|
April 26, 2010 Read: By contrast, the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. There is no law against such things. 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 be guided by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another. Galatians 5:22-26 Chapter 7: The Me I Want To Be, "Let your desires lead you to God" Think About: Yesterday we thought about the idea of living into our gifts, talents, and desires, in our journey back to God. However, it must be said that focusing on our desires, outside of the transformation that comes with the renewal of our minds, can be dangerous to our well-being. In Galatians, we find the fruits of the Spirit. This section immediately follows and is set against a section on the works of the flesh. Taking the two sections we have two very different lists: anger, jealousy, envy.... versus love, joy, peace, patience.... One side is before a transformation, the other is after a transformation. One side would clearly be seen as good, by almost any standard. The other side, well, not so much. The Amazing Powerful Person is one that takes the God-given gifts and grace and uses them in a manner that exhibits the fruits of the Spirit. These traits are a useful road map to help us determine the motivation behind out thoughts and actions, an indicator of "What is good acceptable and perfect." (Romans 12:2) Pray this Prayer: Lord, I see a lot in my life that is the fruit of my spirit, not yours. Remind me, Lord, to surrender my spirit to yours so that I bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Amen. You are invited and encouraged to share your thoughts, feelings and experiences with the spiritual practices at the Easter Devotional Blog. We are on this journey together and your words may help another along the way. Having problems viewing this page? Click here to view it online. Click here to be removed from the Daily Devotions © 2010 St. Luke's United Methodist Church at Windermere |
