Galatians 5:19-23
It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.
This isn't the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God's kingdom.
But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.
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I found this passage about a year ago and was reminded of it recently. How much of the first list do we find ourselves in? I know that most of the things describe my life when i am not focused on God. Most of those things can be used to describe my heart and actions.
When i first found this verse it was just the first part, the part that described a life with out God, a life lived our own way. When i read it i cried. I was so convicted, those horrible things were things that consumed my life. After i cried and went to God, embarrassed by my stupid self and the crap that i held onto, i found the second part of the passage.
God takes every single piece of crap in our lives and replaces them with things that bring him joy. He gives us love for others, peace and contentment, joy in all situations.
But in order to get any of these amazing gifts we have to stop trying to run the show, we have to let God consume us and let go of our stupid affections for the bad things in life.
Really the stuff we hold onto and that comes out of our selfishness are of no worth when compared to the gifts of God.
