Day Twenty-Four
Galatians 5:13 - 15; 22 - 23
Be servants to one another in love, since the whole of the Law is summarised in the one commandment: You must love your neighbour as yourself. If you go snapping at one another and tearing one another to pieces, take care: you will be eaten up by one another . . . On the other hand the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Reflection
To serve with love is our calling. To serve without love is misery. Love elevates, transforms, purifies and builds up the body of Christ. Fighting with each other does no good. It divides the body of Christ. This is why it is so important for us to pray for Christian unity, that we may truly be one, as Jesus and the Father are One with the Spirit.
The first fruit of the Spirit mentioned is love. This is not an accident, for love is the crowning virtue of all and gives life to all the other fruits, for they all depend on love. We cannot have joy if we do not have love. We cannot have peace if we do not have love. We cannot have patience if we do not have love, and so on. We need to examine the fruit of our lives and see if it is good fruit.
Prayer
Lord, make me a loving servant of my brothers and sisters in my own home, my church family and my community. May I reflect your Heart, which is the Heart of a servant of love, for you said "I did not come to be served, but to serve."
Amen.
