Devotional - May 11, 2022
Galatians 5: 22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
How many times have you set a goal to be nicer? Or, maybe you decided you needed to work on being more patient. So, you set this goal and then concentrated your efforts to achieve it. I hope you did it. Whether you did it or not, you may have noticed a lot of conversations occurring in your head while doing so. "Why am I doing this?" "This is making me look foolish!" "It's not right!" Then, you would counter those thoughts with the reason you began this task in the first place. "My actions are ruining my relationships.” "Everyone thinks I walk around mad." "I am too reactive, I need peace." And the conversation within us continues on as we continue to modify the way we think and act. Just so you know, if that is what you did or are doing, that is the correct way to go. Hopefully, you are the one initiating the change rather than it being the results of an incident. Personal change is a process. We go back and forth in our mind, thinking about it. But, stay attentive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. The sad thing is, for many, it is a personal endeavor. It is something they try to do alone. When they read the Bible, or go to church, they hear God telling them to change and then it is up to them to figure out how to do it. That may work when doing manual tasks like painting a fence or cooking a meal. But, what about being more loving...? What does that mean? How do I do that? Unfortunately for many, the way they do it is by redefining what love means. Redefining it in a way that fits their way of thinking and living. It's not right, neither is doing what you want and asking for forgiveness later. Those who use these tactics could benefit from seeing where it got folks in the Bible. What Paul presents in Galatians is not a list of behaviors. It is not a to-do list that we must accomplish and maintain before we can say we walk by the Spirit. The use of the metaphor "fruit" could also be understood as the result of having the Spirit in our life. Jesus made it clear, if we try to live the Godly life on our own, it will not work (John 15:5). If you are reading this devotional, you know this from your own experience. When one's relationship with God slips back into being the results of their religion, God is replaced by a set of rules, do's and don'ts. If I do this, then I get that, rather than letting the Bible be the revelation God that guides a person in the relationship. If they do the latter, rather than the former, the fullness of the Living God is present, not a checklist. It is easy to drift toward a religious expression of our faith, but the resuts can be enraging (2 Cor 3:6). The best way to safeguard yourself from drifting, is to have a time when you meet with God. For some, it is daily. For others, it is a few times a week or weekly. Not everyone benefits from setting a time each day. Like in any relationship, it is not quantity that counts here, it is quality. But when you meet, expect to interact with God. Deep down, many think hearing from God is silly. God does not communicate with people anymore. Yes, God does..., and not just with people, with you. It may not be an audible voice, but rather a perception or awareness. Or, something will happen and you know it was God (John 3:8). Please, have a working knowledge of your Bible when you relate to God. If you don't, God will still work with you, but you have to be willing to spend the time reading through the Bible. If it is hard for you to read, there are plenty of options you can access to listen to it. Either way, do it with God, let the Spirit move with you as you make your way through. When you pray, pray in the Spirit, let the Spirit dwell in you, be present, as you pray. But don’t let that curb your words or thoughts. You are not going to offend God when you honestly expressing your feelings. It's only through honest communication that anything good can result. If you do not believe me, read the Psalms and see if David was picking his words. In the devotions to come, we will look at each of these conditions Paul sites for walking in the Spirit.
Pray with me..., Holy God, we believe in You and yet, we try to walk this life alone. We try to cover all the bases. We feel the burden of trying to make everyone happy. Remind us, You came to us, and You stay with us. We are never alone. Bless our loved ones, bless them in accordance with their needs, and guide our church that we may be the people you want us to be, in Jesus name, Amen.
God's peace,
Pastor Brian
