“Our Daily Bread”     http://odb.org/ 

The Daily Devotions of Greg Laurie                                  

http://www.harvest.org/devotional/daily-devotions/home.ht   

“Homily Grits Devotional”   http://www.homilygrits.com/  

Galatians 5:16-17… I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you donot do the things that you wish.  (NKJV) 

When a Christian sins…I believe many of us reason that our sin can be justified by the circumstances that created the sin…  If a Christian lashes back at someone in anger, with careless threats…they feel justified because of a possible sin against themselves…  But it doesn’t matter if someone has gossiped about them in error… It doesn’t matter if they are being persecuted falsely… Retaliation with anything but love, is a sin in the eyes of the Lord… 

We read this in the Old Testament…Exodus 21:23-24… But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, ²⁴ eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, (NKJV) 

But Jesus, who Christians are called to follow…tells us this, in… Matthew 5:38-39a… “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ ³⁹ ButI tell younot to resist an evil person.”  (NKJV) 

Jesus goes on, a few verses later, and teaches us this, in… Matthew 5:43-44… “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,” (NKJV) 

But the Christian’s flesh is weak…  And when they are not walking “in the Spirit”, they will sometimes respond the way unbelievers, still living in the world, will respond…in an unpleasing sinful way…  This ungodly response will be sinning against the Lord…  That’s right !!   Any sin is really against the Lord, not the person… We learn this by reading scripture…  David, a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22), pens this scripture, in…

Psalm 51:3-4… For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. ⁴ Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight— That You may be found just when You speak, Andblameless when You judge.  (NKJV) 

And in the New Testament, in the “Parable of the Lost Son”…we see Jesus teaching this…Luke 15:21… And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’  (NKJV) 

The Christian’s supernatural power to be able to respond with love to aggressions against them, comes from the Holy Spirit…  When the Christian learns to “Walk in the Spirit”, they will have the ability to respond as Jesus would have responded…with love… 

Love is the basis for becoming a Christian to begin with…  The sinner has to submit their lives to the Lord, by confessing, repenting of, and turning from their old sinful ways…  This is acomplished by seeking Jesus Christ through obedience to the gospel of Christ, with ALL of their heart, ALL of their mind, and ALL of their soul…  Christians are then called to love those around them as they love themselves… (Jesus’ 2 most important commandments…Matthew 22:36-40)… 

God is love…1 John 4:7-8… Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. ⁸ He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.  (NKJV) 

Christians, who respond to aggression in any other way but love, are responding in an ungodly way, because their own flesh has more control of their lives than does the Holy Spirit…   To “Walk in the Spirit”, the Christian must confess, repent, and turn from any and all sins…with reverent prayer to the Lord…  The apostle John gives us scripture about this, in…1 John 1:9… If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanseus from all unrighteousness.  (NKJV) 

This scripture isn’t just words on a page…  It is what dedicated, mature Christians will know and pray, as often as their sin against God is revealed by the Holy Spirit…  Walking in the Spirit, should enable the Christian to provide love in all situations…and the joy and the supernatural peace from the fullness of Christ, will be the byproduct of the Christian who is walking in sweet fellowship with Lord… 

Heavenly Father, help all of Your children who are less than Spirit filled on a regular basis, to come to that place in their lives…where they make the commitment of a more mature believer…to do their best to live in Your will and Your ways…  I pray for this continuous filling of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18-20) for all of us, in Jesus’ most precious name and for His sake…Amen… 

written by bruce r mills