God seals the fruit of His love in our lives

Romans 15:28 Therefore, when I have finished this, and have put my seal on this fruit of theirs, I will go on by way of you to Spain. In this verse we learn that Paul was determined to put his “seal” on the material contribution of love before he could go to Spain. A seal is used as attestation or evidence of authenticity. When I get a document notarized, the notary places his seal on the document, which verifies to whoever receives the document that it is official and authentic. Paul did not think his ministry of service to the Jewish believers in Jerusalem was finished until he, himself, delivered the gift to the church in Jerusalem. In so doing, as the apostle to the contributing churches, he added his authority to this extravagant and out-of-the- ordinary act of love. This idea of a seal being put to a ministry of love catches my attention. This isn’t the only example of such a thing. Jesus said to a crowd of people who wanted to make Him king, “Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal” (John 6:27). God set His seal upon Jesus by proclaiming from heaven, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”(Matt. 17:5). Every sign and wonder performed by the Lord was God setting His seal upon Jesus. With this in mind, we can understand why this was so important to Paul. It was an act of love for both the Gentile believers and the Jewish believers whom he was seeking to unite in Christ. This was quite an act of love for Paul. He could have simply sent the gift by way of someone else. It would have saved him time, energy, inconvenience, and expense to do so. My point is that it cost Paul to love like he did. He surely believed the union of Gentiles and Jews as one in Christ glorified the Lord significantly. Enough so that it didn’t matter what it cost him. That’s exactly what living to love with Jesus looks like. Paul was committed to act in what was in the best and highest interest of both the givers and the recipients, no matter what the cost, in the power of the Holy Spirit, for the glory of God. Paul’s example encourages us to evaluate our actions in the same way. May we also commit ourselves to act for the highest good of those God puts in our paths, for His glory. Let’s trust God to set His seal on the love of His Son as we bear His fruit.