Isaiah 33:10-36:22
Galatians 5:13-26
Psalm 64:1-10
Proverbs 23:23
The Spirit of Life
Each of us has the potential to love others immensely as God intends, but we also have the potential to do great harm. We are naturally selfish by nature, but God has provided us with His Word, His son, and His gift of the Holy Spirit to help us overcome our selfish ways and desires. When we accept Jesus Christ into our hearts, we receive the Holy Spirit, our personal compass that helps us navigate through life.
If someone asked you right now to point north, could you do so with 100% certainty? A few moments ago, we tried this experiment together. Anthony pointed one way towards New Canaan, while I pointed behind me in the direction of I-95 northbound. It turns out I was pointing east, and I learned that New Canaan is actually north of us. Go figure. Just because the highway signs say "north," it doesn't necessarily mean that it's pointing north. If I had a compass, I could have easily pointed in the right direction, but I didn't, so I went off my best judgement. How often do we base our decisions on our feelings and our own "best judgement" instead of turning to God and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us?
In today's reading, Paul talks about Life in the Spirit in his letter to the Galatians. There is a constant battle that we, as humans, face in our day-to-day lives when making decisions, and that is the battle between Satan's lies in our selfish desires versus God's way, the way of love and humility. This Life in the Spirit, that Paul was talking about, should have acted as a compass for the audience in his letter. It would have pointed them away from the evils they were facing and directed them to God's way. Similarly, today, we're faced with the choice of living life selfishly with earthly desires and living a life of joy, promised by God, and guided by the Holy Spirit.
Life is full of choices, some easier than others, some more exciting than others; but no matter what we are facing, we should always refer to the Holy Spirit within us to base our decisions. It is crucial to keep a strong connection with God through prayer and reading His word; otherwise, we may drift off course and choose the world's way instead of His.
Amanda and Anthony
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