Good morning, everyone. Today is the 1st of March, Sunday morning. I hope you all are having a good weekend. And if I were to entitle this devotional, if I were to give it a title, I would call it The Fruit of the Spirit is Love, Not Intelligence. The Fruit of the Spirit is Love, Not Intelligence. A lot of people have the idea that the fruit of the spirit is intelligence. The higher their IQ, the better they are at doing research, the more they are able to find out things that no one else knows. The more contacts they have in the intelligence community, is a spirit, is evidence of the spirit. But intelligence, it is a gift of God, but the fruit of the spirit is love. There's a contrast between relying upon one's intelligence and relying upon the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the one who guides us into all truth. Just because we have information doesn't mean we have truth. Just because we have a high IQ doesn't mean we have the fruit of the spirit. And I think that oftentimes we get that mixed up. God is love, and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him. The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. The Holy Ghost isn't given to everyone, okay? There are a lot of people out there that know the Bible intellectually, know the history of the Bible, know the history of religion, know the history of the Christian faith, but have not the Spirit. The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. Unto you which believe, he is precious. We love him because he first loved us. Galatians 5.22, 1 John 4.16, Romans 5.5. The love of Christ constraineth us because we thus judge that if one died for all, then we were all dead and that he died for all that they which live. should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them and rose again. Ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. This is my commandment, that ye love one another as I have loved you. Above all things, have fervent charity among yourselves. where charity shall cover the multitude of sins. Walk in love as Christ also has loved us and has given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor. 1 Thessalonians 4.9, John 15.12, 1 Peter 4.8, and Ephesians 5.22. If God be for us, who can be against us? Welcome aboard Rick Matorik. Good to see you this morning on this first day of March. The Lord is on our side. We will not fear what man can do unto us. The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? Though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear. Though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. Behold, God himself is with us for our captain. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. Romans 8, 31, Psalm 118, 6, Psalm 64, Psalm 27, 1 and 3, and 2 Chronicles 13, 12. Now, look at the contrast. Again, we said that the fruit of the Spirit is love, not intelligence. The fruit of the Spirit is love, but look at the contrast. We find, of course, in Psalm 2, why do the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing? He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh, the Lord shall have them in derision. Take counsel together, it shall come to naught. Speak the word and it shall not stand, for God is with us. When we are born again by the Spirit of God, everything changes in our perspective. Welcome aboard, Alcila France Perez, and welcome aboard all the rest of you who have joined us on YouTube, as well as on Facebook and the other channels. uh, and the ones that will hear this later on. But the point that I want to bring out today is that I've heard people get up and say, you know, I've even heard a pastor say one time, you know, my, my family was always amazed at how smart I was. Well, you know, being smart is one thing, but having the fruit of the spirit is something else. You know, have you ever had someone tell you you're about as sharp as a marble? You know, that person that is saying, be able to discern someone else that is not sharp. But that is not having the fruit of the spirit. That's not being loving, chiding someone else. That's the problem with so-called science today. these scientists, these doctors of science, doctors of physics and physiology and chemistry and microbiology and anthropology and sociology and psychology and all the other methods of learning as it were, you know, lack one thing, and that is the Holy Spirit. Because they are relying upon things that are not true. Evolution, Darwinian evolutionary theory is a lie. Astrophysics is a lie. The Bible is true. Let God be true and every man a liar. The foolishness of God is wiser than man. We're told in first Corinthians one, the wisdom of this world is not the fruit of the spirit. The politics of this world is not the fruit of the spirit. We can see all of the backbiting and contention and finger pointing. by just watching the debates. We can see that this is not an exhibition of the fruit of the spirit. The fruit of the spirit is love, charity, long suffering, kindness, joy. Those who have not the spirit are full of all subtlety and pride and malice and anger and rage and hate. But those of us who have been born again by the spirit of God, we don't trust in our intelligence. We trust in the one who made us, our creator. We don't worship, we worship the creator, not the creature. What a contrast between those who are born of the Spirit and those who are dead in their trespasses and sin. What a contrast between those who are loved and those who are full of rage and hate. Why do the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing? Why? Because they have not the Spirit of God. David prayed, take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Blessed is the man whom God chooses. And we are blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit, who mind the things of the Spirit, not the things of the flesh. And so let us remember that the fruit of the spirit is not intelligence. I'm not saying that God has not given us a mind to use our mind. But without the spirit, we will not be able to think clearly because the Holy Spirit guides us into all truth. Mysteries. Mysteries of the earth, the moon, and the sun. Mysteries of many things that are invisible to see. Mysteries of eternity and the relationship between the father and the son. Mysteries of magnetism, light, and electricity. Mysteries of the afterlife and eternity past. Mysteries of the future looking through a dark glass. Mysteries of heaven. and what it will be like. Thank you for revealing to us the mystery of your son, Jesus. You know, the mind of man is really something to think about with all its functions in the five senses. What a wonderful creator to create the human brain. It causes great contemplation and we can't refrain from thinking about this divine creator and his majestic perfection. by contemplating on Him and how He's given His people divine protection. It's an even greater thing to contemplate how He saved us from death and hell. Yes, He took us out of the horrible pit and now we contemplate on Him and in heavenly places sit. Well, you know what, the fruit of the Spirit also is having spiritual understanding. There are many things that I don't understand, but this one thing I do know, I know Christ who has the world in the palm of his hand. I may not know much about physics or chemistry. I may not know much about electronics or electricity, but I do know the one who stills the wind and calms the sea. I may not know Hebrew or Greek or quadratic equations, but I do know the one who gave me eternal salvation. I may not know important people or celebrities, but I know the one who created them all as well as you and me. I may not know economics or how to get wealth, but I do know the one who grants spiritual health. I may not know false science and heliocentricity, but I do know the one who shed his blood on Calvary for me. I may not know Latin, French, or Portuguese, but I do know the one who made the stars and the trees. I may not know medicine, herbs, and plants, but I do know the one, to me, who forgiveness grants. So if you think you're wise in all worldly things, only Christ can bring knowledge the world cannot bring. Well, what is the result of being given the Holy Spirit of God? What is the result of that? Well, we long for a cool cup of water that will quench our spiritual thirsts. Christ gives us that living water and it never runs dry. He bought it with His blood, we're the apple of His eye. When we're in need of comfort and we're in need of care, we cry out to our Abba Father and He's always there. When friends and family forsake you and me, we can always know our precious loving Savior, how He loves us so. Thank you, Lord, for placing us where the cool waters flow. Well, when we look toward the future with just our natural eyes, the future looks dim and we do it despise. But if we look to the future with spiritual eyes, there's nothing grander for us to surmise. Eternal life with Christ, I find a wonderful thought. Oh, what a glorious future for God's people He has wrought. All sorrows, tears, and sufferings will forever be gone, and in paradise with Christ our Savior, we will forever live on. So, this morning let us realize that the fruit of the Spirit is love, not intelligence. God's works are marvelous and great to think upon. His mercy and His grace, on His mercy and grace we can rely. Our eternal future is better than any past memory. The communion and fellowship with Him in the great by and by. Even though our fellowship is sweet now, even though clouded by a world of sin, just think how much more precious it will be with Him then. not having this battle between the spirit and the flesh and the devil, but in the new Jerusalem, never again having to contend with evil. And this is all made certain by God's mighty work of redemption, granting us forgiveness and giving us admission into the greatest paradise we could ever imagine. He says he's preparing for us a place in heaven. His preparations are perfect and without any taints of sin, thinking on God's works from beginning to the end. is a marvelous exercise for those who are born again. You know, there are many things we can't understand, how God created the world in six days, holds the world in the palm of his hand, how our salvation was planned by him before time began, how Satan and evil were all a part of this plan. To reveal unto us His Son, being born in a manger and dying on the cross to save our souls from danger, of being cast into hell, fire and loss, reconciling us to His God, His death, what a tremendous cost. Yes, there are many things we cannot fully understand, but for God's people, He has revealed His Son in them. Well, I want to encourage everyone today to remember, always remember that the fruit of the spirit is love, not intelligence. People kind of have it mixed up, don't they? Growing up, Jesus was known as a carpenter's son. helping his father work with wood that Christ had created from trees that he had made. We're told in the beginning, God created heaven and the earth. All things were created by him. Even the tree, even the trees, Joseph the carpenter worked with as a part of his trade. But Jesus is the greatest carpenter that ever lived, building an eternal kingdom with his hands, not with wooden stubble as this kingdom made. but with the precious blood of Jesus, when he freely laid his life down on Calvary for all of God's elect, the ones that the Father for him did select. The carpenter's son was the greatest builder that could ever be, giving eternal life for all of the elect family. Well, may the good Lord be with you today is my prayer. And let us always remember that the fruit of the Spirit is love, not intelligence. God bless. you.