Day 5: Walking in Step With Jesus
Reading: Galatians 5:16-25
16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever[a] you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and 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.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Footnotes
Reading: Ephesians 2:10
10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Devotional:
The Christian life was never designed to be managed from a distance. It requires closeness, the kind of closeness Paul described in Galatians 5 as walking in step with the Spirit. When we walk in step with the Spirit, we are not straining to produce holiness on our own. We are staying near enough to Jesus that his life naturally shapes ours. The Ephesians were called to be God's masterpiece, but a masterpiece requires the artist's ongoing work. We do not become new all at once and then maintain it ourselves. We become new continually, as we remain in his presence, surrendered to his leading, and attentive to his voice.
What does your daily rhythm of staying close to Jesus actually look like right now? Is it consistent enough to sustain the kind of transformation God intends for your life?
Establish or recommit to one daily habit this week that keeps you in step with the Spirit, whether that is Scripture reading, prayer, silence, or reflection. Treat it not as a religious obligation but as the necessary closeness of someone walking alongside a guide they genuinely trust.
16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever[a] you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and 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.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Footnotes
- Galatians 5:17 Or you do not do what
Reading: Ephesians 2:10
10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Devotional:
The Christian life was never designed to be managed from a distance. It requires closeness, the kind of closeness Paul described in Galatians 5 as walking in step with the Spirit. When we walk in step with the Spirit, we are not straining to produce holiness on our own. We are staying near enough to Jesus that his life naturally shapes ours. The Ephesians were called to be God's masterpiece, but a masterpiece requires the artist's ongoing work. We do not become new all at once and then maintain it ourselves. We become new continually, as we remain in his presence, surrendered to his leading, and attentive to his voice.
What does your daily rhythm of staying close to Jesus actually look like right now? Is it consistent enough to sustain the kind of transformation God intends for your life?
Establish or recommit to one daily habit this week that keeps you in step with the Spirit, whether that is Scripture reading, prayer, silence, or reflection. Treat it not as a religious obligation but as the necessary closeness of someone walking alongside a guide they genuinely trust.
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1 Comment
The war between the flesh and the spirit is a hard one. I’m just thinking of all the times in the past week I had jealousy, selfish ambition, quarreling…instead of kindness, patience, and love and wishing my fruit were only the good kind all the time. This truly is a war. We want to be like Jesus but we are stuck in these sinful bodies that are conditioned to do the wrong thing. We need to “crucify the flesh” every day and lean on the Holy Spirit every day. We can’t follow Jesus at all without the Holy Spirit in us doing the work.