ODC is reading through the Altar’d Lent Devotion book. My reflections this morning contain part of Day 9’s devotion with my personal adaptations mixd in.
“The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, depravity, idolatry, sorcery, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish rivalries, dissensions, factions, envying, murder, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Gatatians 5:19–21)
“In his letter to the Galatians, Paul affirms that because of grace through Jesus, believers have been given a life of freedom. That’s the good news of Jesus. Those who have confessed faith in Christ are not bound to the penalty of sin because Jesus has paid the price. However, Paul warns them that their freedom does not mean they are free to behave any way they choose. They must deny acts of the flesh because the way believers live is a reflection of Christ. Just as what comes out of the mouth reflects our hearts, our actions reflect our lives as followers of Jesus. “
As we skim Paul’s list, we may be tempted to brush it aside and claim that those are sins we would obviously not commit. Surely, we can all agree not to participate in depravity, idolatry, and witchcraft. However, if we look at Paul’s list in vs 19-21 in The Message Bible to pull out more nuances, it tells us:
“It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.”
Believers who are practicing the way of Christ must surrender any habits, behaviors and lifestyles that do not reflect their lives of freedom. If this Lenten season is going to have any lasting impact on our life with Christ, if it is not just going to be some ”religious thing” we participated in for 40 days then “go back to our usual routines”, then we need to be intentional in surrendering our habits, behaviors and lifestyles to the cross of Christ. We need to be willing to place in front of God, those acts of the flesh which do not reflect the nature of Christ. Jesus did not give Himself up for us so we can abuse the freedom of grace and continue to act as though we have not been released from sin.
My family, I pray you allow the Holy Spirit to search you and reflect with you on what are obvious examples in your own life of a habit, behavior or lifestyle which does not reflect Christ. I pray you are willing to fall to your knees, confess and repent of them, and surrender them at the foot of the cross today, in Jesus name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
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