Continuing the vein of thought from my last blog entry about living and being happy everyday, as Christians, we are "in Christ." (Eph. 1:13) As such, we live in the freedom that Christ provides by faith in Him. So extending the thought, we should live and be happy in Christ. We should experience the freedom, the peacefulness, the serenity, the tranquility of life that Christ provides us as we are led in our spirit by the Holy Spirit. "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." (II. Cor. 3:17) So internally, we should be in tune with the Spirit as He interacts with our spirit everyday. That's where true freedom comes from. Freedom,and all that means, does not come from pursuing the desires of our human sinful nature which is also called pursuing the "works of the flesh." Let's read the text about this.
Galatians 5:13-25 NIV
[13] You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. [14] For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” [15] If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. [16] So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. [17] For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. [18] But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. [19] The acts of the flesh 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, forbearance, 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 flesh with its passions and desires. [25] Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
See? We'll never be happy or at peace pursuing the desires of the human sinful nature. All those things bring slavery or imprisonment in those things. Those things are just the junk of the world. They're totally a waste of time. None of that helps us or those around us. So to have the freedom that Christ provides and all that encompasses, let's all pursue what the Holy Spirit desires. Let's listen to Him internally and through the Word to have the life God wants us to have in Christ. Then it will benefit those around us. Then God will work through us to save those around us. Again, our main purpose of the Church is for God to work through us so other people will be saved. So let's live and be happy as we do what the Holy Spirit tells us to do. That's true freedom!!
Share with others!!
Love you all,
Jeffrey Post
No comments:
Post a Comment