City Life Starter

Written by Paul Lane

The Word

²¹ And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, ²² he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, ²³ if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Colossians 1:21-23 (ESV)

¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, ²¹ envy, [murder], drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who make a practice of doing such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:19-23 (ESV)

Reflection

When raising my kids, I decided to teach them four prayers that they would have for the rest of their lives.  I taught them Matthew 6 (The Lord’s Prayer), Psalm 23 (The Lord is my Shepherd), Proverbs 3:5-6 (Trust in the Lord), and Galatians 5:22-23 (The Fruit of the Spirit).  I felt that these four prayers would be useful for measuring, or judging, the world as they went through their lives.  I find that the verses in Galatians are particularly useful for measuring our society today.  If you look at verses 19-21 you will find a list of behaviors that are inappropriate for God’s Kingdom.  However, the fruit of the spirit show us the nature of God’s Kingdom.

So, there is a clear distinction between the two groups.  In the one, people are doing bad things, but in the other people are producing good things.  So, not only are the actions different, but the nature and the products are different.  Often, we judge our lives of holiness, that is our lives of being separated from the world and our former lives, by our actions.  While that is not completely wrong, it does miss the mark.  You see, if you claim to be a Christian but your behavior never changes, then there’s a good chance that you missed something.  So, it is reasonable to expect your actions to change when you become a Christian.  However, being a Christian is not a matter of keeping score of your actions, hoping that your good deeds will outweigh the bad.

Being in Christ is not about what you are doing, it is about what you are becoming.  We do not judge our progress by comparing ourselves to one another.  Our progress can be seen when we compare our lives before and after following Christ.  Look at the two lists in Galatians and see if there is anything common between them.  Can you imagine trying to live in the world that leans toward the fruit of the spirit while also holding on to the things that rebel against God?  As Christians, we are like children living in a fine home, but are continually tracking filth into the house.

Finally, it is very interesting that the two lists are very different by nature.  Think of it this way.  The Fruit of the Spirit are “the thing,” but the list of rebellion is a corruption of “the thing,” and not “a thing” in and of themselves.  One may love another in purity, but adultery is the corruption of that love.  One may be at peace, but fits of anger are a corruption of that peace.  So, we as the fallen, who are being saved, are on the frontline of the war between the two lists. 

Application

“People are uncomfortable in front of us, not because we are Holy but because we represent the one who is.”

R.C. Sproul

In Galatians, Paul writes “…if indeed you continue in the faith…” to make sure that we are aware that this is not a one-time struggle, but a daily effort.  If you knew how long the fight would go on, you would almost certainly give up.  The call to follow Christ is not the easy way out.  Nor is it an elite path to human achievement.  It is a daily call to very imperfect beings to follow the perfect instructions of a perfect being.  This may seem hard, and at some level it is, but we must also keep in mind that anything that we achieve in God’s kingdom is by His grace.  And God’s grace is sufficient for each of us.

Go to the ant, who stores up for the winter, but who is also diligent to work at it every day.  Take up your cross today and follow Christ, and you will find resistance to your efforts.  But you will also find something of great value.  It will be the pearl of your day, in which you can treasure in your heart.  You will prove to yourself that God’s grace is sufficient.

Prayer

Dear Lord, I pray for today’s gift, today’s grace, and today’s blessing.  Give to me a clear heart, clarity of purpose according to Your will, and a deeper understanding of the hope that lays within me.  Shower Your blessings on my friends, my family, and my church that Your mercies can be known in my life.  In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.