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The first characteristic in God’s catalogue of Spirit-filled, temperament traits, is love. It is revealed as love both for God and for our fellowmen. The Lord Jesus said, “Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” (Matthew 22:37-39)

Very honestly, this kind of love is supernatural! A love for God that causes a man to be more interested in the Kingdom of God than in the material kingdom in which he lives is supernatural, for man by nature is a greedy creature. Love for his fellowmen, which has always been a hallmark of the devout Christian, is not limited by temperament. True, some as a Christian may need to go to the Holy Spirit for love more frequently than does by other, but if the Spirit controls their life, they too will be a compassionate, tender-hearted, loving individuals.

There are some people with natural tendencies who have expressed love in exemplary acts. But the love described here is not just for those who stir admiration or compassion in us, but for all men. The Lord Jesus said, “But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you.” (Luke 6:27) This kind of love is never generated by man but can only be affected by God. In fact, one of the thrilling evidences of the supernatural in the Christian experience is to see two people who have personal conflicts, which is another expression for temperament conflicts, grow to genuinely and easily love one another. The twelve disciples represented all four of the temperament types, and yet the Lord Jesus said to them, John 13:35, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if you have love one to another.” Many a church heartache could have been avoided had the filling of the Holy Spirit been sought for this first characteristic of the Spirit-filled temperament.

If ye would like to test our love for God, try this simple method given by our Lord Jesus. He said, “If you, love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15).  Just ask ourself, am I obedient to His commandments as revealed in His word? If not, we are not allowing the Holy Spirit to lead our will. Let us pray the Holy Ghost to help us to live our life in all scripture inspired by God.