I was reading Galatians 5:16-22 today, and it’s always a good reminder to hear the fruits of the Spirit which we are commanded to live by. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are the attitudes by which my day should be governed. The last part of verse 22 says, “against such things there is no law.”
Why is it so impossible to live day to day displaying these attitudes?? Why is it so hard to love others who annoy me before they open their mouths, to be joyful when my day stinks, to be patient when I have no control over the situation, to be kind when I’m treated rudely, to be faithful when I feel so tired, and to have self-control and shut my mouth when I have a comment in my head that I know is hurtful???
The obvious answer is sin. I think too we get so caught up in living the way the world lives and some of these traits are foreign to so many people. But as Christians, we’re called to be different, to be holy, to be set apart. I know my day would be so much better and I would be bringing more glory to God if these traits were in the fore-front of my mind. And by living by these the world would see that I was different. So as I wake up this week I’m going to ask God for the strength to try and live by the Spirit, rather than by the flesh and for myself. I’m going to ask for the strength to be different than the world. And I’m going to ask Him to show other people His love through my life. What a different place this world would be if we were living by the Spirit….
