Picking
the Fruit of Love and Self
Control
(Part 2 in
a Series)
By Dani’el Rendelman
www.emetministries.com
The
story is told about Dr.
Claude H. Barlow, one of
the most revered foreigners
to work in the land of China
as a missionary. A strange
disease for which he knew
no remedy was killing people.
There were no research laboratories
for this disease, so Dr.
Barlow conducted his own
research. He studied the
disease, filling a notebook
with his observations. He
then procured a vial of
disease germs and sailed
for the United States. Before
he arrived, he took the
germs into his own body,
and then went to the John
Hopkins University Hospital
to be observed. Claude Barlow
was very sick now. He allowed
his old professors at John
Hopkins to use him for experimentation.
A cure was found, which
a healthy Claude Barlow
took back to China with
him. His efforts saved countless
lives.
When
asked about the experience,
Dr. Barlow replied, "Anyone
would have done the same
thing. I happened to be
in a position of vantage
and had the chance to offer
my body." Anyone would
have done that? Hardly.
Only a person with a very
special kind of love in
his heart would make that
kind of sacrifice. That
love does exist, not in
everyone, but in the body
of believers. This love
is present among people
around this earth who abide
in Y’shua and produce the
fruit of the Spirit. (Y’shua
is the Hebrew name of the
Savior given in Luke 2.)
To
bear fruit is one primary
purpose of man. In the beginning,
Adam was told to be fruitful
and multiply. However, Adam
failed in his mission as
a gardener. He ate from
the wrong tree and tasted
the forbidden fruit. Because
of his sin, Adam produced
the rotten fruit of the
flesh. All of mankind has
inherited the Adamic nature.
This impulse will give in
to fleshly desires and selfish
actions. Today each person
follows in the footsteps
of Adam and must choose
between the two trees of
Eden. One can follow the
sin of Adam and harvest
spoiled fruit. “The works
of the flesh are well known,
among which are these; Adultery,
fornication, uncleanness,
indecency, idolatry, witchcraft,
hatred, quarrels, jealousies,
rage, strife, selfish ambition,
stubbornness, heresies,
envy, murder, drunkenness,
wild indecent parties,”
Galatians / Galutyah 5:19-21,
Restoration Scriptures Version.
Or
instead of satisfying the
ego, a person can choose
to eat from the Tree of
Life and bear the fruit
thereof. The tree of life
isn’t really a tree, but
a book containing instructions
for every part of life.
The Creator’s plan for man
is found within the first
five books of the Bible.
This blueprint for living
is called “Torah” in Hebrew.
The Torah is “a tree of
life (eytz chayim) to them
that take hold of her: and
happy is everyone that takes
hold of her,” Mishlei /
Proverbs 3:18. To walk in
the Spirit is to eat from
the Tree of life and produce
a fruitful life. Torah explains
how we abide in the Savior
and produce the fruit of
the Spirit.
“The
fruit of the Ruach HaKodesh
(Holy Spirit) is ahava (love),
simcha (joy), shalom (peace),
patience, chesed (kindness),
rachamim (goodness), trust
worthiness, gentleness,
self-control: there is no
true Torah that is against
this kind of fruit,” Galatians
/ Galutyah 5:22,23. In the
list of Spirit fruit, love
(“ahava” in Hebrew) is listed
first. Why? Well, it is
from ahava that all the
other fruits are produced.
To be ripe, the fruit of
the spirit must flow from
the river of love. Interestingly,
Ezra 8:15 speaks of a river
in the Middle East named
“Ahava.” This shows us that
love is a river that feeds
the fruit of the Ruach (Spirit).
Like the mighty Nile River,
ahava truly is a powerful
force. It is also the most
misunderstood force.
I
love you…
People say that they “love
spaghetti” and they “love
the Atlanta Braves.” Boyfriends
fall in and out of love
all through high school.
All of this makes defining
love very difficult. So,
a group of professional
people set out to get a
proper definition. They
posed the question to a
group of 4 to 8 year olds.
The kids were asked, “What
is love?” The answers are
revealing…
~
"When my grandmother
got arthritis, she couldn't
bend over and paint her
toenails anymore. So my
grandfather does it for
her all the time, even when
his hands got arthritis
too. That's love,” – Rebecca,
age 8.
~
"Love is when a girl
puts on perfume and a boy
puts on shaving cologne
and they go out and smell
each other,” – Karl, age
5
~
"Love is when your
puppy licks your face even
after you left him alone
all day," - Mary Ann
age 4.
~
"Love is when someone
hurts you. And you get so
mad but you don't yell at
them because you know it
would hurt their feelings,”
- John age 6.
Love.
The English term has many
meanings. In modern thought
love is an emotion that
can be turned on and off
like a light switch. Love
or “ahava” in the Hebraic
mind is very different in
today’s culture. In the
Hebrew, love is connected
directly with action and
obedience. Strong’s Exhaustive
Dictionary defines ahava
as “to have affection, sexually
or otherwise, love, like,
to befriend, to be intimate.”
It brings to mind the idea
of longing for or breathing
for another. Hebraically
ahava is a verb and a noun,
it is an act of doing. Ahava
is not just a feeling. To
get a clear understanding
of ahava, let’s examine
the Hebrew word itself and
learn how to love Hebraically.
First,
most Hebrew words can be
broken down to a three-consonant
root word that contains
the essence of the word's
meaning. The root word of
ahava is “ahav.” The term
ahav in Hebrew means, “to
give.” True ahava, true
love is more concerned about
giving than receiving. Being
the center of someone’s
attention isn’t love. And
love isn’t about getting
some feeling or fix. Ahava
is about giving devotion
and time. For giving is
the vehicle of love. YHWH
so loved the world that
He GAVE His only Son. Meaningful
relationships have mutual
giving. Love may focus on
receiving, but ahava is
all about giving. There
is a difference.
A Hebrew secret…
The Hebrew word “ahava”
is spelled “aleph, hei,
bet, hei.” The root word
ahav is spelled “aleph,
hei, bet.” These Hebrew
letters reveal a secret
of love hidden for thousands
of years. This secret is
exposed through the meaning
behind each Hebrew letter
in “ahav.” The first letter
of the Hebrew alphabet is
also the fist letter in
“ahav.” This is the aleph.
The
letter aleph is the number
one. Aleph symbolizes the
one and only Eternal Elohim.
In Revelation 22:13, Y’shua
called Himself the Aleph
and the Tav. Aleph is a
picture of YHWH and His
creation. There is one YHWH.
Y’shua said the greatest
commandment is to love YHWH
first and then love our
neighbor as ourself. “The
first of all commandments
is, Shema O Yisra’el; the
Master YHWH is our Elohim,
the Master YHWH is Echad:
and you shall love the Master
YHWH with all your lev (heart),
and with all your being,
and with all your mind,
and with all your strength:
this is the first commandment.
And the second is like it,
namely this; You shall love
your neighbor as yourself.
There are no other commandments
greater than these,” said
the Messiah Yahshua in Markus
12:29-31, Restoration Scripture
Version. Ahava starts with
Aleph. Real ahava starts
with loving YHWH first.
Then, as a person has a
relationship with YHWH,
one can love his neighbor.
The
next letter of ahav is the
“hei.” The letter “hei”
is the fifth letter of the
aleph-bet. Five is the number
of chesed/grace. It is highly
symbolic. There are five
books of the Torah, five
fingers on the hand, and
King Dawid gathered five
smooth stones to kill Goliath.
It is through chesed that
YHWH loves us. Mankind loves
YHWH back through the fifth
letter hei. How? Ahava is
shown to YHWH through hei
– through the five books
of the Torah. “If you love
me, obey my mitzvot. If
a man loves Me, he will
guard My words, and My Abba
will love him, and We will
come to him, and make Our
stay with Him,” said Moshiach
Y’shua in Yochannan / John
14:15,23. The hei is the
means that a person expresses
ahava. The form of the letter
hei, the number five shows
how to correctly love YHWH
and man. The three lines
of hei are a picture of
loving YHWH with thought,
deed, and words. The top
horizontal line is the realm
of thought. A person’s thoughts
should be focused upward
on YHWH and His word. The
Vertical line to the right
is speech. From the abundance
of the heart/mind/horizontal
line, the mouth speaks.
Speech comes directly from
thought. The unattached
line to the left is deed.
Though actions should be
connected to our intentions,
they often are not. “There
are many plans in a man's
lev (heart); nevertheless
the counsel of YHWH shall
stand,” Mishlei / Proverbs
19:21. Man is to unite the
three lines through devotion
and service. Loving YHWH
with thoughts, words, and
deeds is the goal of the
hei.
The
Beit is the second letter
of the Hebrew alphabet.
It is the third letter in
“ahav.” This letter vividly
demonstrates the purpose
of all creation. How? Beit
is a picture of a house.
YHWH created the world to
be a dwelling place in this
world below. The first letter
in the Torah is a beit,
found in the word “Beresheet.”
And the tabernacle was made
to create a bayit, a house,
for YHWH. “Know you not
that you are the Beit HaMikdash
(temple) of YHWH, and that
the Ruach of YHWH dwells
in you?,” 1 Corinthians
/ Qorintyah Alef 3:16. The
objective of loving YHWH
is to be conformed to His
image and represent Him
to the world. The two walk
together. Beit, is also
the number two. YHWH plus
His servant equals two.
Yet in the beit, the two
shall become one. Also,
Y’shua said, “For where
two, or three will assemble
together in My Name, there
am I in the midst of them,”
Matthew / Mattitiyahu 18:20.
Ahava starts with loving
YHWH first and foremost
through word, deed, and
thought. This type of ahava
creates a house for YHWH
to inhabit.
In
review, the Hebrew root
word for love is “ahav,”
spelled “aleph, hei, bet.”
The aleph reminds us that
we are to love YHWH first.
Hei shows us to express
that love by conforming
our thoughts, words, and
deeds to the five books
of the Torah. When love
is directed first to YHWH,
then a beit, a house, is
built to sustain His presence.
Wow! Ahava is the greatest!
Yet, even love must be controlled.
When too much rain falls,
riverbanks fill and floods
occur. The river of Ahava
must have boundaries or
it will dangerously run
free. The boundaries of
ahava are expressed by the
fruit of “self control.”
Ahava and self-control must
be discussed together. To
discuss one without the
other is like making a peanut
butter and jelly sandwich
without the jelly! Ahava
and self-control, the first
and last fruit of the Spirit
in Galatians, act as balancing
powers in the universe.
We’ve learned what love
is Hebraically; let’s now
discuss self-control.
Control
yourself…
Self
control, or the mastery
of self is expressed in
justice, bravery, and judgment.
The Hebrew term for this
is “gevurah.” Gevurah repels
and restrains while Ahava
accepts and encourages.
The two must act in harmony
within man. The attribute
of gevurah allows one to
make wise and correct choices.
The fruit of self-control
separates the wheat from
the tares. “What is the
difference between the righteous
and the wicked? The wicked
are under control of their
heart while the righteous
have their heart under their
control,” says the Talmud.
In
a world full of road rage,
abuse, obesity, drunkenness,
envy, and drug dependency,
the idea of self-control
seems foreign. Yet self-control
demands the believer to
control tempers, emotions,
and actions. “Let every
man be swift to hear, slow
to speak, and slow to anger,”
James / Ya’acov 1:19. To
have self control is to
prevail over the flesh and
conquer the yetzer hara.
Gevurah is strength manifest
as control. "Who is
strong? One who is able
to overcome his evil inclination,”
Pirkei Avot, 4:1. Self control
means to restrain power.
It is to willingly give
up a “right” in order to
do what is “right.” It’s
the idea of everything being
permissible but not everything
being beneficial. This fruit
abruptly stops the modern
culture of desire from overtaking
a believer. It is not easy.
Having gevurah is not popular.
Saying “no” never is. Yet,
the more a saint says “no,”
the more the fruit of self
control matures. Gevurah
grows each time it is expressed.
Each time we restrain from
sinning in a specific way,
gevurah’s fruit matures.
What tempts today should
be easier to deny tomorrow
because of the increase
in gevurah.
To
overcome flesh takes a choice
by the believer to follow
the Messiah in a lifestyle
of Torah observance and
total dependence upon YHWH.
“My children I have created
the evil impulse, and I
have created the Torah as
an antidote to it. If you
occupy yourselves with the
Torah you will not be delivered
to the power of the yetzer
hara,” says the Talmud.
Winning the war over self
is not done in a day; it
is a daily battle to walk
in the Spirit. The fruit
of the spirit must be pursued
over time.
Contrary
to many teachers, the fruit
of the Spirit does not automatically
fully manifest in the believer
at salvation. Things are
made perfect during deliverance.
The seed of these attributes
is planted with salvation,
but self-control, patience,
and love must be carefully
cultivated. Opposing actions
that feed the flesh must
be weeded out. It is no
surprise then, that the
Hebrew word gevurah contains
the Hebrew word for “hero.”
Exercising self-control
turns a weak person into
a gibor, a hero for YHWH.
Few people are able to control
their urges. Those folks
who do are real heroes.
Y’shua
said that we are to be as
wise as serpents, and harmless
as doves. This is a great
example of the balance of
love and self-control. These
two powers act together
to create an inner balance.
Love and self control are
the first and last fruits
of the Spirit - ahava and
gevurah act as bookends
that contain all the other
fruit.
Balancing
Powers…
If ahava and gevurah are
to be fruit in our lives
then ahava and gevurah must
first become actions. These
spiritual virtues must be
acted upon until they are
second nature. In Hebrew
this is the concept of “chitzonit
mi’orrer piniut” – the “external
awakens the internal.” This
is the notion that it is
possible to develop an emotion
just by acting if that emotional
state already exists. To
be joyful, a person should
express joy. To be patient,
start taking lots of deep
breathes when things get
tough. To be kind, start
acting kind. The external
awakens the internal illustrates
that if a person wants to
love then that person should
start acting lovely. For
example, it is normal to
leave a movie theatre feeling
depressed after watching
a sad movie. When the external
is surrounded by a sea of
emotions, the soul is quickened
to the same. To bear fruit
of ahava and gevurah one
should seek to start planting
the seeds of ahava and gevurah
in their life. “I am the
Emet Vine, and My Abba is
the Gardener. Every branch
in Me that bears not fruit
He takes away and every
branch that bears fruit,
He purges it, that it may
bring forth more fruit.
Now you are clean through
the word that I have spoken
to you. Remain in Me, and
I in you. As the branch
cannot bear fruit by itself,
except it stays in the Vine;
neither can you, except
you remain in Me. I am the
Vine, you are the netsarim
(branches): He that stays
in Me, and I in him, the
same brings forth much fruit:
for without Me you can do
nothing,” John / Yochannan
15:1-5
