Inside out....
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Galatians 5:19-26 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; [20] idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions [21] 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.
[22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. [24] Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. [25] Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. [26] Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
What type of person do you want to be? I mean really be? If you took a quick straw poll of Christians and asked them if they wanted to change so that day by day they grew to resemble Jesus more and more, I would be sure that all of them would say yes. But what are their actions and choices really saying? If you examined their actions and choices, and let’s be honest if we were to examine our own, would they match up to our stated intentions? Would there be an obvious difference?
That’s what Paul is saying here. The results of your actions and choices are clearly visible to anyone who looks at you. His challenge is what type of person do you want them to see? There are too many believers who treat Jesus lightly – who hold him as saviour but not as Lord. As a result it’s sometimes hard to see the difference in their lives. It is all too easy to find people who have been in church a long time who act without grace, are always seeking arguments, who you know act dishonestly. Yet Jesus tells us that “You are my disciples IF you do what I command” – which means that he expects to be Lord of our lives, not just saviour. Because when you look at someone who has been a genuine, long term servant of the Lord you can see the difference, the fruit in their lives is obvious, plump and ripe.
And here’s why this is a good analogy, even for those of us who haven’t been following Jesus that long. Fruit grows, it doesn’t just appear. It’s like the seeds you plant in your garden, and you tend and water them day by day, each day noticing the changes in the way they grow. As we grow closer to Jesus, as we tend to our relationship with him, as we make choices to honour him, those around us will see the fruit grow, and begin to comment favourably.
Yes, when we choose to follow Jesus, the Spirit plants the seeds of the fruit in our lives, and often we can see new believers change overnight. But as we follow him we have to choose to see them grow. The Spirit helps us, but he won’t do it all for us. We have to make god honouring choices in our lives so we reflect Jesus to those around us. As Paul says above, we have to choose to crucify, put to death, no longer heed, the sinful nature, in order to grow to be like Jesus. To go back to our ‘fighting dog’ picture, which one are you feeding? Because over time, people will see……
When it comes to tending to your relationship with Jesus/feeding the dog, what are your top tips for us today?
[22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. [24] Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. [25] Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. [26] Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
What type of person do you want to be? I mean really be? If you took a quick straw poll of Christians and asked them if they wanted to change so that day by day they grew to resemble Jesus more and more, I would be sure that all of them would say yes. But what are their actions and choices really saying? If you examined their actions and choices, and let’s be honest if we were to examine our own, would they match up to our stated intentions? Would there be an obvious difference?
That’s what Paul is saying here. The results of your actions and choices are clearly visible to anyone who looks at you. His challenge is what type of person do you want them to see? There are too many believers who treat Jesus lightly – who hold him as saviour but not as Lord. As a result it’s sometimes hard to see the difference in their lives. It is all too easy to find people who have been in church a long time who act without grace, are always seeking arguments, who you know act dishonestly. Yet Jesus tells us that “You are my disciples IF you do what I command” – which means that he expects to be Lord of our lives, not just saviour. Because when you look at someone who has been a genuine, long term servant of the Lord you can see the difference, the fruit in their lives is obvious, plump and ripe.
And here’s why this is a good analogy, even for those of us who haven’t been following Jesus that long. Fruit grows, it doesn’t just appear. It’s like the seeds you plant in your garden, and you tend and water them day by day, each day noticing the changes in the way they grow. As we grow closer to Jesus, as we tend to our relationship with him, as we make choices to honour him, those around us will see the fruit grow, and begin to comment favourably.
Yes, when we choose to follow Jesus, the Spirit plants the seeds of the fruit in our lives, and often we can see new believers change overnight. But as we follow him we have to choose to see them grow. The Spirit helps us, but he won’t do it all for us. We have to make god honouring choices in our lives so we reflect Jesus to those around us. As Paul says above, we have to choose to crucify, put to death, no longer heed, the sinful nature, in order to grow to be like Jesus. To go back to our ‘fighting dog’ picture, which one are you feeding? Because over time, people will see……
When it comes to tending to your relationship with Jesus/feeding the dog, what are your top tips for us today?
posted by Gordon at
8:57 am
4 Comments:
I don't have non-hypocritical, shout:take-out-the-plank-in-your-own-eye! tips, but i know i'm to focus, focus, focus on the prize (Jesus) and not compare myself with other people who are running the same marathon...
(ps) See? You don't have to sign up/log in to comment! =p
By
Anonymous, at 9:38 pm
Set a regular time of bible study and personal chat/prayer/contemplation with God. And stick to it. And/or make someone in your house kick you/switch off the tv for you/splash cold water on your face to wake you up if you need it.
It works wonders for your skin.
Yeh comment people!
By
Anonymous, at 9:44 pm
Yeah, I agree with what everyone else is saying - spend time with God, I often become more like people I spend time with (spot the Americanisms I've picked up over the summer from Ian's team and at Essential!! And it's only going to get worse as my new flat-mate is American.). But be imaginative about it. If the amount of time you can sit in one place each day is limited then find other times and places, eg I often pray on the tube (although sometimes this leads to missing my stop - Doh!)or while I walk. I know some people, although they also do a 'quiet time' connect best to God while serving. Others still while singing or looking at creation or....
Have fun! :-)
By
Louise, at 8:01 am
Yup, Big G was here! Hehe!
Well, I don't have tips either. But I agree with the points made for how to best 'feed' the 'dogs'. But just need to get my ass into gear to do so.
Taking and step back and look in, I see my two dogs are fighting with each other very hard at the mo.
By
Anonymous, at 4:17 pm
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