First of all, how are you all doing with the daily readings + posts? I hope you are all seeing them as a tool for connecting with God and not as another "works" thing. I know for me, especially when I come to the end of something like this I catch myself just trying to push through + get done instead of truly seeing it for what it is. I hope you are each meeting up with God + are hearing Him speak through Galatians.
As we are in the middle of the week, a few things have stuck out to me while nearing the end of chapter five.
- Yesterday, I posed this question to my group: "What does walking by the Spirit mean to you?" (vs. 16) One response was constant prayer. I know this is so true for me. When I specifically set apart time for journaling/reading/listening with God, I definitely notice a difference in my thoughts + actions. Then Paul follows it up with why we need to be walking with the Spirit: because our flesh + our Spirit is fighting against each other.
Paul doesn't say "fight against your flesh", he says "walk by the Spirit". This made me think of Exodus 14:14: "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." I am confident that if I walk hand-in-hand with God, I will have an advocate through Christ + through the Holy Spirit! Since we're talking of freedom.. that's pretty freeing!
- The other thing that has stood out to me is vs. 13 - It feels instinctual to hold on to things I receive, including (+ maybe especially) my freedom. This is so not the plan God has for us, though! Paul shows us that by keeping our freedom to ourself and to use it for our benefit will destroy it; but to grow freedom, to experience that true freedom, we are to give it away.
So, knowing this what are you doing with your freedom? vs. 13 makes it clear that the question isn't if we are made for freedom, it's what we are doing with it. Who in your life are you sharing your Freedom with? So, walking by the Spirit, we fight our flesh's desire to use our freedom for ourselves + instead we do what God intended: serve, love others. Whether that is your family, your neighbors, your local church, your nation, your world. I encourage you to join me as I evaluate my life + take some hard looks at where my Freedom is going, then make the necessary changes according to Galatians 5:13.
I so hope you feel the freedom ringing loudly in these passages! We are getting some awesome tools for experiencing Freedom in Christ! Praying for each of you..
Justine
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