Praise Day . . .

While I’ve said it all along, it takes a lifetime to learn how true it is — the thing that ruins my life is anything that flows out of an “I want what I want when I want it” attitude. Humble obedience is the epitome of Christian living. Thinking I can do otherwise is a snare, one that blinds me to the reality of being trapped by it. In other words, sin is an awful and devious enemy, destructive to the very best that God plans for me.

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” (Titus 2:11–14)

These verses give the purpose of my life in a nutshell. I’m to say NO to sin and YES to the Holy Spirit, waiting for Jesus Christ who redeemed me and is purifying me to live for Him, not for myself. Vital to this process is obeying what I know . . .

“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:5–7)

Hear His message. Pass it on. Match my walk and talk. No lying. Enjoy fellowship with other believers. Let Jesus save and cleanse me from my sin.

And even as I write this, I know that God does it. I cannot hear Him unless He speaks. I cannot pass it on unless He gives me words, grace and opportunity. I cannot match walk and talk without the enabling of the Holy Spirit. Truth is from Him. So is fellowship. All glory goes to God!

“Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.” (Psalm 25:8–10)

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I love You Lord, and I lift my voice to worship You. My soul rejoices in Your love and faithfulness. May I be on Your “what makes me happy” list today by relying on You totally and giving You all the glory that You deserve. Praise Your holy name!

Keeping in Step?

My husband is taller than I am and has longer legs. He also walks with longer strides than most people. Because of that, I cannot keep up to him matching strides. He usually remembers to slow down or take shorter steps — after years of listening to me telling him he is going too fast.

The Holy Spirit asks me to walk with Him too, but His request is not usually about speed or length of strides. Instead, it is about the way I act along the path. He says . . .

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”

First, He lists works of the flesh: “sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these” warning that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Stay away from all that.

Next, He lists the fruit of the Spirit, that is, the actions and attitudes I need to match as I walk with Him. They are: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control and against such things there is no law.”

Finally, He adds in two more positive qualities and three more works of the flesh: “And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” (Galatians 5:16–26)

This makes it easy to know whether I’m walking in the Spirit, sort of. It gets complicated because the fruit of the Spirit is not for me but for others. If I start examining myself for fruitfulness, the flesh can quickly take advantage and I become self-focused, which is NOT a spiritual fruit.

It is easier to let the first list of fleshy works be a warning that I’m out of step. If I’m even thinking that stuff, I need to talk to the Lord and get back on track with Him.

A Christian writer once said that when she tries to be like Jesus, self becomes more evident, but when she is just ‘herself’ people say they see Jesus in her. This is key. The person who walks with the Holy Spirit is not thinking about or trying to promote themselves or anything personal. They are transparent and carefree. Jesus can be seen in them. The person who walks in the flesh is trying to promote themselves (even if it is to be ‘more spiritual’) and that hides Jesus.

I’m trying to make sense. Walking with the Spirit is something the Spirit does in me. When I try to do it, “I” become the focus and begin walking in the desires of the flesh.

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Jesus, from experience and from Your instruction, I know what this involves, but it is difficult to explain. I know I’m to live like a child, carefree and not self-conscious. I also know that as soon as I or someone else points out that I am doing it right, I usually take my eyes off You, become full of care or pride about what I am doing. Thank You for setting me free instead, free to be who You created me to be!

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36)

Protected by my Father

Years ago, one of my husband’s relatives said to us, “You two have been through so much.” We didn’t have the foggiest clue what she was talking about. (Had she said it recently, that would be a different story.)

Her remark sticks because it describes something about the way others view Christians. If we are walking in the Spirit and living under the power and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, onlookers will see our circumstances in a different way than we see them. Even in our difficulties, He gives us joy and peace, sometimes to the point that we hardly notice the difficulties. Think of a child holding her father’s hand and walking through a pack of wolves. They are afraid of the man, but if the child sees them as growling puppies, not realizing that had she been alone, she would have been devoured.

Yet this walk with Jesus has a greater foundation than my personal safety. It also protects me from the condemnation of my sin . . .

“For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.” (Romans 8:3–5)

Because of Jesus, the law of God is fulfilled in me. I didn’t do it. I cannot do it. But Jesus did it for me, and because He lives in me, God counts or considers me righteous because of Him. This reminds me of the child who had so many allergies that he had to live and move in a large bubble, something like that ball we used to exercise our pet gerbil. Like him, I’m protected. I can move about freely, even bump into things but not be harmed. Onlookers might see the difficulties in my path, but only other Christians can see the bubble.

These verses also say that walking in the Spirit means thinking spiritual thoughts. Those sinful ideas and fleshy topics might come to mind, but they are outside the bubble as I rely on the power and grace of Jesus Christ to protect me.

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Jesus, I’m very glad for this reminder today. Several things threaten me, including problems with my health. Yet in You, nothing can happen unless it is part of Your plan. The bubble that I live in is not an imaginary hiding place of my own doing, but genuine love and protection that You promise and give Your people. Bless Your Holy Name!