Rooted and Growing: Love

“We love because he first loved us.”
1 John 4:19

Love is the first fruit listed in Galatians, and that is not accidental. Love is the soil in which all the other fruit grows.

Scripture reminds us that love does not begin with us. It begins with God. He does not wait for us to improve, perform, or get it right.
He loves first, fully, and without condition.
That love becomes the source from which we are able to love others.

When love is rooted in God, it is not dependent on how others respond. It is not limited by inconvenience or withheld when it feels undeserved. This kind of love is not only a feeling. It is a choice to seek the good of another person, even when it costs us something.

Growing in love does not mean trying harder to be kind or patient.
It means returning again and again to the truth that we are already deeply loved by God.
As we stay rooted in that truth, love begins to show up naturally in how we speak, listen, forgive, and serve.

Pause and Reflect

On a scale of 1 to 10, how present does this fruit feel in your life right now?

What might help you grow one step closer to 10?

Take a moment to be honest with God about where you are today.

Practice

Love is lived out through action.

As you move through your day, ask yourself this simple question:
How can I choose love here?

Look for one opportunity to act in love today.
It may be small, quiet, or unseen.
Trust that God uses even the smallest acts of love to shape us and bless others.

God, thank You for loving me first.
Help me stay rooted in Your love today.
Shape how I speak, respond, and act so that Your love can grow and be seen through me.
Amen.

Continue the Series

This is Day 1 of the Rooted and Growing devotional series.

You can return to the series overview here:
Rooted and Growing: A Fruit of the Spirit Devotional Series

Or continue on to Day 2:
Rooted and Growing: Joy