And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Galatians 5:24
When we have the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—it makes up for what we lack as mere human beings. That is the wonderful part of belonging to Jesus Christ—once we belong to him, we live and are guided by the Holy Spirit. We leave our worldly choices behind and do as God would have us do. When we live God's way, he brings incredible gifts into our lives! We live, not with this understanding just in our heads, but in our hearts--believing that people and things are holy and good. We don't need to get our own way anymore, because we delight in God's will and walk in his ways to the glory of his name. What could be more important in this world or the next?
Yet, how often do we struggle with thinking or saying or doing what we want to rather than what we know we should? How often do we know what we should do, yet still we leave it undone? And, how often do we insist on getting our own way instead of yielding to others and to God? When we act like people of the flesh, we behave like unbelievers who do not have the Holy Spirit. We don't always love God with our whole heart or our neighbors as ourselves. Then, over and over and over, we confess to God that we have sinned in thought, word, and deed, and we humbly repent. We ask for mercy and forgiveness for Jesus' sake, and God grants it to us—over and over and over!
Marjie Mack
