a spirit-led life
A while ago, I ripped some of my favorite pages out of a journal and I always seem to read them again at very opportune times. Reading this particular page called me out, comforted me, read my mind, scared me and gave me hope all at once. This is Galatians 5: 13 - 26 (MSG) ↓
It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows. For everything we know about God’s Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That’s an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out — in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then?
My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God’s Spirit. Then you won’t feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are contrary to each other, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don’t you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence?
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.
Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good — crucified.
Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.
A Spirit-led life — affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity, willingness to stick with things, compassion in the heart, loyal commitments. Couldn’t think of better things to pray for!
I think I wrote down these thoughts / prayers my junior year of college and I think they are still so true. There is this feeling that the Lord always gives me when I think about Him & how safe He is — I think maybe because safety and security is something I find myself craving so often, so He reminds me that that is exactly who He is, always! So I’ll get this supernatural feeling of peace and comfort and safety and belonging that I often try to put into words, which I did here and I thought it was very sweet and still rings true.
“My favorite feeling is thinking of the feeling I would have driving down backroads or somewhere in the mountains with no idea where I am going + no where to be - during fall, listening to my favorite music, and drinking coffee with my friends who spontaneously invited me to go (quality time <3)… freedom, comfort, joy, security, peace. Lord, these are the things I feel and experience when I simply think of You. Your love is light, yet stable and secure. You are overwhelming, but also tender and gentle. You offer me your entire heart and spirit in full - I am so sorry that I offer myself to You in pieces. I want to experience fullness and wholeness through You alone. I am so sorry for not using the freedom that You offer me to experience true freedom through You - You are so patient with me when I am so slow to choose You. I am so sorry for knowingly doing what I know will inevitably hurt me and for doing things that I know do not lead me closer to You. I sometimes don’t even ask for it, yet I feel Your spirit guiding me - I am so sorry for choosing not to listen. I am so tired of being selfish and living to do that I think will make me happy - my sin and guilt and shame blind me to Your love, truth and grace. Thank you that this doesn’t change the fact that you still offer yourself to me. I want to live in a way that is the result of the truth that your opinion of me is the only one that matters, and that your opinion never changes! No matter what someone has done or said to me and how that has made me feel. Help me to live in a way that brings glory to Your name!”
