Greatest of These is Love

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,patience,kindness,goodness,faithfulness,gentleness,and self control. Against such things there is no law" Gal. 5:22-23

Eros: Grasping Love
The fruit of the Spirit is:
* the supernatural outcome of being filled with the Spirit
* the living proof that the Spirit of God dwells in us
Gal. 5:22-23 speaks of one kind of fruit with nine different qualities, each of which we will study during next 8 weeks.

God has divinely inspired the first quality of the fruit of the Spirit to be LOVE.
In Greek mythology, eros love was taken from the Greek belief in a "god" of love called by the same name. The word actually means "longing and desire." Eros is a selfish love; it asks "what can I get for myself?"
We can easily understand how eros came to be associated with sexual love. Unless, sexual love is redeemed by the presence of God, it becomes possessive. It seeks to conquer and control. Human sexulity can be a destructive force, but such was never God's intention. He created the physical attraction between a woman and a man. He did not intend selfish eros, but He definitely did create the longing and desire that make up sexual love.

**Physical love or sexual intercourse is to marriage what prayer is to our spiritual life.
**I do not belive healthy marriages exist absent of physical affection.

The grounds for depriving each other are: 1 Cor. 7:3-6
1. mutual consent
2. in time of prayer with one another

Satan is out to destroy the church, which is best accomplished through destroying the family. He is looking for a way to tempt you. If you or your mate are depriving each other, SAtan is not missing the opportunity to ultimately use it against you. You have inadvertantly made your marriage vulnerable to attack. Also, Paul states that by nayure we lack self-control. The enemy of our flesh will attack us if we are not satisfying each other as a husband and wife.

"Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble." 1Peter 3:8

Philos: Friend Love
God wonderfully illustrates a second kind of love to us in Scripture. This unique kind of love is called philos, and it is a general term usually defined as "the love one has toward a friend or companion." In fact, the word can simply mean "friend."

Luke 14:10
When a person has philos love for another, she places that person in a higher place.

In Luke 21:16 we learn that a friend in some cases can be capable of betrayal. The fear of betrayal should never keep us from cultivating friends.
In Luke 23:8-12 we see that a common pursuit can make some people philos. A very important characteristic of philos is the adoption of like interests. James 2:23 tells us that Abraham was a philosphilos, agape is not a feeling or relationship based on common interests. Agape is propelled by the highest interest. Two individuals can agree on something-As Pilate and Herod did-and both be wrong. Agape always flows from what is right and best.
*Agape is not as much a feeling as it is a response.
We will discover that God commands us to agape. He is not commanding us toward a feeling, He is commanding us to surrender to an act of His Spirit whish results in obd=edience. Emotion may accompany agape, but emotion and agape are not the same.

Agape is not fueled by the desire of its recipient; it is fueled by the need. "For God so [agape] the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not persish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). If God had done what man desired, we would surely be lost. Agape means God did what humanity most needed- He pursued in us that which was highest and best.

Characteristics of Agape:
1.Agape is patient
-Romans 12:17-21
-Proverbs 25:21-22

2.Agape is Kind
-Perhaps poor Martha was just searching for a little kindness from Mary in the kitchen while Mary was seeking a better thing!

3.Agape does NOT ENVY
-Acts 7:9
-One only has to scan a newspaper to find that envy can kill.

4.Agape does NOT BOAST
-1Cor.1:27-29
-The only grounds for boasting, when boasting in the Lord (1Cor. 1:21

5.Agape is NOT PROUD
-Negative consequences resulted from pride in the following scriptures:
2Chron. 26:16
Psalm 10:4
Proverbs 11:2
Daniel 5:20
Obadiah 3
Jeremiah 13:17
-Positive consequence that came from repenting of pride: 2Chron. 32:26

6.Agape is NOT RUDE
-Phil 4:8
-Agape is never obscene. If we participate in the indescent or obscene, we cripple our ability to exercise agape.

7.Agape is NOt SELF-SEEKING
-2Tim. 3:2
-Agape is the highest and best for another. Self-seeking is polar opposite of agape. Had God been seeking His own interest, He would have spared the life of His precious Son, and we would be hopelessly lost.

8.Agape is NOT EASILY ANGERED
-Much of what angers us is a result of how we percieve we are personally affected by a situation.
-Psalm 145:8 tells us about God's anger

9.Agape keeps no record of wrong
-Psalm 103:10-14 tells us God's love toward you
-Hebrew 10:16-18 describes God's ability to forgive and forget
**Praise God, He keeps no record of wrongs!!! Do you?

10.Agape does not delight in evil but rejoices with truth
-Psalm 119:29-32

11.Agape always protects
1Cor. 13:7
-1Peter 4:8

12.Agape always trusts
-The greek word for trust is pisteuo, which basically involves having faith in someone.

13.Agape always hopes
-2Cor. 8:22-24

14.Agape always perseveres
-The greek word for perseveres is hupomeno, which means "to remain under". In common terminology, agape "hangs in there".
-Do you enjoy long-term relationships? How easily are you discouraged in a relationship? Spend time thinking about that.

15.Agape NEVER FAILS
-The greek word for fails is ekpipto, and it means "to be without effect, to be in vain."
-This characteristic, perhaps, more than any other, encourages us toward agape love. Concentrate on this truth: agape never without effect. Agape is never in vain!

And now these three remain:faith,hope,and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1Cor. 13:13

**We may have various ways of expressing agape, but it alaways shows! Love never fails to be demonstrative!

What an amazing week of study! I am truly humbled and filled with joy by God's love for us. My prayer is that we all strive and desire to show one another the love that only come from Him...agape love!!!

much love,
brandy~