Children of God through Jesus, be the face of love.

Over the next 9 weeks, I would like to talk about each of the “fruit of the Spirit” which are listed in Galatians 5:22-23. And not just how we are to bear the fruit…but how it is to so own and define us that we are the fruit. After all when we are the branches connected to the Vine (John 15), we will naturally exude the fruit that is His face, that represents His life-giving essence in the world.

The first is love.

Christ represented the face of the Father’s love (1 John 4), and we are also called to represent the face of the perfect love found only in and through the Three-in-One God as we worship in Spirit and in truth.

That doesn’t mean that we should automatically be accepting of ongoing sin and celebrate poor choices made by others (and, yes, ourselves). And it doesn’t mean we will be spineless pansies who never feel appropriate righteous indignation.

To be the face of Christ’s love is to be overwhelmed with gratitude for the charity that we’ve been shown so that we might speak of and demonstrate a kindness that leads others to repentance. And it makes a light shine in our eyes over everything that displays God’s glory.

We must run daily to the arms of Christ so that His love will overflow from us as a result.

Be who you are, more and more. Be the face of love.