Get Close To The Lord

The Fruit of the Spirit - Love #4

Galatians 5:22a
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, ...”

Love in the home.

I Peter 3:8
“...having compassion one of another.”

Compassion is defined as “sympathetic consciousness of another’s distress, coupled with the desire to relieve it.” Many times a couple in the heat of arguments, concentrate on each others faults rather than their problem. This leads not to relief, but to frustration.

I Peter 3:8
“...love as brethren...”

Strange, these words appear to be in the light of husband and wife relationship. Yet they are the very heart of the husband and wife relationship. We do not speak disrespectfully to our brother in the Lord, lest he be offended. We are careful not to take advantage of him,
and are quick to help him when he is in trouble. We make an effort to see he enjoys the time he spends with us and that we favorably impress him. We are very careful not to lose our temper in his presence. Is not this the kind of relationship and love we need to show to each other in the home?

I Peter 3:8
“...be pitiful...”

This literally means to “be kind.” God did not create male and female alike and blessed is the person who recognizes this. Men feel and think differently then women. This gap has to be bridged with kindness. We run into severe problems when we try to be something we are not. It is wise for us to remember, “It is the Lord who hath made us, not we ourselves.” It is the wise mate who realizes that his or her mate is an individual whom God has created, not to be forced into an unnatural pattern bent to the sordid desires of the other.

Notice, “...be courteous: not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing...” Here is one of the most important keys for a successful marriage. Marriage is not only selecting the right mate, but also becoming the right mate. Some wives complain that their husband is courteous and considerate in public, but rude and selfish at home. Then some husbands say their wife is gracious and vivacious in a crowd, but moody and unkept at home. Too often, when we are hurt by our mate, we wish to hurt in return. However in marriage, more than in any other place in life, there must be the willingness to go the second mile. This is love, a fruit of the Spirit.

Russell Stolp
Chaplain, CFO

Psalm 37:4 "Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart."
Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy
ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.