Scripture
Our verse for today comes from Galatians 5:19, “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and lewdness.”
Background
As I was sitting in my car one morning, waiting for the engine to warm up, I decided to stare at the clock. I wanted to see the 3 turn to a 4. And not surprisingly, it took exactly 60 seconds for it to occur. Now, nothing could be more obvious than a minute lasting 60 seconds, but that is exactly the point. Just like seeing lights on in a house tells us that they have electricity, we take the simple, everyday realities and pass them by without giving them a second thought. But what about in our walk with the Lord? How do we handle the simple truths that we have read in Scripture and heard preached in countless sermons? Today’s verse says the acts of the flesh are obvious. When we hear of someone cheating on their spouse or sleeping with their girlfriend or telling dirty jokes, we don’t wonder if the Spirit is leading that person to act that way. The answer is obvious. And so it should be with the believer and the fruit of his walk.
Application
We all know that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These simple, everyday words are supposed to be what’s obvious about our lives. But are they? It doesn’t say the fruit of the Spirit on Sundays, or the fruit of the Spirit when the kids are not around. It says the acts of the flesh are obvious, and the fruit of the Spirit is. But a lot of our fruit looks like disinterest, worry, unrest, impatience, selfishness, judgment, inconsistency, harshness, and lack of discipline. But it fits in so nicely with the ways of the world and those around us, that we don’t stop and realize what’s obvious. If you worry, are harsh, have little interest in others, have a short fuse, see the faults of everyone else, or over- indulge in things you don’t think affect you, then you should be taking note. There’s a reason why. Somehow,
GOD Almighty resides in us, but He doesn’t do so neutrally. He intends to produce fruit. Obvious fruit. So examine what you are bearing, and make it obvious that the Spirit is the source of your fruit.
Charge
As we seek Him today, ask God to fill you with the Spirit. Ask Him to enable you to walk in the Spirit. And if you’re unsure what that means, ask Him to explain it to you, too.
Rich Holt / Originally Published on : BCWorldview.org
Also published on : Medium.com.
