The salient point of this podcast episode is the exploration of love as the foundational aspect of the fruit of the Spirit, with a particular emphasis on the distinction between human love and God's agape love. I, Kimberly Lockinour, delve into the notion that while human love is often conditional and limited by personal interests, God's love is characterized by its unconditional, self-giving nature. This episode underscores the significance of receiving God's love through the Holy Spirit, as it is only through this divine love that we can authentically express love to others. I emphasize that the fruit of the Spirit is not merely a collection of virtues to be acquired, but rather a singular manifestation of God’s character, deeply rooted in love. As we embark on this new journey, I invite listeners to reflect on their own capacity to love and the essential need to receive God's love before extending it to others.

Takeaways:

1. The fruit of the Spirit, as articulated in Galatians, encompasses love as its foundational attribute, demonstrating that all other virtues stem from this singular essence.
2. Human love is often conditional and limited, whereas God's agape love is unconditional, self-giving, and eternal, representing a stark contrast to our flawed human nature.
3. To genuinely express love, one must first receive God's love through the Holy Spirit, as our capacity to love others authentically is contingent upon this divine connection.
4. The process of receiving God's love is ongoing and necessitates intentional effort to open one's heart and embrace His unconditional affection for us.
5. Agape love in action not only embodies kindness and patience but also involves speaking difficult truths and prioritizing the spiritual well-being of others above superficial harmony.
6. Understanding and accepting God's love for us is transformative, as it enables us to love others authentically and sustainably, breaking the cycles of hurt and disappointment.

The content shared on Living the Selah Life is for spiritual encouragement, personal reflection, and informational purposes only.

It is not intended to diagnose, treat or replace medical, psychological or professional advice of any kind.

Please consult a licensed health care provider or qualified professional for any physical, mental or emotional health concerns.

The views expressed are those of the host, Kimberly Lockanore, and are based on personal experience and Biblical insight, not clinical training.

Hey hey y'.

All, and welcome back to Living the Selah Life, a podcast that invites you to slow down, breathe deep, and reconnect with the presence of God.

I am your host, Kimberly Lockanor, and this space is for anyone longing to become more familiar with his presence.

Whether you're just discovering what it means to pause with God or you've been walking this path for a while, I'm so glad you're here.

Each episode is an intentional pause, a moment to reflect, realign and remember that God meets us when we create space for Him.

So take a breath.

You are right on time.

Let's live the Selah life together.

So welcome back to Living the Selah Life, y'.

All.

In our last two episodes, we explored the person of the Holy Spirit.

We learned how he dwells within us and empowers us to live the life that we are called to live.

Today we begin a new journey that flows directly from the foundation that we laid over the past two weeks.

We are beginning a journey on the fruit of the Spirit, and we are going to begin with the foundation of it all.

And that is love.

So Paul's description of the fruit of the Spirit In Galatians, chapter 5, verses 22 and 23 Love, Joy, Peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.

It's important to understand the singular use of the word fruit.

He didn't say fruits of the Spirit, he said fruit of the Spirit.

And this signifies that they are not isolated virtues that we acquire one by one, but rather interconnected facets of a single unified expression of God's character.

So we can imagine a diamond that has many facets, and each facet reflects light differently, but they all belong to the same precious stone.

So these qualities are diverse manifestation of the Holy Spirit's work within us all stemming from the primary attribute of love.

And this understanding directly connects to the Holy Spirit's role in our life.

A healthy tree doesn't struggle to produce fruit, it simply bears fruit naturally because it is connected to its root system and nourished by the soil and water.

In the same way, the fruit of the Spirit is not something that we can force through sheer willpower.

It is the organic outcome of the Holy Spirit's life flowing through us.

When we do attempt to generate spiritual fruit through our own strength, we often experience frustration and our efforts can feel artificial.

We might manage to be patient for a short time or kind in specific situations, but without the Spirit's empowerment, these efforts are unsustainable.

However, when we develop an abiding connection with the Holy Spirit, God's own character begins to manifest in our lives with remarkable ease and authenticity.

You know what?

I am not going to say with remarkable ease.

I'll say the fruit is remarkable because ease will be in the eye of the beholder, but with authenticity for sure.

So I want to talk about God's love versus human love, because there is a big, big difference.

So love is likely intentionally listed first among the fruit of the Spirit because again, it is the foundational root from which all other expressions grow.

To fully grasp this, we must differentiate between our love as humans and God's love.

So human love, as beautiful as it is and as necessary as it is in its own sphere, is often conditional.

We tend to love those who are appealing to us, who treat us well, who share our values, or just to be honest, who.

People who meet our needs.

And this form of love has limits.

It can be withdrawn when we get disappointed or become weary when it's not reciprocated.

And it can be suddenly influenced by self interest.

Even our most sincere human effort can be tinged with a desire for what we gain from the relationship.

And that's just human nature.

I know you may have heard people say something like, I'll love you if or you deserve my love.

Because this conditional nature makes human love very, very unsustainable in the face of adversity.

It can lead to cycles of hurt and disappointment as our human capacity to love is inherently flawed and finite.

In stark contrast, though, God's love, the agape kind of love, is entirely different.

Agape love is not driven by emotion, attraction or convenience.

It is love by choice and by will.

It is self giving, unconditional, and seeks the good of the other person without demanding anything in return.

And we as humans have a very, very hard time understanding that kind of love.

God does not love us because we are lovable.

He does not love us with this agape love because we deserve it, or because we're lovable or because we're amazing.

He he does it because he is love.

As 1 John 4:8 states, God is love.

This means that God's love is without any conditions, it is eternally unchanging.

Romans 5, 8 powerfully illustrates.

But God shows his own love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

He loved us even when we were at our most rebellious, our most broken, our most undeserving.

I think sometimes we hear some of these scriptures in the Bible and they become so commonplace that we forget the significance in them.

And how hard, even in our human mind it is to think of someone giving up their child for the sake of a loved one, let alone a murderer.

And his love for us is not in response to our goodness, but an outpouring of his goodness.

This love remains constant regardless of our feelings or our shifting circumstances in our life.

It's a love that pursues, redeems and transforms, never giving up on us.

It's a love that covers a multitude of sins, a love that heals all wounds, and a love that ultimately brings us into perfect union with Him.

This agape love is the very essence of the gospel message, demonstrating God's grace and relentless pursuit of humanity.

It is a love that is freely given without expectation of return.

And it is this selfless nature that makes it truly, truly powerful.

So the Holy Spirit is the one that allows the love of God to flow through us again.

We simply cannot produce this kind of love through our own human will or efforts.

Our natural capacity to love, no matter how sincere or well intentioned, will always be constrained by our human limitations, even if we try to be more loving or to be more kind or to be more forgiving.

But since we're talking about love, we'll stay with love even when we try to do it, because we know it's the right thing to do.

If it's not flowing from a place of authenticity, not only can we tell, but everybody else can tell.

And that gets old.

It's not sustainable.

But there is hope.

The Holy Spirit who indwells every believer, carries within him the very essence of God's own love.

He is the divine conduit through which God's love flows into our hearts and our lives.

So when the Holy Spirit fills us, he grants us direct access to God's own boundless love.

Romans 5, 5 says, the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who was given to us.

So the question is, how do we position ourselves to intentionally receive this and to allow it to flow freely through us?

Because this is a conscious decision that we have to make to open our hearts, be willing to surrender our own limited understanding of love, and to Embrace the divine love that is freely given.

And this receiving part is where many, many, many struggle.

So a lot of people have an issue with the area of giving love or showing love, but it's not because they're bad people.

It's because they have not received God's love.

And I am telling you, which I'm probably preaching to the choir, once you are able to fully grasp how much God loves you and that that love truly is unconditional, regardless, it changes you from the inside out.

Love really is the most powerful thing in this world.

It really is.

It.

It is what has the power to change people.

Even the people in the Bible.

The miracles, the signs, the wonders are what are supposed to follow believers in Christ.

But you know how he said we will really and truly know people that belong to him by the love we show one for another, because that it is only those that have the Holy Spirit that is even able to demonstrate the God kind of love.

So many people recognize the biblical mandate to love others and to serve with sacrificial devotion.

So they try to generate loving feelings and actions through their own will.

And this approach, no matter how well meaning, it often leads to resentment and spiritual burnout.

The order is crucial.

We must first receive God's love before we can sustainably give it.

You cannot pour from an empty cup.

Receiving God's love, though, is an ongoing process.

Though it's not a one time event.

It involves regularly placing yourself in his presence, intentionally opening your heart and allowing his spirit to saturate you with the truth of his affection for you.

You have to consciously choose to believe what he says about you, that you're cherished, valued, and that he loves you, rather than the deceptive whispers of your feelings, any past experiences or challenging circumstances.

It also involves inviting his love in to heal the wounded places in your heart, those places that have been hurt by human relationships and have consequently made it difficult for you to trust, receive, or be vulnerable even to God.

And this healing process is vital for us to become whole and capable of giving love freely.

And I will tell you, it is a journey, but it is one that is so worth taking.

I know people used to always tell me, you can't give what you can't have.

And all this stuff that I'm telling you right now, to me sounded absolutely insane at one time.

But now, not at all.

Not at all.

The love of God is a healing balm.

It is the healing balm.

So love in action, the manifestation of agape love.

So once we've received God's love through the Holy Spirit, it naturally compels us to express it outwardly.

Agape love in action looks something like First Corinthians, chapter 13, verses 4 through 7.

Love is patient.

Love is kind.

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud, it does not dishonor others, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrong.

Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres.

Doesn't that sound amazing?

Agape love in its purest form also sometimes necessitates speaking difficult truths like God does, addressing harmful behavior like God does, and courageously seeking the other person's highest good, even when it means forgoing temporary comfort or popularity.

It is a love that prioritizes change and spiritual well being over superficial harmony.

It's a love that confronts injustice, champions righteousness, and always with the goal of restoration.

It is the most powerful force in the world, capable of changing lives, communities, one heart at a time we will move on to our Scripture spotlight for today.

Our Scripture Spotlight comes from First John, chapter 4, verses 19 through 21 we love him because he first loved us.

If someone says I love God and hates his brother, he is a liar.

For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

And this commandment we have from him that he who loves God must love his brother also.

So this passage of Scripture says several things about how love works in the kingdom of God.

Notice the order.

We don't love God in order to get him to love us.

He loved us first before we ever thought of him.

And his love is the initiating force that makes our love possible.

The Source enables the expression.

So because he first loved us, we are now able to love him back.

The love we offer back to God is isn't generated from our own hearts, it's his love reflected back to Him.

This is why worship feels so natural when we're filled with his love.

Love for God proves itself through love for others.

So John makes a startling statement here.

If we claim to love God but hate our brother, he says that we're lying.

Since God's love in us always seeks to express itself through us, genuine love for God will naturally overflow to others, the seen and the unseen.

John uses practical logic here.

If we can't love people that we can see, with all of their flaws and irritating habits, how can we claim to love God whom we can't see and it's a commandment.

God commends us to love one another because he knows that love is the environment where human souls flourish.

When we love others, we're participating in God's own work of healing and restoration in the world.

One of my prayers for a very long time.

I know a lot of people pray.

The prayer that David prayed created me a clean heart.

That has not been my prayer.

That has not been my prayer because I just felt like that wasn't enough.

And so for years, a couple of them now, and he has done just that.

I have prayed.

I want your heart, God.

Don't clean up mine.

I need yours.

I need yours.

Or probably one of the biggest.

Well, there's been so many big game changers for me, so I can't say biggest, but a huge change that took place in my life was when I began to feel like physically feel the heart of God for people in certain situations.

And I think I've said this on another podcast, the way that he feels about people and the way that we feel about people is so different, it is mind boggling.

He is absolutely indebted to this human race.

He acts like he is, he says he is, but he loves us.

And so when you're talking to somebody and you can feel his heart for them, it is absolutely breathtaking and it causes you to see people in an entire different light.

And all people, not just certain people, all people in a different light.

So we're going to move on to our pause prompts, our pause prompts.

I'm going to say this every week.

They are not meant to cause any kind of condemnation or self judgment.

We do not do that here.

They are meant for you to take inventory of where you are.

Because if changes are needed, we won't know where to go if we don't know where we're starting from.

So pause prompt 1.

What makes it difficult for you to truly receive God's unconditional love?

If anything, is it past wounds, feelings of not deserving it, or something else?

Where do you see the difference between conditional human love and unconditional divine love playing out in your relationships?

What would it look like to ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with God's love each morning before you interact with others?

Are there people in your life that are particularly difficult to love?

How might receiving more of God's love for them change your heart?

And last but not least, if you truly believe that God's love for you was unchanging regardless of the way that you behaved, how would that change how you approached your day.

Remember, love is both a gift to receive and to give.

But the receiving must come first for the giving to be authentic.

So we will move on into our Selah moment.

This is our opportunity to personally receive God's love and ask the Holy Spirit to make that love the foundation from which all other fruit grows in our lives.

Begin by sitting comfortably and taking several deep breaths.

You can place your hands open in your lap if you're able and say, holy Spirit, I acknowledge that I cannot love with God's love through my own strength.

I need to receive his love first before I can give it away.

Now imagine yourself standing before the throne of God where love itself dwells.

Pure, unconditional, eternal love that forms God's very essence.

Feel this love surrounding you and listen as the Holy Spirit whispers the Father's heart over you.

My love for you is not based on your performance, but on my nature.

I love you completely, unconditionally, eternally.

Allow this love love to fill every wounded place, every insecure space, every area where you felt unworthy, not enough or not loved.

Let it heal the places where human love has disappointed you and let it reach the parts of your heart that you've protected from hurt as you're filled with God's love.

Ask the Holy Spirit spirit to help this love flow naturally through you to others.

Let us pray.

Father, we thank you for being the source of all love.

Thank you that your love for us isn't based on conditions, but on who you are.

Holy Spirit, fill us with the love that flows from the Father's heart.

Help us receive this love fully, believing that we are completely accepted and cherished by you.

Heal the places in our hearts where human love has wounded us or where we've learned to protect ourselves from vulnerability.

Make us people who love not because others deserve it, but because you have first loved us.

Help us love the difficulty people, the ones who can't love us back, the ones who have hurt us.

Let your love through us be a testimony to your goodness and your faithfulness.

Change our families, our relationships, our workplaces and our communities through your love flowing through us.

Use us Lord, to bring healing, hope and restoration to a people that desperately need it.

Thank you.

That love is not just what you do, but it is who you are.

And because we belong to you, we have access to unlimited love.

Help us live from this reality every day.

It is in Jesus name that I pray and it is so.

Sa.

Well, well, well.

That brings us to another close.

Thank you so much for listening to Living The Selah Life if this moment starts something in your spirit, please share it with someone who needs to be reminded to pause and look.

Listen.

You can connect with me on Instagram, my Facebook group, or YouTube @Living the Salah Life or email me your story.

Or if there's a Selah moment that you would like to hear or a testimony that you would like to share, I'll share it on the podcast.

You can email me at Living the Selah Life Proton Me that's Living the Selah life at Proton Me.

So until next time, remember that God is speaking.

He wants to guide you and direct you and give you his wisdom for your life.

Create space to listen.

Be patient with yourself as you learn and trust that the same God who spoke the universe into existence wants to speak into your ordinary life.

May you go from this place rested not just in body but in spirit, carrying the awareness that his presence is always near.

May you be rooted in the unshakable word of God, the Logos that ground you and the rhema that guides you.

For man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

And may you keep rising into the life he designed for you, into purpose, into peace, into the fullness of his calling.

May your life become a living Selah, an intentional pause that reveals his presence in Jesus name.

And it is so Selah.

Sam.

Sa.

Sa.

It.