But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (Gal 5:22-23)
Sometimes we cannot find the fruits of the Spirit in our day to day lives. It's not because they aren't there, it's because our minds are focused on other things! More and more we realize that we need to find that quiet moment in our day to focus totally on Him and allow His love to wash over us completely.
In a perfect world, there would be nothing but the fruits of the Spirit. Even though we do not live in a perfect world, we answer to and serve a perfect God. All His gifts are available to us at any time. We just need to seek them. The phrase "love means never having to say you're sorry", is, in fact, a lie. Love means just that - saying you are sorry for all the sin, for the lack of faith, for the impatience, for the roughness and rudeness for the laziness and discontentment that finds its way daily into our lives. To say that we love God and then deliberately and willingly hurt others by our words or actions, requires us to go before the Lord and ask for forgiveness. Love means to always be willing to say you are sorry, it means to make an honest attempt to correct whatever defect of character you possess, it means to forgive and forget and to try to understand the needs of someone else, it means to listen and to comfort, it means to be sincere and honest, it means to encourage and support.
Knowing that Jesus loves us isn't enough. We have to love Him back. We do that through the daily trials of this life by not giving up and by putting Him above all else. We do that by always being conscious of those around us and the pain they may be silently enduring. We do that by reaching out to others to share His promise and the Word of God. The Holy Spirit bestows gifts upon us...spiritual gifts as well as our talents and abilities. If we use them to share His kingdom with others, we are showing our love for Him. If we continue to make the effort to set our goals in Him, and not the world, we are showing our love for Him. If we comfort another or lend a hand to someone in need - yes, we are most definitely showing our love for Him. Just as you show love for your family and friends, you should show love to your Creator in Heaven. Praise and thanksgiving, honor and glory - always and at all times belong to Him! Your life will get easier when your focus is on His plan for you, not yours! His is by far the better plan, so allow yours to be interwoven with His and the tapestry created will not only be unique, but blessed!!!
