Galatians 5:18-25
You will find a short list of acts of the flesh in verses
19-21, acts like sexual immorality, and idolatry are referenced in the list
along with jealousy, fits of anger, dissensions and divisions. But I hope you are not forgetting what was
written yesterday, that walking by the flesh is not just doing bad things. I will use Bill’s words; “What it is: depending on yourself and your own abilities
to get your needs met apart from Christ.
The cardinal sin of man is independence from God.”
As we explore the fruits of the Spirit, it is very revealing
in my life there are areas of life that I am short of the finish line, what
about your life? So lets look into the
“Fruits of the Spirit” what are they, and are you walking in them? “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things
there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23, ESV) If you are looking for a benchmark on how you
are doing in walking by the Spirit, this is it, but make sure you are not
deceiving yourself. Remember, “God is love. You were created by God to be loved
unconditionally. Only God loves
unconditionally, therefore you need God.”
It is easier to love those who love you, but Jesus who is our
life will give us the ability to love those who can add nothing to our lives,
and even those who detest us for being a follower of Christ. Love covers all wrongs! In 1 Peter 4:8, we find these words; “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly,
since love covers a multitude of sins.”
I’ve found this to be true in my life, when I’m allowing
Jesus to live His life in me joy and peace are my friend, but when I allow the
flesh to grab any part of my mind, the enemy steals my joy and peace. If you ask my wife she would tell you that
Bob does better out of traffic, he seems to fall short in the patience area,
yet Jesus who is Bob’s life has never lost control on the highways of this
life. So why does that happen, it’s a
very simple answer; I’ve not predetermined my actions before getting behind the
wheel. I’m allowing the flesh to steal
my joy and my peace, and it may be happening to you also in others areas of
life, like politics. It may require you
to not open some e-mails, not listen to some radio talk shows, and set your
heart on trusting God for the moment, for that is all you have.
It has become clear in my short life on planet earth that
we have choices, and we can choose to allow Jesus to do it all for us, or we
can choose to live by the flesh, and be filled with strife, but then we lose
joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and
self-control. Do you recall Point 3) each of you showed up on planet earth
with the need to be loved (Point 1).
Instead of getting your needs met God’s way (Point 2), you developed
your own ways of getting your needs met.
This is what the Bible labels as “flesh.”
Because Jesus tells the truth, we need to allow verses 24-25,
to set a new course for us: “And those who
belong to Christ Jesus have
crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the
Spirit. Let us not become
conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice
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