DAILY REMINDER – Today, December 8’s Bible reading is Galatians 4-6.
NEXT DAY REMINDER – Tomorrow, December 9’s Bible reading is Ephesians
1-3. May God bless you with the reading of His WORD.
GALATIANS MOMENT – (08DEC19)
“The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and
debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage,
selfish ambition, dissensions, 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” (Galatians 5:19-21).
The Apostle Paul wrote to the
Galatian church about living in the Spirit. They were to love one another and serve
others. They were not to seek to do harm to one another but treat each other
with the love of Christ. Paul warned them not to misuse their newfound freedom
in Christ to commit sinful acts of the flesh, but to live in accordance to the
Spirit. The flesh does not want the things of the Spirit and desires everything
that is contrary to it, but by living in the Spirit, we can put away the desires
of the flesh. Paul wrote that if we live by the flesh, we cannot inherit the
kingdom of God. To live by the flesh is to live in sin, and sin will not enter
into Heaven. We are to live by the Spirit. The Bible says: “But the fruit
of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law”
(Galatians 5:22-23). Those who get caught up in their flesh must be
gently restored back to Christ by those who live by the Spirit. Paul told the
church to carry one another’s burdens and in so doing, they will honor the Lord.
How many of us can say that we are
living by the Spirit? Do we have love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? Most of us, if honest,
would probably say that there is one or more of these fruit that we need to
work on. Nevertheless, we should always strive to live by and in the Spirit
because even when we fall short, the Holy Spirit is there to convict us of our
wrong. The Bible says: “When
he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and
righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in me;
about righteousness,
because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer;
and about judgment,
because the prince of this world now stands condemned” (John 16:8-11). When we allow the Holy Spirit to reign supreme in our lives, we will
no longer feel comfortable living in sin and doing what is contrary to God. We
will have and urging from the Spirit to repent turn from our wicked ways. The
flesh tells us to live according to our own pleasure, but the Spirit tells us
to live according to God’s will for our lives.
We can also know
the spirit by the Spirit. When Paul was rebuking the Galatians because of them allowing
false teachers in their midst, they should have tested the spirit to see if
they were from God, Jesus said: “Watch out for false prophets.
They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By
their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or
figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree
bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear
good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown
into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them” (Matthew 7:15-20). Believers have to be careful to not only live by the Spirit
themselves but to watch the spirit that resides in others so they will not be
led astray. There are many voices in the world today who are not of God and are
not bearing good fruit. They are masquerading as angels of light when they are
of darkness. Nevertheless, the Spirit will not allow anyone who is of Him to be
deceived. He will warn us if we are in tune with His voice. Therefore, live by
the Spirit, be guided by the Spirit, and discern rather others have the Spirit,
so that you will not be deceived and led astray. Something to ponder….
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