Monday, June 22nd

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

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.

“My old man loves his lawn more than he loves me.”

That statement was made by a 17 year old boy as he sat eating pizza with a table-full of his peers. I was a Youth Pastor at the time and was leading a small group of students on a ministry trip. We had gathered for a meal and the conversation had turned to parents. The kids were taking turns talking about their respective relationships with their parents, and most were surprisingly positive. This particular young man had been a quiet observer for most of the conversation – until he finally spoke up and said, “My old man loves his lawn more than he loves me.”

As the young man continued on to explain his comment – it became clear that, while his father did indeed love him as his son, he certainly did not know how to communicate that love in a way his son could understand or feel it.

Paul says, “The fruit of the Spirit is love…” That is, the very first sign that the Holy Spirit has taken up residence in our hearts is the capacity to love. Now it is easy to think about “love” – and the rest of the “fruit of the Spirit” - in a kind of abstract way. We think to ourselves, “Sure I believe that love is important!”, or, “Sure, I love my family!” But we rarely ask ourselves, “How have I demonstrated my love; how have I communicated my love; how have I shared my love so that my wife, husband or children can know without a doubt that I do, in fact, love them?”

This is why Paul also takes the time to teach us about what love is and what love does in 1 Corinthians 13. We most often hear this text during wedding ceremonies – but take a moment to read it in the context of “Faith @ Home.”

 I am patient and kind at home – with my wife and children. I make a point not to be proud or rude at home – and I seek to care for and serve my family before myself. I am not easily angered, and do not keep track of times when I feel hurt or disrespected by my family. I do not delight in evil but rejoice with the truth. The love I have for my family leads me to always act to protect those I love, to trust and to be trustworthy, to hope for God’s best and to persevere in love even when it is difficult to do so. (my paraphrase)

Like most of scripture, it sounds just a bit different when applied directly to our own lives! So let’s end today with a question; is the kind of love Paul is talking about in both Galatians and 1 Corinthians real in your home – or is it just an idea?

Ask the Holy Spirit to grow love in your home!

Brian Coffey