A Reflection On Living In The Spirit

When I am frustrated with my own efforts

We cannot become mature disciples except by supernatural means. Jesus did not come into this world to make us better; He came into this world to make us new. There’s a significant difference.

We know what a mature Christian looks like. He or she will have the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). What we don’t seem to know—or we forget easily—is that we don’t grow these attributes by doing our best at them. We get them by realizing how foreign they are to our human nature, how futile our attempts at achieving them are, and how dependent on God we are for His life within us.

Are you frustrated with your Christian growth? No amount of human effort can fulfill God’s laws. You were born of the Spirit when you believed. Now live by the Spirit. Cry out to God for Him to live His life in you, and He will accomplish your righteousness.

After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?

Galatians 3:3