Encompassing Love

How do you define love? It’s a word we use a lot, but have you ever stopped to think about what it means? Unfortunately, in our society, we find a distorted kind of love that is self-centered. We see romantic movies and think love is about strong emotions and blissful feelings. And when those feelings fade, we think that love has ended. Or we pursue friendships only insofar as our friends do not let us down. But true, Biblical love is selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional—it is not contingent on our feelings or circumstances.

While love is mentioned by Paul as a piece of the fruit of the Spirit, it is also synonymous with the fruit of the Spirit. Why? Because love encompasses all the other characteristics on the list. When we demonstrate a life of Biblical love, we invariably express joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.