What about love?

Here we are in our third week in South Africa. I really wondered why God wanted us here and I am beginning slowly to understand that even when we have been serving the Lord for many years, there are still areas we need to grow in and learn about and seek Him for.

We spent last week in Durban, Zululand, and Swaziland. These are poor areas, hot, humid and full of faithful people who love God and the church so that they would walk 2 hours one way in the heat to get there. One woman with 8 children, no job and no husband , did just that. It really made me broken hearted on the one hand that her condition was such  but even more so when I realize how many Christians in America would never considered doing the same. Are we really hungry for God?

We also saw the gifts of the Spirit in operation, words of knowledge, healing, the casting out of a demon. And God began to deal with me regarding the use of the gifts. The gifts of the spirit are useless unless demonstrated in love. 1 Corinthians 13:2 " And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and tough I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love I am nothing."

The Lord wants us to bear much fruit. John 15:5 " I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. In the fifth chapter of Galatians Paul speaks of the fruit of the Spirit, the first of which is love.

The fruit and the gifts are not the same thing. He did not tell us to produce gifts but fruit. He told us to desire gifts but to pursue love. God is love. We are to pursue Him. And to realize that this God of love lives inside His children. He has put His love in us. We are to let Him love through us. The last two days the importance of love has chased me wrapped itself around me in everything I have read and heard and I just want the love of Jesus to flow through me to those who need it. So....... what about love? We will never be able to love in our own power. Lord prune me that I would bear much fruit for You.