Love: The Root of Every Fruit

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 × Galatians 5:22-23

One morning in July 2023, I was struck by something I had read countless times but had never truly seen.

1st Corinthians 13 tells us that love is patient and kind. In Galatians 5, we see that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

If love is patient and kind, then when we have love, we have already scored at least three of the nine fruits.

But it goes deeper than that.

When you look at all the other characteristics of love in First Corinthians 13—love does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud, it does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs—you begin to see that on a foundational level, these characteristics reflect the remaining fruits of the Spirit.

So if we have love, we already have all the fruit.

Even the Bible refers to it as "this kind of fruit"—singular. It is one thing. Love.

And who is Love? God is. (First John 4:16)

The end of this matter for me—and I believe for all believers—is this: know God and love Him. He will replicate His love in you. And as I have come to understand, the other fruit of the Holy Spirit will begin to manifest in you because they are all rooted in love.

May God help us to love Him above all else and by extension, ourselves and others. This prayer has been a constant for me over time. I hope it helps you too.

P.S. While on the subject of love, I created something to teach our children about God's love. I am passionate about raising children who know they are loved by God—not just in theory, but in experience.

You can download age-appropriate books by waiting for the popup or clicking on the Resources tab here.

I look forward to hearing how they engage with these books and grow in God's love.

With Jesus' love,

Adebimpe