So, you say you are a Christian – but do you display love? Can people come to you and pick love from your heavy laden “love producing” branches?

Jesus often said that you will be known by the fruit you produce. When listing the “fruit of the spirit” the Apostle Paul began with love (Gal.5:22f). Love should form the bedrock of all activities in our life. The reason we must have love is “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 Jn 4:8).

We human’s love to portray perfection on the outside, however, there may be some messed up things going on inside our hearts. Jesus sternly addressed this in the lives of the Pharisees when He stated “you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. ⁴⁰ You fools! Did not the One who made the outside make the inside as well” (Luke 11:39-40)?

You see, friend, selfless love originates as an emotion in the heart. Once you meditate on this fruit you start to embody the love of God. Then, from inside your heart flows the following loving fruit: a desire to caringly listen to the downtrodden; generosity to the struggling; encouragement to the hopeless; and kindness to everyone.