Why do we love?

We don’t love others because God first loved us, in the sense of a quid pro quo.  We don’t feel compelled to love because of how thankful we are of what He did for us.  He is love, and His Spirit lives inside us, so we are love.  We can’t not love, that is who He is transforming us to be.  It should slowly become who we are.  It shouldn’t be a difficult choice we have to make or feel compelled to make, it should be normal, or easy, like breathing air, or walking on water. 

I do believe walking on water was a simple task for Jesus or Peter, just like walking on land.  It wasn’t anymore difficult than breathing or doing anything we do daily…….when we are focused on Jesus, or as Jesus said, when we remain in Him.  When we remain in Him, much fruit is produced.  Not because we are trying to produce fruit, or struggling, like it is the 100^th pushup we are on, but rather like taking a the 10^th step of the day or the 100^th breath, it is almost unconscious.  This shouldn’t be a struggle to love or do bear any fruit of the spirit.  It only becomes a struggle when we get distracted with the worries and dangers of this world or the spiritual realm.  Like Peter, once he turned his eyes away from Jesus, he slowly started looking or hearing or acknowledging the waves and wind and then walking on water was a difficult thing.  With all his might, and I am sure he tried hard to continue to walk on water, he could not do it.  Anymore than we can love another person when we are distracted by the world and no longer remaining in Him.  That is why “apart from me, you can do nothing”.  Remaining in Him, walking on water or loving others is as simple and natural and unconscious as breathing or walking on land.  But distracted from Him, it is as difficult as walking on water or loving others, and no matter how hard you try, you will fail.  He doesn’t want your goal to be to love others or to walk on water, just as being a moral person was not the goal of Jesus, merely a byproduct.  The goal of Jesus was to honor the Father and remain in Him, and in that, much fruit was produced without even trying.