Devotional - Sept. 25, 2024
Scripture: Galatians 5: 19 - 23 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Usually, I do not repeat the verses we just covered a second time, but I thought differently today. When we consider the two lists Paul gave the Galatian church, it is good to deal with them on their own, but then again, side by side. Afterall, originally, they would have been read in one reading. Paul cites these behaviors off what he knows is going on in the church and the surrounding community. To me, I find the last entry interesting: self-control. Everything listed before it, in either group, pivots off one's self- control or lack thereof. In the context of the Christian community, what makes for self-control? The obvious answer being our relationship with God. As Christians we know we cannot fully control our world. No one can, except God. We do our part by living responsible and Godly lives. But in the end, we do not control our world. There are some who are terrified by this, and they do all sorts of things to quell their fears and deny this truth. As Christians, we realize we can only do so much, and the rest we leave to God (2 Corinthians 5:7, Ps 31:5). In doing so, we can fully experience our life in the Spirit. I think all of us regret the time we spent living otherwise. In our efforts to control everything and everyone, the most precious commodity we will ever receive continues to drain away with each passing moment: time. When we think of Jesus, we have a tendency to picture Him as One who was on a mission, and we are correct. Yet have you ever considered His living life to the fullest a part of that mission? To fully experience every aspect listed above in the life of the Spirit in His relationship with the Father and those around Him? To fully experience and enjoy His life in general? He did, and without sinning (1 John 3:5, 2 Cor 5:21). It seems that some today think the only way to truly have fun is through evil, or at least have a dash of it added into their festivities. They are wrong. Especially, when the fun runs out and hard times come. Paul in the worst of his torment still found joy and contentment in his life in the Spirit (Acts 16: 22-25, Phil 4: 10-14). May God continue to enlighten our lives so we too will live and keep step with the Spirit.
Pray with me.., Holy God, we confess that in our efforts to control everything, we lose control of our own selves and we waste precious time doing so. Quicken our spirits to rest in Your Spirit. Be with our loved ones we pray, bless them according to their needs. And bless our church, O God. Bless us, so that we can be the people You call us to be, in Jesus' name, Amen
God's peace,
Pastor Brian
