Fruit of the Spirit is LOVE (a kids devotional + lesson)

The fruit of the Spirit: love includes a discussion on why is love the first fruit of the Spirit, as well as a fruit of the Spirit: love lesson, craft, and coloring page featuring a verse from the holy Bible.

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Why is LOVE the first fruit of the Spirit?

If you’ve ever wondered why the fruit of love is the first fruit of the Spirit, settle in and turn on your imagination! In fact, imagine you have taken a time machine trip way back to the beginning of time. I mean the very beginning, before the universe existed. There are no hot dogs, no siblings, no computers, or any such things.

Nothing to taste, smell, see, touch, or hear. All there is right here, right now, is God, living his eternal life.

But here is the enormously strange mystery. While there is only one God, God exists as three persons. They are called Father, Spirit, and Son. The three persons of God are separate but the same, kind of like the three separate points on a fidget spinner. One fidget spinner has three points. But when you spin the fidget spinner, it all looks like one solid piece of plastic.

God as three persons in one is called the Trinity.

>> Related: How to Explain the Holy Spirit to a Child <<

These three persons love each other deeply. The Greek word for the relationship between Father, Spirit, and Son is perichoresis (pear-i-COR-i-sis), a big word that comes from the Greek language. It describes something like a dance of love, where the Father, Son, and Spirit dance and swirl and rotate around a common center of true love. They dance together in perfect love and peace.

Out of God’s love, God created you and me and everything around us, and God invites us to dance with him. In Genesis 1:26, God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us.”

We were designed to be part of this dance, to love God and love each other perfectly. But of course, we failed. God created laws to help us, but those laws only showed how unloving we were.

In John 15:9, Jesus said, “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love.” It’s hard for us to remain in the love of God, isn’t it? We have a hard time trusting that God actually loves us, which makes it hard to love him back.

The New Testament teaches us that God, out of his unconditional love, sent Christ Jesus, his Son, to free us from our sin so we could join in this dance of everlasting love. All you have to do to join is accept that God has given you this gift, and choose to join the dance.

The Father created you, the Son saved you, and, once you accept the gift of salvation, the Holy Spirit lives inside you, helping you love God and love others…the kind of love that is only possible through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Why is love the first fruit of the Spirit? Because everything else spills out from the agape love between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

*This devotion is featured in my book, “Fruit Full: 100 Family Experiences for Growing in the Fruit of the Spirit” and is used here with permission. See the book on Amazon.

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A fruit of the Spirit: LOVE lesson plan for children

Use this fruit of the Spirit: LOVE lesson plan for Sunday School or at home!

1. INTRODUCTION:

ASK: Do you know why God loves you? Does God love you because you are smart? You are smart, but that’s not why God loves you. Does God love you because you are good-looking? You are good-looking but that’s not why God loves you. Does God love you because you are good? You are usually good, but that’s not why God loves you.

SAY: God’s word says that God loves you because you are his child. And since you can never stop being his child, he can never stop loving you.

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2. LESSON:

Pass out a fidget spinner to each child, and read the devotional shared above. After, ask the following questions:

ASK: Where did Jesus’ love for others come from? God’s greatest commandments are about love: loving God and loving others with selfless love. How do we become more loving?

3. PRAYER:

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, thank you for loving each other and for loving us. Thank you for sending Jesus to us because of your great love for us. Jesus, please help us to remain in your divine love, just like you commanded. Help us grow in biblical love as a work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, not our own gritty determination to bear much fruit. Amen.

4. Fruit of the Spirit LOVE Activity Ideas:

• invite children to write a love letter to God or draw a picture for God
• teach children a simple breath prayer to use when they’re anxious: As you breathe in, say, “You love me…” and as you breathe out, say “and I love you.”
• have children make up a love song for God
• invite children to shout “I LOVE YOU” really loud!

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A fruit of the Spirit: LOVE coloring page

Download and print this entire package of fruit of the Spirit coloring pages and activities, including this LOVE coloring page featuring 1 John 4:19.

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A fruit of the Spirit: LOVE craft (and snack!)

Enjoy this fruit of the Holy Spirit: LOVE craft that is also a delicious snack AND an object lesson!

Supplies: Cookies, icing, and something to spread icing with (popsicle sticks, butter knives, etc)

READ 1 John 3:1

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

1 John 3:1 (New International Version)

ASK: Do you know what “lavish” means? It usually refers to lots of good things. I’m going to give you some icing to put on your cookie. If I’m lavishing it on, should I put on just a tiny little bit? How about a medium-sized bit? How about a lot? When you lavish something, you are being extravagant and generous – you are giving a lot. This is the type of love God has for you – the highest form of love possible! Let’s lavish icing on your cookies as a reminder of how lavishly God loves us. What are some of the different ways God shows us his love?

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See my other Fruit of the Spirit Lesson Plans here:

🍎 The Fruits of the Spirit for Kids: A Gospel-Centered Approach (teaches that the metaphor of physical fruit isn’t always the best way to teach the fruit of the Spirit. Rather, that the fruit is a work of the Spirit in your child’s heart)

🍌 The Fruit of the Spirit JOY: lesson plan and activities for cultivating the joy of the Lord

🍓 The Fruit of the Spirit PEACE: lesson plan and activities for experiencing God’s perfect peace

🍇 The Fruit of the Spirit PATIENCE: lesson plan and activities showing Jesus’ teachings and example of patience

🍏 The Fruit of the Spirit KINDNESS: lesson plan and activities for learning to speak kind words and live a kind life

🍓 The Fruit of the Spirit GOODNESS: lesson plan and activities for learning to do the right thing, even when no one’s watching

🍑 The Fruit of the Spirit FAITHFULNESS: lesson plan and activities showing how the Spirit of God helps kids grow in faithfulness

🍋 The Fruit of the Spirit GENTLENESS: lesson plan and activities for learning to give a gentle answer

🥝 The Fruit of the Spirit SELF CONTROL: lesson plan and activities for learning self-control as a product of the Holy Spirit working in you