“The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself though love.” Galatians 5:9
Having a love for others doesn’t come quickly (usually), easily, or accidentally. Building a love for another person takes intentionality, effort, time, and prayer.The work of the Holy Spirit is the work of building love for others.
Interestingly enough, you might have been working with the Holy Spirit to build a love for someone else and without noticing it, the fruit had ripened.
Some might think, if I’ve been working on relationship, I’d know the fruit became ripe the moment it happened. If that’s the case, wonderful, but if you’re a little slower and need evidentiary proof of the Spirit changing you, I say, stay alert. Opportunities might be waiting to prove it.
As a planner yet procrastinator every minute of my day seems to be accounted for. When something pops up and demands that I rearrange my time frame, I’m shaken. One day this week, I was planning to use a swatch of time to do a certain task. All days things piled up and forced me to reschedule. The moment I sat to finally start my project another need emerged- obvious and imminent.
I thought about starting the task. I wanted to slid my computer over, flip it open and work, but the Spirit seemed to intone, don’t even think about it. So, silently I acknowledged the prompting and settled in for the work He was about to do, but to be honest I had no idea what was in store. I am glad I listened to the Spirit, because I learned the prayers that I have been praying have not only taken root, but ripened and born fruit as I felt the Spirit working. I felt genuine love ripen, and in the moment, I’d forgotten that so long ago I began praying for just such a moment.
1 Corinthians chapter 13 lists the characteristics of love. Most of us can quote the beginning of the chapter, but how many of us can say with integrity, “I love the people God has placed in my life”. Loving our family and friends is different, though maybe it’s hard to love them at times. Intentionally asking the Spirit to lead you to love your fellow man is different. Loving others is a risk. Loving others takes time, effort, intentionality, and prayer. Loving others takes courage. But loving others changes the world.
Let the gentle and steady work of the Spirit lead you. Put the tasks aside and make time for His movement. It’s more important work than what you had planned, promise. No one can plan or perfect the moments in which God will work. We have to be ready for His movement, with the goal of loving his people, loving our people.
”Where that is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.” Proverbs 13:10
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Judith Cooley teaches Language Arts and Drama. Follow her Facebook page @pondervotional for more encouragement.
