Galatians 5:16-26
As they sat down to transmit faith and biblical stories to children, the editors of the Spark Story Bible had to make some choices. They included 50 or so stories from the hundreds upon hundreds of stories in the Old Testament, and around 100 stories that we find recorded in the New Testament. Most of their entries include people and places. Scriptures like that grab attention. And they also included a few passages which are known for their words. One passage chosen for the words is Galatians 5.
Paul helped people understand how to live the way God wanted them to live. One time Paul wrote a letter to a group of people called the Galatians. The Galatians had a new church and they needed lots of help!
One of the problems they had was that they were always arguing …
“To the Galatians,” Paul’s letter said. “I am so happy that you believe in Jesus, but all your fighting is getting in the way. You’re not living the way the Holy Spirit tells you to live. I have a suggestion to try. Instead of living like you are, live with the fruit of the Spirit in mind. Show love, joy, peace, and patience to one another. Be kind, generous, and faithful. And remember, be gentle with one another and always show good self-control ……”
Faithful living is about defining your life by some of the right words and behaviors.
How many of these words will be used to describe our lives today?
Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Generosity
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self-controlLet’s live to fit the words.
God, fill me with your Spirit today, and let my works and words bear this fruit. Amen.