Devotion

Have You Grown Any?
by Tyora Moody

 ¹⁹The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness and selfcontrol. Against such things there is no law. Galations 5:19-23 NIV

As a child, did you have a place in your room or somewhere in the house where you marked your growth? Some months it seemed that mark on the wall stayed the same. Then maybe one summer you went to visit relatives or went to a summer camp. When you came back to measure your height, you were excited by the number of inches you had grown. At age 27, I'm 5'1 (no shorty jokes) and I can remember reaching my final height at the age of 13.

In August 1995, I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. I often wonder how much I have grown spiritually. Once you are born again, the old person is replaced by a new person. How do you know you have changed? How can you measure spiritual growth? Just as we may have measured our growth when we were younger, we should examine how our relationship is developing with the Lord.

In today's lesson, the apostle Paul gives us two comparisons. Those characteristics of those in the world (verses 19-21) and those characteristics of a Christian (verses 22-23) are compared. Earlier in this passage, the Holy Spirit is revealed as a counselor/coach who abides within us. The Holy Spirit reminds us of the lessons Jesus taught and disciplines our Christian walk. In order for the Holy Spirit do His work, we must remove self and allow the complete indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The flesh (human nature) and the Holy Spirit can not both abide in the same place.

Fleshly emotions can only result in destructive actions against ourselves, others and even more unjustly against God. God does not want us to hate, commit violence against, or envy others. He wants us to seek his kingdom, rather than spend time idolizing wealth, possessions, fame, and knowledge. Sexual activities and passions must be brought under control. Our bodies are temples, and the Holy Spirit needs a pure place to abide.

Jesus said, in John 15:4, "Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me." If we confess to be a Christian, this means we are striving to become more like Christ. The fruits of the spirit are Jesus' characteristics. Look at the list, what fruits are you bearing? What fruits are missing? To ensure that our spiritual growth does not become stunted, we must continuously communicate with God in prayer and feed on His word daily.

I may be short physically, but each day I live I want to keep on striving for the "higher calling" found in the spiritual realm. How about you? Let's move that mark up the wall!!

About the Author

For permission to reprint this devotion or study in a publication, please contact Tyora Moody at editor@faithwebbin.net or visit her personal Web site, CookieAisle.com.