Love in the Spirit

"We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all his people -- the faith and love that springs from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true word of the gospel that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world -- just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God's grace. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit." Colossians 1:3-8 TNIV

I have put the paragraph (according to this version) here for us to consider at least part of it. However, I am always aware of the need to put a verse or a thought in a context. It has been said that "A text without a context is just a pretext." I have found that to be true many times. So in order to work in truth, let's keep our thoughts regarding a passage in its context. There are many dimensions of meanings in most Biblical texts, but the context still retains its importance and will give us the primary scope of the passage.

This particular section of Scripture (1:3-14) is one sentence in the Greek, so it is difficult to divide it - even into separate thoughts. It is often the way Paul expresses himself and the Holy Spirit. It is almost as if he understood that each thought leads into another, then another, then another in the Holy Spirit. This is true. When we begin to "think with" Him, we find our thoughts enlarging to include this then more, that leads to more etc.... So as we learn to hear more completely there is more and more about our daily lives that the Lord is able to address. Many of you who read here will understand this. If it is new to you, then I encourage you to expand your concept of prayer into your thought life. It is an amazing thing "to think with" instead of all alone. We can still choose to think our own thoughts, or we can choose to "think with." The later is so much more exciting and life giving.  Now back to the passage.


"In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world -- just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God's grace. " Paul begins to address the result of their faith, hope and love. The last post dealt with these three, once again interlaced. Now he speaks of the result of their participation in the faith. They have chosen to trust and love and as a result they have hope stored for themselves in heaven. Now the result of those things interacting in them is fruit. Fruit is a by-product of a healthy plant, tree, bush, etc.... When a plant is watered and nurtured then the fruit is produced - automatically. Here Paul is saying that the fruit of this good news of forgiveness, grace, love and acceptance (gospel) is now changing people's lives all over the world - everywhere it goes.


My thoughts go to the fruit of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. Those characteristics are all included in the fruit of fellowship in the Holy Spirit. There is no short-cut to bearing healthy fruit. It is an automatic by-product of health. So as we ponder this today - let us not concentrate so hard on what we do not yet seem to be, but let's concentrate on our Lord and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. As we learn to do this more and more, Spirit fruit is produced. This is what is meant by the phrase "...your love in the Spirit," at the end of the passage listed above. The fruit of their fellowship was the "love in the Spirit." Oh yes! Lord thank you!