Having a Heart in a Sometimes Heartless World
Day 226 – Obvious?
Scripture focus: It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time…Galatians 5:19 The Message
“I’ve just decided that I don’t want to spend the rest of my life like this. I deserve better.” And with that pronouncement, a wife and mother leave her family in pursuit of a more fulfilling life. At that moment, she has no clue – it is absolutely not obvious to her – what kind of life develops out of trying to get her own way all the time. But the rest of us, the ones who have lived in community with her, see clearly that this is indeed how she has lived her life. She’s the kind of gal who always has to get her own way – all the time. (Wouldn’t it be great if we could see our own defects of character as clearly as we see others!?!)
In the NIV translation of Galatians 5:19, it reads: “the acts of the sinful nature are obvious”…
In the King James Version it says: “now the works of the flesh are manifest”…
Manifest – the Greek word is phaneros – meaning to appear, to become visible, to become apparent, to become seen, to be well known, to become conspicuous
Manifest – the Greek word is phaneros – meaning to appear, to become visible, to become apparent, to become seen, to be well known, to become conspicuous
My friend left her family and it appeared, became visible, was apparent, well known and conspicuous to her community that she was behaving without regard to her husband, children, or even her own core beliefs. She looked selfish. She became obsessed with her body image – lost weight and buffed up. And although her family looked like survivors of a tragedy – she appeared to thrive.
Sometimes it takes a long, long time before it truly becomes obvious as to the kind of life we’ve created for ourselves. It was years before this woman’s apparent act of selfishness revealed itself to be a misguided attempt to manage her depression. All the buffing and polishing and playing and getting her own way could not stop the progressive nature of her mental affliction. None of that was obvious until much later.
So although Galatians is true, I don’t think it is necessarily easy to determine what kind of life we’re creating. In the next few days, we’re going to look more deeply into Galatians 5, and see what signs and symptoms Paul has provided us in this letter. Perhaps he has left us some clues that will enable us to see the obvious in our own lives – before we wreak havoc on ourselves and others.
Recommended reading: Nehemiah 6, 7 in the morning; 1 Corinthians 8, Psalm 33 in the evening
Copyright 2008 Northstar Community
1 comment:
wow I don't know who is writeing these but it seems to me someone is getting awful close to a fine line here
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