LOVE takes work.
LOVE takes effort!
The lightkeepers of the lighthouses had to be vigilant to keep the glass panes clean. They had to be vigilant to keep the prisms & brass of the Fresnel lens sparkling and polished. If not, the light would not shine effectively.
The lightkeepers had to daily carry oil up the long, winding staircase to keep the lamp fueled. It was hard work. It was a heavy load to carry up a very long staircase.
The lightkeepers had to care for the lamp … they had to trim the wick. They had to make sure the flame never went out.
In much the same way, if God’s light is going to be able to shine through our lives, it will take some work and effort on our part.
The Fruit of the Spirit is LOVE … this means that the Holy Spirit will give us God’s LOVE … enabling us to LOVE other people in ways we never would be able to otherwise. But it’s still going to take some work.
What about that mean hateful person at work? Some people are so hard to love!
The Holy Spirit will give us God’s LOVE (we can think of this like the oil for the lamp in the lighthouse). But it will take work and effort on our part to carry that oil up the long winding staircase. It will take work and effort on our part to forgive, to let offenses go, to extend grace.
What about that lonely person?
It’s going to take work and effort to reach out to them and extend LOVE to them. The Holy Spirit is the one who brought them to our mind; the Holy Spirit is the one telling us to reach out to them. The Holy Spirit is giving us God’s LOVE to share with them. But it will take work and effort on our part to reach out.
What about that person who is nothing but drama? What about that person who has lots of baggage? What about that person who has issues?
The Holy Spirit will give us God’s LOVE … to extend to them … but it’s still going to take work and effort on our part.
Just like the lightkeepers of lighthouses, we need to keep the glass panes clean … we need to keep our hearts free from pride, arrogance, judging, criticism, condemnation. We need the Holy Spirit to do an inspection of our own heart … so that the light of God’s LOVE isn’t hindered by our own messiness.
The Fruit of the Spirit is LOVE. The Holy Spirit will give us God’s LOVE to shine out to help those lost in the stormy seas of life.
But LOVE takes effort.
