Paying it forward…the love of God.
Paying it forward…..the love of God.
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
When asked what love is people give a myriad of answers. But the most common of all is that love is a “feeling”, an emotion of the heart above all else.
Is that the true answer, the right definition?
The fruit of the Spirit is said to be singular and then a cluster, all wrapped in that one word of love. This love is the Greek Word Agape – it is a love more of decision than of the spontaneous heart, as much a matter of the mind than the heart, because AGAPE love chooses to love the undeserving!
William Barclay says, “Agape has to do with the mind; it is not simply an emotion which rises unbidden in our hearts; it is a principle by which we deliberately live.”
It is seeking the best even for those who seek the worst for us.
As we read that we think that is impossible to do. True, without our coming to know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour.
Because once we have received God’s love and forgiveness ourselves we then are changed within by the Holy Spirit in such a way that we, overwhelmed by God’s love, cannot help but ‘pay this forward’ to others no matter how they treat us.
For we have come to understand in receiving God’s love and forgiveness in our own sinful lives, we have done so undeservingly. This is why it is called grace – we get what we don not deserve – God’s love instead of His judgment.
It is interesting to hear people comment on AGAPE love when they first hear about it. The majority say they could never love in such a way. But once a person has been on the receiving end of such love from God, through His Son Jesus Christ, how we see things so differently from the other side of the fence!
Yes we cannot love this way in our own strength, its impossible.
But this love will bloom like a fruitful tree in our lives without any effort on our part when we have been the recipients of it by the grace of God.
You too can know and experience this AGAPE love in and through your life if you will but seek forgiveness from God, through His Son Jesus Christ and then accept Him as your Lord and Saviour. Then you will know this amazing love in your own life and you will not be able to help yourself in ‘paying it forward’ to others.