A Fruitful LifeSample

In this day and generation, love is something that is preached constantly, but oftentimes, misunderstood drastically.

You see, love is more than a mere feeling, goosebumps, or butterflies — but the Bible shows us that love is a choice.

It is a choice that we have to choose to operate in daily. Ultimately, what this choice comes down to and what we have to ask ourselves is this: Am I going to live a life by the Spirit (God’s way) or life by the flesh (my way)?

One of the most popular portions of scripture that people refer to when it comes to love is 1 Corinthians 13 “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude…”.

Yet, I don’t know about you, but none of those things come natural to me. When someone cuts me off on the road or gives me an attitude, my first reaction is NOT patience.

Nevertheless, It is a choice we must make.

How do we choose to live a life rooted in love?

Well, in the natural, if you plant an apple seed, you won’t grow mangos.

In the same way, if you live a life indulging in your fleshly desires (planting seeds of the flesh), you won’t grow anything but the fruit of the flesh (anger, jealousy, bitterness, depression, anxiety, rage, and so on).

In John 15, it talks about how we must be connected to the Vine (the Lord), and how apart from the Lord we can do nothing. You can be disconnected from the Spirit and have a moment where you show love, but to continually grow that fruit in your life, you must stay connected to the source. To live a life by the Spirit is a dedication to the Lord, and a death to self. It’s a bold yet fruitful decision to follow the Lord. You trade your bitterness for joy, your anxiety for peace, and your anger for love.

This does not mean that we will not face hard things, or have moments where you fall short, but when you connect to the Spirit, the Lord will prune the things in your life that do not belong just like a plant. The pruning is not for anything but to produce healthy growth in our lives – it is for our good!

Laying your life down is not a sign of weakness, but of strength.

- Ashtin Villa, Director of Culture & Project Management