AHSS: Fruit of the Spirit (Lesson 2)

Living by the Spirit produces the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These lessons are to help you learn about each of these qualities and how you can live by God’s Spirit and grow in fruit. Find a quiet place with a peaceful view or play some soothing music to get you ready to grow in your faith. Journal about or discuss the lessons with a friend or two. Go back to the lesson and take a second look to see if you discover something new or have a change of perspective. It is your journey to take, and the path always leads to a closer relationship with God.

We are told in 1 John 4:19, “We love because he first loved us.” Why do you think it is significant that love is the first quality of the fruit of the Spirit Paul mentions?

The Beatles tell us that all we need is love. This may not be literally true, but there can be little doubt that love is what many, if not most, yearn for. When we have the Holy Spirit in our lives, the Spirit helps us love others. The Spirit does this by planting and growing the love of Jesus Christ within us.

It is not always easy to love others. We can be tempted to strike out or walk away from difficult people. When we cannot love through our own power, we can do so by the Spirit. The Spirit will help us to love in difficult situations.

We must learn to rely on the Spirit to help us love the people around us. We must learn to give love so that we may receive love.

Read John 13:34-35 Why is it important to be loving? Is it possible to be a Christian without being loving?

Matthew 4:43-48, Luke 10:25-37, John 15:9-13, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, 1 John 4-7, 16b-20

What is the most important insight each of these passages gives us about love? What challenges do these passages present us?

We will continue with the quality of love next week.