How appropriate that the first characteristic of the Fruit of the Spirit is LOVE! As the verse in the picture above says "God is Love!" The whole Bible is filled with references to the Love of God. Jesus often talked about Love and His life personified Love. Love is one of the things you look for in your own life to tell you that you are connected to the Holy Spirit and so to God Himself. You cannot live a life focused on God without showing forth this important characteristic.
From Genesis to Revelation, God shows His Love and care towards us. In Love, He created us in the beginning of Time and He has a plan devised in Love for us at the end of Time. The Bible is like a Huge Valentine, chock full of references to Love: the Loving Kindness God shows to us; the Love He longs to see in us towards Him; and the Love He wants us to show others. There are even two of what I would call 'Love chapters' in the Bible. In the Old Testament there is Psalm 136 where every other line of the song says "His love endures forever" (the King James says 'mercy' but the word "hasdow" is Loving devotion in the Hebrew). It is what the Jewish people call a Hallel, a portion of their service set aside for the praise of God's Love towards them. In the New Testament there is 1 Corinthians 13 where it gives a description of the Love God wants to see in us: "If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal" (the King James says 'charity' but the Greek word is "agape" or Love). But our best example of what Love is came through Jesus. "But God demonstrates His own Love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) What more proof do we need? What better example do we have than the example God Himself gave us? "For God So Loved the World..."
Jesus gave us His synopsis of the Old Testament and the ten commandments like this: "And He said to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ “This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40 NIV). He said again several times "Love one another". And most telling of all He said: "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13 NIV). He said it and He did it. He lay down His Life for me, for you, for sinners everywhere and in every time, because He loves us! What other example do we need for showing God's Love?
The earthly side of us has a primary characteristic too: it is Hate. If you see hate in your life, then you will know your focus has slipped to the physical side again and it's time to readjust things! Count how many times you said hate today. "I hate it when that happens" or "I hate this (fill in the blank). Or just plain "I hate my life!". Hopefully you didn't say "I hate (and use a name)". Take that count and turn it around. Lets find ways to shift our focus back to the Spiritual side of things. Think about the Bible and list twice as many verses that talk about Love. Then look them up and read them. Spend twice as many minutes thanking God for all the ways He has shown you how much He Loves you. As we practice shifting our focus maybe we won't need to wait till the end of the day. As soon as a hate filled thought enters our heads or issues from our mouths, we should find ourselves turning to God to refocus our hearts and minds on Him.
As we focus more and more on the Lord God Almighty, our Creator and Our Father, we will find first and foremost LOVE! As we read the Bible, we will read of Love. As we think of the things He did for us we will see His Love and we feel it in our hearts for Him. As that Love grows in us through our connection with His Son Jesus, and through His Spirit, we will see it spill over into our relationships with others. If not, it we don't see Love for God and for others in our lives, then we had better check our connection! As the verse says in the picture above "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."
Just as the first characteristic you will see of an apple as it grows is it's shape, so the first characteristic of God's Spirit at work in your life is LOVE!