THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT IS

L VLesson 2 for the 9th of January, 2010

O E

HOW CAN I LOVE?

With storgé love.• It is love within the family; natural affection.

With éros love.• It is love in the sense of “being in love”; it includes sexual

love.

With filía love.• It is friendship love; it includes loving things, ideas or

animals. It is sentimental love.

With agápe love.• It is pure and unselfish love, regardless of circumstances; it

is God’s love toward us.

Which type of love should we show in our lives, as Christians?

Agápe. Because it is a divine principle of for thinking and acting. It moulds our character, it rules our impulses, it controls our passions and it ennobles our affection. It is the noblest love, since it motivates us to do right and noble acts, no matter how we feel.

HOW CAN I LOVE?

INTRINSIC CHARACTERISTICS TO AGÁPE LOVE1 Corinthians, 13: 4-7

•It remains calm and patient when it is oppressed, slandered or pursued.

Patient

•It longs to do good to others; it is kind and polite and it tries to make everybody happy.

Kind

•It takes pleasure in the virtues of others; it takes an interest in the progress of the truth and in man’s happiness.

It rejoices in truth

•It hides the faults of others and keeps them to himself.

It bears all things

•It interprets the others behaviour in the best way possible, thinking well of others.

It believes all things

•It has faith in its neighbour; it is ready to fight the ridiculous and the disdain to defend him, knowing that the truth will be ennobled.

It hopes all things

•It endures calmly all the difficulties, the trials, the persecutions and the insults from men.

It endures all things

•It does not show bad or unkind feelings toward others just because they have any advantage over it.

It does not envy

•It does not extol its own virtues; it is humble and doesn’t praise itself.

It does not boast

•It does not fill a person with vanity; it does not produce conceit.

It is not proud

•It is never impolite, rude or rough; it never does anything that could offend its neighbour’s sensibility.

It is not rude

•It is ready to sacrifice its comfort, its time, its peace, its means and its talents in favour of others.

It is not self-seeking

•It never shows sorrow, impatience nor rage, but it is kind and calm

It is not easily

angered

•It does not bear in mind the evil, and it does not blame the others.

It keeps no record of wrongs

•It does not rejoice with its neighbour’s faults. It doesn’t take pleasure in listening that someone has made a mistake.

It does not delight in

evil

ALIEN CHARACTERISTICS TO AGÁPE LOVE1 Corinthians, 13: 4-7

HOW DO I SHOW LOVE? 1 Corinthians, 13: 4-7

I bear all things, I believe all things, I hope all things,

I endure all things.

I am patient, I am kind, I don’t envy,

I don’t boast, I’m not proud.

I’m not rude, I’m not self-seeking, I’m not easily angered, I don’t keep record

of wrongs.

I don’t delight in evil but rejoice in the truth.

WHOM MUST I LOVE?

God above all things.

We must love God with our reason, our will, our purposes, our feelings, our affection and our desires. Our love towards God must be unconditional, as He loves us.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy, 6: 5)

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This love involves respecting, helping and loving everyone who is near us, in an altruistic way.

“Love your neighbour as yourself” (Matthew, 22: 39)

My neighbour as myself.2WHOM MUST I LOVE?

My enemies.

We are not demanded to love with filía love, because we cannot feel the same affection that we feel towards our family or our friends. We are expected to love with agápe love, because that love is under our control. Loving (agápe) our bitter enemies involves treating them respectfully and courteously, considering them as God does.

“Love your enemies and pray for those

who persecute you” (Matthew, 5: 44)

3WHOM MUST I LOVE?

“A certain Samaritan, in his journey, came where the sufferer was, and when he saw him, he had compassion on him. He did not question whether the stranger was a Jew or a Gentile…He did not consider that he himself might be in danger of violence by tarrying in the place. It was enough that there was before him a human being in need and suffering.He took off his own garment with which to cover him. The oil and wine provided for his own journey he used to heal and refresh the wounded man. He lifted him on his own beast, and moved slowly along with even pace, so that the stranger might not be jarred, and made to suffer increased pain.He brought him to an inn, and cared for him through the night, watching him tenderly. In the morning, as the sick man had improved, the Samaritan ventured to go on his way.But before doing this, he placed him in the care of the innkeeper, paid the charges, and left a deposit for his benefit; and not satisfied even with this, he made provision for any further need, saying to the host, "Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee."”

E.G.W. (The Desire of Ages, cp. 54, page 503)

HOW DO I PRACTICE LOVE?

“In the story of the good Samaritan, Christ illustrates the nature of true religion. He shows that it consists not in systems, creeds, or rites, but in the performance of loving deeds, in bringing the greatest good to others, in genuine goodness…

E.G.W. (The Desire of Ages, cp. 54, pg. 497, 504)

HOW DO I PRACTICE LOVE?

Unless there is practical self-sacrifice for the good of others, in the family circle, in the neighborhood, in the church, and wherever we may be, then whatever our profession, we are not Christians.”