Having a Heart in a Sometimes Heartless World
Scripture focus: But the fruit of the Spirit is…temperance/self-control/able to marshal and direct our energies wisely…Galatians 5:22 Self-control – enkrateia – in control, power over one’s self; control or restraint of one’s passions, appetites and desires. (Paraphrase from Renner’s devotional of July 27th, Sparkling Gems from the Greek)
Remember – the fruit of the Spirit is a gift from God. But this is one of those gifts with strings attached. We must live God’s way. We don’t get to run around all willy nilly, doing and thinking and saying whatever comes to our mind and tickles our fancy. We can’t run to the store and buy some fruit of the Spirit when we find ourselves in need of a strong dose of patience. First, we must live God’s way.
We get up one morning and read in our devotions that God expects us to love our enemy. And then some nit wit goes and acts like an enemy. Living God’s way, we must wrestle with what it means to love them. Maybe it means ignoring the insult. Perhaps it means discussing the incident with them. It’s possible that it means we can’t keep hanging out with them – they may be unsafe people. But no longer does it mean that we get to impulsively react to their bad behavior. We must pause to prepare. And however we respond, our motivation must be driven by love. Is it more loving to ignore or discuss the situation? If they truly are unsafe people, then how do I continue to love them – from a safe distance?
I thank God that he has granted us access to the fruit of the Spirit and the mind of Christ and his mighty power. Thank you, Lord, that we may approach your throne of grace with confidence. We can come to you, and the Holy Spirit will guide us in all our ways. Thank you for making a way for us to practice what we preach!
Recommended reading: Isaiah 12 and 13 in the morning; Isaiah 14 and 2 Corinthians 13 in the evening
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