by Jamietra Hennington

Created on: August 16, 2008   Last Updated: August 17, 2008

Do you bear this Fruit?
Understanding True Love

God has been emphasizing a word to me we quite often share with one another without much thought. Love or the "L" word is more easily said than expressed.

Definitions
Oxford American Dictionary defines love as deep affection; admiration.
Yahoo Education defines it as a deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person, such as that arising from kinship.

However, the definition I favor most was written in the bible by Paul. He says,
"Love is patient,
love is kind.
It does not envy,
it does not boast,
it is not proud.
It is not rude,
it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects,
always trusts,
always hopes,
always perseveres.
Love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, NIV)."
Love is a fruit of the spirit God challenges us to walk in (Galatians 5:22-25). Is this a fruit you bear?

Paul's Explanation
He begins the 13th chapter by stating, "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing."
Paul spends this time explaining the importance of love. We sometimes rely on spiritual gifts and works hoping it will keep us in right standing with God alone. However, love must be present.
Paul's examples of his gifts without love are amazing to me. He first compares the absence of love with being a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. These are both really annoying sounds when they become repetitive. Do you think God may be annoyed by you speaking in tongues while consistently refusing to love your neighbor?
Paul secondly compares the lack of love with being nothing. He completely dismisses himself as a person. How is it that we can prophecy and move mountains, but avoid loving?
Lastly, Paul compares the absence of love with gaining nothing. The eternal life we sing and talk about gaining will not be ours if we do not learn to love one another.

Why Write an Article like this?
Often times, I hear the statement "I don't go to church because people are messy." This is an excuse for a person not to go to church. However, why is there so much mess in the church? If we are truly pursuing

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