Devotional

Read: Galatians 5:16-23 (If you have time, read the whole chapter!)

Devotional Thought: One of the biggest myths about following Jesus is that’s it’s about a bunch of rules: don’t do this, don’t think that, don’t wear this, don’t eat or drink that. But really, that’s all backwards. Following Jesus isn’t about following rules, it’s about a life of freedom- free from sin & the things that hurt our minds, bodies and souls… and instead filled with love, beauty, truth, joy, and hope.

The crazy thing about the Fruits of the Spirit is that when we have MORE of them, there is less and less space for sinful things (like we read about earlier in Galatians 5).

As we are filled with more and more love, kindness and peace (and have opportunities to share/practice them), there is less and less room for hate. When we focus on kindness and patience, there is less room for impatience and quick remarks that hurt the people around us. And the list goes on and on…

When we have more of the things of God, there is less and less room for the things that are out of alignment with who He is. And thankfully, we don’t have to muster these good fruits up on our own- it’s through the power of the Holy Spirit at work in us, as we grow in relationship with God, that these fruits grow.

Pray: “God, we pray together today that as you refine us with your refining fire, that your fruitful fire would blossom in our lives. As you refine us, allow love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and gentleness to bloom. Let them crowd out the habits and patterns of living and thinking that we’ve fallen into, until only You are left.

We pray that we would be a people known for our love, and that we would reflect your characteristics to the world around us.”