to remind myself of 
the words on the mantle one more time. The logs 
were now burned down to embers, and in the glow I 
remembered: 
      IF YOUR HEART IS COLD
      MY FIRE CANNOT WARM IT.
   I thanked God for His fire that has never 
burned down. 
   That memorable scenario happened over 
twenty years ago. My heart has, since then, 
occasionally cooled off. Today, however, it is warm 
because He never left me when I was cold. [Chuck 
Swindoll www.insight.org.] 

LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY 

John 3:16 - LOVE SUPREME!

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20211206-0816.html 

Galatians 5:22, 23 - JOY IN JESUS!

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20211212-0929.html 

YOUR COMMENTS

If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or 
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either 
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in 
hearing from you.  Thanks in advance and let's keep 
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred 
Gibbs