Before we look at what it means to walk by the Spirit, let’s consider why we should walk in the Spirit? If I was to ask you that question you might say, “To be a better person”, “To make a difference”, “To leave a legacy”, or “To do the best I can so that I won’t have any regrets”.

If you wanted to say something more spiritual you might say, “I want to get closer to God”, “I want to fulfill God’s calling on my life”, “I want to overcome my weaknesses”, “I want to be able to live my life abundantly”, “I need his strength”, “I want to be more like Christ”.

Of course there is nothing wrong with any of these things. They are all valid reasons to walk in the Spirit, and I am sure you can think of many of your own reasons. But Paul doesn’t mention any of these when he give the reason why we should walk in the spirit. In fact his reason is quite surprising.

They key words are “So I say”. Paul has just been talking about a particular issue, and it is this issue that prompts him to say, “walk by the spirit”. If it hadn’t been for this problem he wouldn’t have mentioned it. So what was the problem?

“If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed…” (Galatians 5 v14). That is, Paul is trying to help the church to get along with each other. The only way we can do that is to walk by the spirit.

But it’s more than just getting along. Paul is exhorting the Galatians to “…serve one another humbly in love” (Galatians 5 v 13). The church needs to build each other up and not tear each other down. We need to be careful we don’t use our “freedoms” to cause others to stumble.

If we are doing something that the bible permits (or even encourages), but it others are hurt by it, then we have no excuse. “You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ” (Galatians 5: 4). Instead you must “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Galatians 5 v14) Everything we do should be for the building up of the church.

Does this mean we can’t do anything until we have analyzed it to the finest details and considered all the possible reactions from everyone in the church? Does this mean if even one person objects to what we are doing then we have to stop? This is how some people try to live, but it’s just not practical, and it is certainly not what I am saying.

No. Loving your neighbour is impossible if we try to do it ourselves. We can’t possibly work out a set of guidelines on how you should behave according to what other think. These kind of laws will never help you love your neighbour. If you really want to love your neighbour, if that is your true motivation, then the only way to do it is to walk by the spirit. “So I say…”

God Bless,

Matt.

As I contemplate this rather innocuous passage many things seem to jump out at me. Many questions that have teased mankind and confounded theologians down the centuries jump out at me from this passage. Aside from the intellectual challenge of this passage there are also the challenges it offers even the oldest Christians.

Over the next few devotionals I would like to look at this passage, and it’s context (Galatians 5: 13-26) and raise these issues and questions again. We may not get answers, but I am sure we will get some benefit out of working through them both intellectually and more importantly practically.

I want to cover the essence of the Christian faith – what does it mean to follow Christ? I want to talk about the freedoms we have in Christ, and related issues such as “Now I am saved, can I do whatever I want?” “No one can judge me, I am justified by Christ.” and “How closely do I have to follow the rules?”

I also want to consider if there are some laws that are optional and others that are more important? What does God think is the worst sins – Homosexuality? Sex? Divorce? Murder? What are the things we do that upset God most? What are the things that please him the most? What should we be focusing on?

I also want to answer the questions like “Does God really answer prayer?” “Will he really give me anything I ask for, even if I ask for a million dollars?” Is it wrong to want to be successful and rich? Can a Christian be ambitious and a go-getter, or does he have to be poor and meek?

Then there are controversial questions like “What is the Holy Spirit?”, “Why is he important?” and “What does it mean ‘to walk by the Spirit?” I also want to use this passage to deal with these questions too. I want to look at how we can walk by the spirit (in a very practical way), considering how we know we are doing it right, as well as asking if it really works or it’s just a bit of “superstitious hocus-pocus?” I also would like to spend some times talking about what advantages and disadvantages of living life this way.

Over the next few devotionals I will use this one passage to look at each of these issues and many others besides. In doing so I will get to the heart of what I think it means to be a Christian. I know that many who read my devotionals might not agree with me. I don’t mind that. If you come to the same conclusions as me that’s great! If not then all I ask is that you consider this passage and what it says with an open and inquiring mind, and by doing that you will draw closer to God as a result.

God Bless,

Matt.

The problem with taking a single passage like this and doing a series of devotions on it is that it is quite easy to draw too much out of the verse. By that I mean that people can take a passage and read into it doctrine that was never intended by the original writer.

It is a bit like a letter between a boy and a girl, where one party is in love and the other has no interest in anything but a friendship. The smallest word or phrase in the letter could easily be
misinterpreted. Plenty of people have read too much into words and phrases they have read or heard because they didn’t pick up on the overall context and concentrated on only a few words instead.

To avoid this I want to spend a little time covering the context of this passage, so that whatever I have to say about it can be tempered by the context and I won’t read more from this passage than what was intended.

The problem that Paul (the writer of Galatians) is dealing with in this passage is the question of just how “Jewish” Christians should be. It all came down to the question of if Christians should be circumcised as a sign they were sons of Abraham.

The argument that Paul uses is that those who trust in their circumcision must come completely under the Law of Moses. The cross came to do what the Law could not, and set us free from sin. This is an offensive message to the Jews. It seemed to imply that the Law was somehow flawed, and that all those people who obeyed it had been wasting their time (this is not the case, but we will deal with this in a later devotional).

In regards to the Jewish Law, Paul wanted the Galatians to know “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” (Galatians 5 v13)

He then goes on to describe what this kind of life would look like. They would have freedom from the law, but in reality that freedom would cause them not just to obey the law, but to go beyond the places where the law reached, and instead change their hearts so that as well as fully meeting the requirements of the law they would also avoid things which the law did not prohibit (such as hatred, selfish ambition and factions) and do many things that the law did not specifically require like showing joy, kindness and self-control.

We are no longer under the letter of the law, which would allow us to get away with many of the things that cause God the most grief; instead we now have the spirit of the law, which not only take us further than the law, but also gives us the power to actually carry it out.

This is why Paul urges us to walk by the Spirit, not so that we can do whatever we want, but rather so that we can do the things God wants – the very things that because of the desires of our flesh we were unable to do without the spirit, even when we knew what they were! This is the challenge to us, and this is the context behind the devotionals I will write over the next few weeks.

God Bless,

Matt.

The last few devotionals have been spent talking about being of one mind. This is closely linked with the topic of today’s devotional, peace. In order to be of one mind we must avoid useless arguments and try to keep the peace. As it says in Ephesians 4: 3, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace”.

But how can we keep the peace when everyone around us is trying to fight? Like unity, peace comes primarily from God. “LORD, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us.” (Isaiah 26: 12) If you want peace there is only one way. Seek out God before you try to make peace.

This assumes that you are not doing anything to cause the conflict, of course. To make sure, I suggest before you ask God for peace you should look carefully at yourself to see if you are doing the wrong thing. After all “‘There is no peace,’ says the LORD, ‘for the wicked.’” (Isaiah 48: 22)

Does that mean we have to be perfect? Not at all, we just have to confess our sins and trust in Jesus. He is the prince of peace (Isaiah 9 v6). Why? Because “…he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him…” (Isaiah 53: 5)

This is why “I will listen to what God the LORD says; he promises peace to his people…” (Psalm 85: 8). Even in the most impossible situations, with enemies that demand war, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you” (Isaiah 26: 3).

Trusting in God is more than just believing what he says, it also means living your life HIS way. “When the LORD takes pleasure in anyone’s way, he causes their enemies to make peace with them.” (Proverbs 16: 7)

But what about those people who oppose the Godly things we do. Do we have to compromise our beliefs so that we can live in peace? Don’t be deceived. Jesus said “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” (Matthew 10: 34)

His sword was “…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6: 17) Peace should not come because we put down our sword and ignore God’s word. We should desire to live in peace but we should never do it at the expense of righteousness.

If we have these kind of enemies (and if we truly follow Jesus we will) then don’t feel guilty about conflict, rather “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5: 44) and “…seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” (Jeremiah 29: 7)

This is what Jesus did at the ultimate conflict on the cross. “Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’” (Luke 23: 24). Pray for those who are not a peace with God this Christmas that they might encounter Jesus, the prince of peace, and in doing so live in the kind of peace that the angels promised at his birth.

God Bless,

Matt.

The final say on unity comes from a very short but potent Psalm. “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.” (Psalm 133)

Oil was the blessing of God reserved only for his anointed,
particularly those who where kings and priests. The image in the first part of the psalm is that unity is a sign of the blessing of God and the acknowledgement that we are both kings and priest in his kingdom. It is abundant and overflows even to the collar of the robe, to the least of the people in the kingdom of God.

The reference to Mount Hermon is even more full of imagery. Just a quick glance at wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Hermon) shows some of the significance of this mountain that enhances the image of how important unity is.

For example unity is a natural defense against false teachers and the negative influences of the world.. Mount Hermon “…is also called ‘the eyes of the nation’ in Israel because its elevation makes it Israel’s primary strategic early warning system.”

More importantly unity represents the work of Christ in our lives and a sign of his complete rule over us. “The mountain served as the northern boundary of the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 3:8) and also was the northern limit of the conquest (Joshua 11:17, 12:1, 13:5)” The same can be said of God plans for us. He has “…made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ…to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ..” (Ephesians 1 :9-10)

Interesting enough wikipedia notes that it was at Mount Hermon that “Jesus revealed to them his purpose to build his Church and to go to Jerusalem to die and be resurrected (Matthew 16:18-21). Mount Hermon is a possible site of the Transfiguration” Unity builds the church, supports us in our trials, and will transform us and change our lives in ways we can’t even understand.

But what about the references to the dew on Mount Hermon? “Because of its height it captures a great deal of precipitation in a very dry area of the world…Additionally, the runoff facilitates fertile plant life below the snow line, where vineyards and pine, oak, and poplar trees are abundant.”

A Church working in unity will bring life to a community. It is because of this “The springs, and the mountain itself, are much contested by the nations of the area for the use of the water.” What could be better for real church growth than a church united in one mind under Christ. How refreshing. People would be fighting to get in the doors!

By humbling ourselves, submitting to Christ as head of the body, and encouraging each other we are well on the way to unity. It is the complete work of Christ in our lives, and the rewards are astonishing. It is safety, refreshing, transformation, growth and revival. It is also the sign of God’s blessing on us as kings and priest in his Kingdom that if we allow him to he will make us one in mind as brothers and sisters in Christ.

God Bless,

Matt.

One of Paul’s main concerns with the Corinthian church was division, “One of you says, ‘I follow Paul’; another, ‘I follow Apollos’; another, ‘I follow Cephas’; still another, ‘I follow Christ.’ Is Christ divided?” (1 Corinthians 1: 11-13a). Christ’s body should certainly not be divided, “As it is, there are many parts, but one body” (1 Corinthians 12: 20)

Does that mean we all need to be the same and any difference should not be tolerated? Let’s look at Paul’s analogy of the Church being a body. Is there room for differences in the body of Christ? “If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.” (1 Corinthians 12: 17-18)

We can’t have a body if every part is the same. The body of Christ is a body because it has many parts, but each part must joined to the head or it is not part of the body. And all the part of the body need to listen to the head so that they can do what they are supposed to do at the right time. Only then will they be helpful to the whole body.

If any part tried to operate independently the body would be a mess. The heart need the head to tell it how often and how much blood to pump. A muscle need to head to tell it when to contract and when to expand. An eye needs the head to interpret what it sees. Without and intimate, unbroken, working relationship with the head all the parts are useless and the body simply will not function.

If any part behaved like the other parts of the body, the body would also not function properly. When Paul asks the Corinthians to be of one mind he is definitely not saying that we should all be the same. What he is saying is that we all need to take our instructions from the head (that is Christ). Only then can we work together as a body, each person doing the things that God has uniquely gifted them to do.

How should we deal with those in the body who are radically different to us? Should we be critical if they have different (or even wrong) ideas but still have a working relationship with Jesus? “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’ On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty”

This verse has always challenged me every time I struggle with a brother or sister in Christ who is difficult to get along with, or who does things differently to me. When I find myself saying “That’s not the way to do it!” I have to remember that I am a hand and they are a foot and none of us are designed to work in the same way.

The key to being of one mind is that we are under the guidance of the head and not living independently. Paul says of false prophets “They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body…grows as God causes it to grow.” (1 Colossians 2:18) It wasn’t so much that they where different as that they didn’t place themselves under the authority and guidance of Jesus Christ.

Unity in mind comes about despite our differences, not because we don’t have any. And if we learn to live with Christ as our head our diversity will actually be an asset not a problem.

God Bless,

Matt.

From the last devotion we say that being of one mind is only possible if we have the mind of Christ; that is we submit to God and serve each other. But what can we do to make sure that we develop such a mind?

Paul spends a lot of time talking to the Corinthians about that very issue. “I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.” (1 Corinthians 1: 10).

The practicalities of being one in mind start with being careful about what we say. “This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.” (1 Corinthians 2: 13) and since they are spirit taught words they should produce spiritual fruit, namely “…love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control…” (Galatians 5: 22b-23a)

When was the last argument you saw in which the words that were spoken were out of love, joy and peace? How often have you seen forbearance, kindness and goodness in the person having the argument? When Christians have a healthy debate about spiritual matters it should be with gentleness and self-control.

When it comes to arguments, it is sometimes not a matter of working out who is wrong and who is right as does it really matter. “Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters.” (Romans 14: 1) If we keep arguing over things that are not important then we are likely to cause more damage than good.

“Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen.” (2 Timothy 2: 14) There is no way you can have the mind of Christ if you are so concerned with words and arguments that you destroy the very people you are arguing with. Our greatest concern, more than being right or wrong, should be for each other.

In fact it is preferable for us to loose an argument and win a friend than the other way around. “I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? …Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters.” (1 Corinthians 6: 5,7b-8)

As Brothers and Sisters we need to be of one mind, and that often means recognising how useless our words are. Instead of winning people over with them lets use them to demonstrate our love and concern or else just keeping silent. In that way we can develop a unity of mind rather than conformity of doctrine.

God Bless,

Matt.

In the last devotional we saw that encouragement was one of the keys to the church being one mind. But encouragement alone will not bring about unity. There is a far more fundamental thing we need if we want true unity. We need to look to Christ as an example of what we have to do if we want people to live in unity.

Paul said to the Romans, “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15 v5-6)

This passage is revealing because it gives us a fundamental key to achieving this unity. It’s not just about encouragement. Being of one mind can only happen if we have the mind of Christ. What is the mind of Christ? “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” (Philippians 2: 3-4)

In fact the passage I just quoted goes on to say the same thing we read in Romans, “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2: 5-8)

It’s a sobering thought to ask, “What would you do if you were God?” I certainly don’t think sacrificing yourself painfully for a generation of people who don’t appreciate it would be high on my priority list, and yet it was Jesus sole purpose. What reward did he get?

“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2: 5-8)

In the end the only kingdom will be the kingdom of God. Under Jesus name we will all bow. So if you are a natural leader who wants those under your command to be united and you try to achieve this by demand that people do what you ask your are on the wrong track.

“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20: 25-28)

There is only one mind that will unite us and that is the mind of Christ Hence unity will only come if you humble yourself and take on the mind of Christ, submitting to God and serving others
wholeheartedly and completely.

God Bless,

Matt.

In the last devotional we looked at encouragement, and particularly the encouragement Christ gives so that “we who…take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged.” (Hebrews 6: 18b). Now I want to spend some time looking at a natural consequence of
encouragement.

“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ…make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.” (Philippians 2:1-2)

I want to spend several devotionals on how to be of one mind because it is not something that comes easily or even naturally. Unity is a difficult thing, but there are plenty of things we can do to help bring it about. The first and most obvious thing is what I have been talking about already – encouragement.

Unity in the church has never come from pointing out each other’s faults, or arguing about finer points of doctrine. “Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels…Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth.” (2 Timothy 2: 23,25)

It is by encouraging one another, not by criticizing each other that churches are united. We can’t be united in though by winning the argument or by forcing the other person to accept our version of ‘the truth’. Instead we must gently instruct and encourage in the hope that God will cause those who are wrong (including ourselves) to repent.

As Paul said to Timothy, “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.” (2 Timothy 4:2). Unity of thought only comes when we are prepared to encourage as part of our preaching and teaching.

Don’t forget that encouragement is often as much about what we do as what we say. We need to take the time to help others when they need it, to correct and rebuke at the right time for them, even if it’s inconvenient for us, and we need to do this with great patience. A change of mind won’t happen overnight.

We also need to be well aware of our own shortcomings. We need to be encouraged to seek out the truth for ourselves, and this encouragement only comes from the Holy Spirit. “…when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.” (John 16: 13a)

We need encouragement if we are going to be of one mind, and this means an open and honest relationship with each other and God, giving us boldness to wrestle with our thoughts, and most importantly allowing the Holy Spirit to gently instruct and lead us. It is only when we see this encouragement in our own lives that we can truly encourage others in theirs, and it is only in doing that that we will have unity of mind.

God Bless,

Matt.

If you were told to encourage someone how would you do it? Although we know what encouragement is, the act of encouragement can actually be very difficult.

It helps if we have been through the same situation as the person we are trying to encourage, but if we choose our words carefully we can still be encouraging even if we haven’t. To do this though we have to have the right mindset, and understand what encouragement really is.

Encouragement is (as described on www.dictionary.com). “…to inspire with courage, spirit, or confidence…to stimulate by assistance, approval, etc… to promote, advance, or foster” It’s a good checklist. Will our words inspire people, give them confidence, stimulate them, or lift them up to another level?

Of course the greatest source of encouragement is Jesus. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)

Notice also according to the dictionary definition encouragement can come in the form of assistance not just words. Sometimes its not what you say but what you do that can offer the best encouragement. “…everything we do, dear friends, is for your strengthening.” (2 Corinthians 12: 19b)

Jesus is the prime example of this kind of encouragement. It was not just what he said that encouraged others, but also what he did. As Paul said to the Thessalonians “May our Lord Jesus Christ
himself…who… gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.” (Thessalonians 2: 16-17)

The dictionary also describes encouragement as promoting or advancing the person. Our focus is not just on saying good things, but saying the right things. If we want to be encouraging then we must be open and honest, but also show confidence in the other person. “I have spoken to you with great frankness; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged…” (2 Corinthians 7:4)

Encouragement also means to ‘inspire with courage’. This confidence is not based on past experience but on a sure knowledge of our future in Christ. As I have said in a previous devotional,
(http://mydailydevotional.wordpress.com/2010/03/26/joshua-1-v6-where-does-courage-come-from/) “Courage doesn’t come from what you have left behind; it comes from where you are going.”

Whatever else is happening “…one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize…” (Philippians 3:13-14

) “And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.” (Thessalonians 4: 17b-18)

God Bless,

Matt.