Week of Monday, September 4 – Sunday, September 10
Filled and Fruitful – Man as Provider
"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." - Galatians 5:16-23 ESV
Speaking to a large audience, D.L. Moody held up a glass and asked, “How can I get the air out of this glass?” One man shouted, “Suck it out with a pump!” Moody replied, “That would create a vacuum and shatter the glass.” After numerous other suggestions, Moody smiled, picked up a pitcher of water, and filled the glass. “There,” he said, “all the air is now removed.” He then went on to explain that victory in the Christian life is not accomplished by “sucking out a sin here and there” but by being filled with the Holy Spirit. Moody Bible Institute’s Today in the Word, September 1991, p. 30
In Galatians 5, the apostle Paul reminds the believers in Galatia that each man’s life follows a path of either righteousness or unrighteousness. He also emphasizes that the direction a man’s life takes is determined by what is on the inside, what he is filled with. The fruit of the Spirit of God is what provides the man of God the ability to live a God-honoring life. Consequently, as we surrender to the controlling influence of the Spirit and our lives are marked by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, we provide a godly example for others to follow.
According to George Barna:
Because a worldview is fully developed before the age of 13, young children listen to and watch their parents for clues on how to live an appropriate and successful life. The problem they often encounter is the inconsistency between what their parents say and do. The cute expression “do as I say, not as I do” is inadequate to alleviate the cognitive dissonance and confusion such inconsistencies cause within children. … Can parents recover from their own inconsistencies to more effectively shape the worldview of their young children? Of course. To do so, however, requires a series of integrated commitments. For starters, parents have to possess a biblical worldview in order to impart one to their children.
Men, it is up to us! This is not some mere suggestion that we can choose to either follow or toss aside. We are talking about our children here! And they need us to be men who love God and are filled with His Holy Spirit, displaying and modeling the fruit of the Spirit! Let’s make sure we are filled with God’s presence so that we may provide what our loved ones need to see in our lives! There is room for nothing else but HIM!
- Are you so filled with the presence of God in your life that there is no room or place for ungodly influences?
- What spiritual disciplines do you need to put in place to position yourself for the Holy Spirit to produce fruit in your life that will provide an example?
- Ask the Spirit of God to push out sin and replace it with His life-giving and fruit-bearing presence.
Filled and Fruitful – Man as Provider
"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." - Galatians 5:16-23 ESV
Speaking to a large audience, D.L. Moody held up a glass and asked, “How can I get the air out of this glass?” One man shouted, “Suck it out with a pump!” Moody replied, “That would create a vacuum and shatter the glass.” After numerous other suggestions, Moody smiled, picked up a pitcher of water, and filled the glass. “There,” he said, “all the air is now removed.” He then went on to explain that victory in the Christian life is not accomplished by “sucking out a sin here and there” but by being filled with the Holy Spirit. Moody Bible Institute’s Today in the Word, September 1991, p. 30
In Galatians 5, the apostle Paul reminds the believers in Galatia that each man’s life follows a path of either righteousness or unrighteousness. He also emphasizes that the direction a man’s life takes is determined by what is on the inside, what he is filled with. The fruit of the Spirit of God is what provides the man of God the ability to live a God-honoring life. Consequently, as we surrender to the controlling influence of the Spirit and our lives are marked by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, we provide a godly example for others to follow.
According to George Barna:
Because a worldview is fully developed before the age of 13, young children listen to and watch their parents for clues on how to live an appropriate and successful life. The problem they often encounter is the inconsistency between what their parents say and do. The cute expression “do as I say, not as I do” is inadequate to alleviate the cognitive dissonance and confusion such inconsistencies cause within children. … Can parents recover from their own inconsistencies to more effectively shape the worldview of their young children? Of course. To do so, however, requires a series of integrated commitments. For starters, parents have to possess a biblical worldview in order to impart one to their children.
Men, it is up to us! This is not some mere suggestion that we can choose to either follow or toss aside. We are talking about our children here! And they need us to be men who love God and are filled with His Holy Spirit, displaying and modeling the fruit of the Spirit! Let’s make sure we are filled with God’s presence so that we may provide what our loved ones need to see in our lives! There is room for nothing else but HIM!
- Are you so filled with the presence of God in your life that there is no room or place for ungodly influences?
- What spiritual disciplines do you need to put in place to position yourself for the Holy Spirit to produce fruit in your life that will provide an example?
- Ask the Spirit of God to push out sin and replace it with His life-giving and fruit-bearing presence.