Live
By The Spirit
Live by
the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For what the
flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed
to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing
what they want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the
law. Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity,
licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels,
dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I
am warning you, as I warned you before; those who do such things will not
inherit the
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 5:16-26
Have you
ever noticed that at the end of autumn some oak trees retain their crisp dry
leaves long after the maples, elms and walnuts have
dropped their leaves in the fall? As springtime progresses, warmer winds blow
and something wonderful begins to happen. Tiny buds start appearing at the tips
of the twigs, and the dried remnants of the preceding season fall off. New life
replaces the old.
At
times, old habits cling to our lives with the same tenacity as those oak
leaves. Even the winds of adversities do not remove all the lifeless leftovers
of our fallen human nature.
But
Christ, who dwells in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, is at work. His life
within us continually seeks to push off the old habits - renewing us when we
confess our sins, steadying us when we falter, and strengthening us to do His
will.
When
every effort to cast off an old sinful habit ends in failure remember the
mighty oak. Thank God for His Spirit who lives in you.
Keep saying yes to His gentle urging to be kind, loving, compassionate, honest,
and faithful. Eventually your old sinful ways will be replaced with new growth.
To get rid of a bad habit,
start a good one -
trust God.
Our Daily Bread -