Sunday, March 1, 2020
Most of us would admit we rarely feel God’s grace at work in us. That is why we are prone to doubting that His presence abides in us. Paul addresses this dilemma for us when he writes, “I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16).
That sounds simple enough. But we tend to take Paul’s counsel here as a hard command to be obeyed with striving. We grit our teeth and say, “I will walk in the Spirit today.” Once we stumble, we try even harder to walk in the Spirit. Suddenly we’re under the law again because we’ve turned to our fleshly ability rather than trusting the Spirit.
Paul says, “If you are led by the Spirit, you are no under the law” (Galatians 5:18). In other words, the Spirit of God abides in you, giving you access at all times to his grace, which empowers you.
Paul then shows us the results of a walk in the Spirit: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is not law” (Galatians 5:22-23). Take note: These things don’t come about because of what we do. They are the fruit of the righteousness God has put in us, the result of His work in us.
You may not feel very loving at times, but love is in you because God put it there. You may not feel joy and peace, but God has implanted both deep within you. His Spirit is at work in you every hour of every day, to His great glory and to your deep blessings. You have been empowered … Walk in it.
You are loved, Pastor Don
Cornerstone Worship Center 