.jpg)
JOYCE'S QUIET TIME FOR: 7-29-05
LIVING BY THE SPIRIT ~ Galatians 5:16-26
So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
Being led by the Holy Spirit involves the desire to hear, the readiness to obey God's Word, and the sensitivity to discern between your feelings and His prompting's. Live each day controlled and guided by the Spirit. Then the words of Christ will be in your mind, the love of Christ will be behind your actions, and the power of Christ will help you control your selfish desires.
Paul describes the two forces conflicting within....the Holy Spirit, which is infinitely stronger, and the sinful nature that stems from our bodies. If we try to rely on our own wisdom....we will make the wrong choices. If we try to follow the Spirit by our own effort...we will fail. Our only way to freedom from our evil desires is through the empowering of the Holy Spirit!
19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissension's, 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.
We all have evil desires...and we can't ignore them. In order for us to follow the Holy Spirit's guidance...we must deal with them decisively (crucify them 5:24). These desires include obvious sins such as sexual immorality and witchcraft...but they also include less obvious sins such as selfish ambition, hatred, and jealousy. Those who ignore such sins or refuse to deal with them reveal that they have not received the gift of the Spirit that leads to a transformed life!
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
The fruit of the Spirit is the spontaneous work of the Holy Spirit is us. The Spirit produces these character traits that are found in the very nature of Jesus Christ! They are the by-products of Christ's control....we can't obtain them by trying to get them without his help! If we want the fruit of the Spirit to grow in us...we must join our lives to His! We must KNOW HIM, LOVE HIM, REMEMBER HIM and IMITATE HIM! As a result...we will fulfill the intended purpose of the law...to love God and our neighbors. Which of these qualities do you want the Spirit to produce in you?
Because the God who sent the law also sent the Spirit, the by-products of the Spirit-filled life are in perfect harmony with the intent of God's law! A person who exhibits the fruit of the Spirit fulfills the law far better than a person who observes the rituals but has little love in his or her heart.
24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.
In order to accept Christ as Savior...we need to turn from our sins and willingly nail our sinful nature to the cross. This doesn't mean, however, that we will never see traces of its evil desires again! As Christians we still have the capacity to sin, but we have been set free from sin's power over us and no longer have to give in to it! We must DAILY commit our sinful tendencies to God's control...daily crucify them.. and moment by moment draw on the Spirit's power to overcome them!
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
God is interested in every part of our lives...not just the spiritual part! As we live by the Holy Spirit's power....we need to submit every aspect of our lives to God...emotional, physical, social, intellectual, vocational. Paul says that because we're saved...we should live like it!The Holy Spirit is the source of your new life...so keep in step with His leading. Don't let anything or anyone else determine your values and standards in any area of your life.
Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
Those who look for God's approval alone...won't need to envy others or become conceited. Because we are God's sons and daughters, we have His Holy Spirit as the loving guarantee of His approval!
Father God....thank you so much for sending your Spirit here until your work is done. We would basically be lost without His leading! Thank you for showing me today how everything works together! How all we need to do is surrender to the Spirit's leading and we will show the fruit AND the law of loving one another. How powerful is that! And it is so powerful because it is not of us but of YOU! Your love is amazing! Thank you Father, Jesus & Holy Spirit! Praise You!
In Jesus Name, AMEN!
LIVING BY THE SPIRIT ~ Galatians 5:16-26
So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
Being led by the Holy Spirit involves the desire to hear, the readiness to obey God's Word, and the sensitivity to discern between your feelings and His prompting's. Live each day controlled and guided by the Spirit. Then the words of Christ will be in your mind, the love of Christ will be behind your actions, and the power of Christ will help you control your selfish desires.
Paul describes the two forces conflicting within....the Holy Spirit, which is infinitely stronger, and the sinful nature that stems from our bodies. If we try to rely on our own wisdom....we will make the wrong choices. If we try to follow the Spirit by our own effort...we will fail. Our only way to freedom from our evil desires is through the empowering of the Holy Spirit!
19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissension's, 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.
We all have evil desires...and we can't ignore them. In order for us to follow the Holy Spirit's guidance...we must deal with them decisively (crucify them 5:24). These desires include obvious sins such as sexual immorality and witchcraft...but they also include less obvious sins such as selfish ambition, hatred, and jealousy. Those who ignore such sins or refuse to deal with them reveal that they have not received the gift of the Spirit that leads to a transformed life!
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
The fruit of the Spirit is the spontaneous work of the Holy Spirit is us. The Spirit produces these character traits that are found in the very nature of Jesus Christ! They are the by-products of Christ's control....we can't obtain them by trying to get them without his help! If we want the fruit of the Spirit to grow in us...we must join our lives to His! We must KNOW HIM, LOVE HIM, REMEMBER HIM and IMITATE HIM! As a result...we will fulfill the intended purpose of the law...to love God and our neighbors. Which of these qualities do you want the Spirit to produce in you?
Because the God who sent the law also sent the Spirit, the by-products of the Spirit-filled life are in perfect harmony with the intent of God's law! A person who exhibits the fruit of the Spirit fulfills the law far better than a person who observes the rituals but has little love in his or her heart.
24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.
In order to accept Christ as Savior...we need to turn from our sins and willingly nail our sinful nature to the cross. This doesn't mean, however, that we will never see traces of its evil desires again! As Christians we still have the capacity to sin, but we have been set free from sin's power over us and no longer have to give in to it! We must DAILY commit our sinful tendencies to God's control...daily crucify them.. and moment by moment draw on the Spirit's power to overcome them!
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
God is interested in every part of our lives...not just the spiritual part! As we live by the Holy Spirit's power....we need to submit every aspect of our lives to God...emotional, physical, social, intellectual, vocational. Paul says that because we're saved...we should live like it!The Holy Spirit is the source of your new life...so keep in step with His leading. Don't let anything or anyone else determine your values and standards in any area of your life.
Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
Those who look for God's approval alone...won't need to envy others or become conceited. Because we are God's sons and daughters, we have His Holy Spirit as the loving guarantee of His approval!
Father God....thank you so much for sending your Spirit here until your work is done. We would basically be lost without His leading! Thank you for showing me today how everything works together! How all we need to do is surrender to the Spirit's leading and we will show the fruit AND the law of loving one another. How powerful is that! And it is so powerful because it is not of us but of YOU! Your love is amazing! Thank you Father, Jesus & Holy Spirit! Praise You!
In Jesus Name, AMEN!
No comments:
Post a Comment