A Batch of Love

Claire Black: Welcome to True Girl, a podcast for girls and their moms. Together, we’ll explore God’s truth for us, one drive at a time. Buckle up! You’re about to grow closer to each other and closer to Jesus!

You probably see and hear the word “love” a lot. I mean, it seems like it’s everywhere: on decorative signs, on T-shirts, or just people talking about it. But lots of people don’t understand what love really is and how can you experience it in your life.

In Season 15 of the True Girl podcast, called “A Recipe for a Fruitful Life,” Dannah Gresh and Staci Rudolph are talking about the fruit of the Spirit . . . and they’re doing some baking. Today they’re gonna make banana bread while they look at God’s love and what that means for us.

Let’s listen to Season 15, Episode 2, called “A Batch of Love.”

Dannah Gresh: Okay, Staci, let’s get this banana bread in the oven.

Staci Rudolph: Just a minute . . . there’s still a little batter in here I need to get to.

Dannah: Oh Staci, are you licking the bowl before we even get this into the oven?

Staci: That batter was calling my name! But sorry, I should be helping, I guess, huh?

Dannah: It’s okay. I was kind of joking. Although, it is better to wait until it’s in the oven. Got it in? Now let me set the timer. Alright, hand me that spatula. 

Yum! I gotta tell you, Staci, it tastes better after the wait. 

Staci: I’ll keep that in mind for next time. 

Dannah: Okay, let’s just put the dishes in the sink for now. I want to grab my Bible so we can talk about love.

Staci:Ooh, yes! The fruit of the Spirit. Here, one more spoon. I think that’s it.

Dannah: Okay, that’s great. 

Now, my Bible’s already on the coffee table. Got yours?

Staci: Right here! Where are we gonna start?

Dannah: Well, first we need to read Galatians 5:22–23, let’s remind ourselves what the fruit of the Spirit is.

Staci: Oh, can I do it? Here’s Galatians 5, verses 22–23.

 

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

Dannah: Thanks, Staci. Now, as we think about love, can I find . . . here we go, John chapter 17.

So, the night before Jesus was crucified, He was with His disciples eating a special meal.

Staci: Probably not banana bread.

Dannah: No, probably not. But anyway, Jesus talked to them for a long time. He wanted them to understand that He was going to die. And that they would be okay, even though it was going to be really hard. 

Now after he explained things to them, He prayed to His Father, and that’s what is written down in John 17.

Staci:Yeah, I remember that. 

Dannah: At the end, Jesus prayed this:

“Father . . . you loved me even before the world began! . . . I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.

That’s John 17, verses 24 and 26.

So let me explain this. 

Staci: Please do. 

Dannah: Jesus had been praying about how He wanted people to be with Him in heaven, and He said that before the world was even created, the Father loved Him. And Jesus loved God the Father. That’s what they did! 

God the Father has always loved God the Son and Holy Spirit, and they have always loved God the Father and each other. 

And God loved so much that He made people to love too. When He makes us His children, we get to experience that same love that the Father has for Jesus.

Staci: Okay, I think I get it. So, your point is that God the Father loved God the Son before there were even any people to love.

Dannah: Exactly!

Staci: So that means love starts with God. You know, lots of people talk about being loving. But you can’t really understand what love is if you don’t understand that God is love.

Dannah: Uh-huh. Because God the Father loves us so much, He sent Jesus to die. And why?

Staci: Because we’re sinful. 

Dannah: Yeah. The Bible tells us the cost of sin is actually death. So Jesus was punished instead of us, for us, in our place. 

I don’t know about you, but when I was sinful growing up, I very often got punished. My mom loved the time out corner. Never in all my years did my brother see me being sent to time out and say, “Oh, I’ll go for her.”

Staci: Yeah, me neither. 

Dannah: But that’s how much Jesus loved me. He basically said, “I’ll go for Dannah.”

Staci: And Staci! 

Dannah: And every single girl, boy, woman, or man. And because He’s done that for you, then you want to show His love to other people, too!

Staci:Hey, Dannah! That reminds me of another Bible verse!

Dannah: Go ahead and read it while I go over here and peek in the oven.

Staci: Okay. It’s 1 John chapter 4, verse 19. It says, “We love because He first loved us.”

Dannah: Oh awesome, Staci. That’s actually where I was going to go next. You beat me to it!

Staci: Sorry. Banana bread done yet? It sure smells good!

Dannah: Nope. Not yet.

Alright, read that verse again. It went by quickly.

Staci: “We love because He first loved us.” I’ve gotta say, though, you can’t put it much more simply than that.

Dannah: Right. About the only way I can clarify that is to say, we love God and others because God loved us first.

Staci: And that’s why “love” is a fruit of the Spirit, because it’s God the Spirit who does the work in us to make us loving.

Dannah: Yes.

Staci: But what does that mean practically? We know we love others because God loves us, but what does that look like? It’s not the pink-and-red hearts kind of love, right?

Dannah: No, no. You’re right, there’s a lot more to it than that. In fact, I want to look at two more passages. Can you read Matthew 22, verses 37–39?

Staci: Sure. 

“Jesus said,“‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Dannah: Okay. “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Staci: And your neighbor is anyone you talk to or spend time with or just run across in the grocery store, right?

Dannah: Yep. So first, this is another reminder that you can’t really love others if you don’t love God. But then, it means that loving other people looks like treating them the way you want to be treated.

Staci: Like offering the last cookie to someone else when you really want it!

Dannah: Yeah. 

Staci: Or cleaning the kitchen without being asked.

Dannah: Good example! But I want to remind you that it has more to do with your heart. If you clean up after dinner tonight “because Dannah and Staci said I have to,” and maybe you have a bad attitude about it . . . that’s not love!

Staci: Right.

(timer going off)

Oh, is that for the banana bread? Here, let me poke it. I think it might be done, Dannah!

Dannah: Oh it looks like it! Good, good. I’m getting so hungry. 

Staci: Me too. 

Dannah: Go ahead and turn them out on this cutting board to cool a little before we try it.

Staci:Oh, yeah. I almost forgot that part.

Dannah: Mmm . . . bummer, right? Now, back to love. I just want to say this: sometimes you really need to pause and soak in God’s love. Like really be aware of how much He loves you. That’s the only way you’ll ever really be able to love your neighbor. Do you ever forget that God loves you?

Staci: Well, not really in my head, but sometimes in my emotions I do.

Dannah: Let me guess. Is it when you’re maybe . . . sinful . . . that you forget in your emotions?

Staci: Bingo!

Dannah: Me too! In fact, once I sinned in a big way, and for a long, long time, I didn’t feel like God loved me during that time. Well, a few years ago, I wrote Lies Girls Believe.

Staci: I love that book!

Dannah: Thanks, Staci! I asked 1500 of my True Girls to answer questions when I wrote it. I wanted to be sure the lies I wrote about in that book were the lies they were believing. So, I asked them, do you think God loves you?

Staci: What’d they say?

Dannah: 92% of girls are sure God loves them. 

Staci: That’s good!

Dannah: And it is true: God loves 100% of humans all the time, no matter what. And that includes you!

God loves you . . . a lot!

The Bible tells us this truth over and over. One of my favorite verses is Isaiah 43:4, which includes the simple words: “I love you.”

Now, even so, I discovered that this truth is hard for some girls to believe when they have done something bad, like disobey their parents or cheat on a test. Sometimes their feelings tell them a lie about God’s love.

And that lie is: “God only loves me when I’m good.”

Staci: Ah, been there; done that.

Dannah: Me too!

Staci: True Girl, have you ever believed that lie? I think most of us have at some point in our lives. Sin makes it difficult to feel God’s love even though it is still there. Trying to feel connected to God after we sin can be like trying to download a song or listen to an episode of Adventures in Odyssey when you don’t have good Wi-Fi. The connection is there, but something is interfering with it.

Sin makes it hard for us to connect clearly to God, but God’s still there, and He still loves you! Yes, He feels sad when you sin and sometimes there are consequences, but that doesn’t mean He doesn’t love you. 

Dannah: Staci, there’s a really good verse that tells us that very truth. Let me read Romans 5:8.

“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” 

Staci: He sent Jesus to die while we were sinners! And that was the ultimate act of love! Wow, mind blowing when you think about it! 

Dannah: Yeah, it is. God is not surprised by your sin. He knows everything. No matter what you have done or how much you have messed up, God still loves you and will forgive you.

I understood this better after I became a mother. Let me tell you this cool story. Once when my son was little, he asked for water. He then promised he had not played with the lit candle in the other room. Now, that seemed like a funny thing to say! (And by that time, I could smell smoke.) Thankfully, only the edge of a blanket had caught on fire, and I was able to put it out really quickly. 

You know what? Even as I rescued him from his own mistake, I did not love him any less. In fact, I put that fire out because of love. I wanted to keep him safe. 

Staci: Think about this, True Girl. 

How much more does God, in all of His perfection, love you? He loves you when you behave well and when you behave badly. 

That is a good thing to soak in today. And as you experience God’s love, you’ll start to have the fruit of His love as a result!

Dannah: So true, Staci!

Well, that banana bread might be cool enough to try by now.

Staci: Ooh! 

Oh, Dannah, why did the banana go to the doctor’s office?

Dannah: Um . . . it was too mushy?

Staci: No, it wasn’t peeling well!

Claire: I wish I could have some of that banana bread! I can imagine how it smells and tastes . . . yum! You don’t have to imagine. During this whole season, we’ll share the recipes for the delicious things Dannah and Staci make together. So, if you like banana bread but you need a recipe, go to ReviveOurHearts.com and find this episode—“A Batch of Love”—in Season 15 of the True Girl podcast. We’ll include the banana bread recipe in the transcript.

I’m glad we got to listen in on Dannah and Staci’s conversation about love. It’s so important to remember that you can’t love people on your own. But as you experience the love God has shown you, it will become something you can share with others. Kinda like a batch of great banana bread! 

Speaking of love, do you know how much God loves you? That’s something we really want you to know. If you’re having a hard time believing it, tell your mom. It’s good to talk about it.

Be sure to come back next time! Get ready to learn about how to have real, lasting joy—no matter what comes your way!

The True Girl podcast is produced by Revive Our Hearts, calling women of all ages to freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ!

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Banana Bread

1¾ cups flour

⅔ cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

2 bananas (1 cup), mashed

⅓ cup butter, melted

2 tablespoons milk

2 eggs

¼ cup nuts (optional)

¼ cup chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350° F. 

Combine 1 cup flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 

In a separate bowl, mix bananas, butter, and milk. Add to dry ingredients, then add eggs and remaining flour. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips, if desired. 

Pour into greased loaf pan. Bake 45 minutes to an hour.

 

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