Galatians 5:22-26

 

Rachel Workman: ²² But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. ²⁵ Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.

I continue to nail my sinful desires to the cross. When I read verse 22 it reminds me that anything that is good in me is from the Spirit and not from myself. Peace, goodness, self-control, and even kindness, I possess none of that on my own.

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John Burnett:  22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law. 24 Now those who [a]belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.   There are those in the church who think you have to act or have these qualities to be saved.  These qualities are only possible when you are born again and have the Holy Spirit producing them in you.  Those who belong to Christ had their flesh crucified with Christ on the cross.

25 If we live by the Spirit, let’s follow the Spirit as well. 26 Let’s not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.  Even those who are living by the Spirit, will at times become boastful in what the Spirit shows them.  As we grow more like Christ, we gain wisdom and here it says that we are not living by the Spirit when we challenge others, especially fellow Christians.  If we present our wisdom in a humble way, God will use it to grow or draw others closer to Himself.

 

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Tomorrow’s reading for Galatians 6:1-5

Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer^[a] is overcome by some sin, you who are godly^[b] should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. ² Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. ³ If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.

⁴ Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. ⁵ For we are each responsible for our own conduct