Day 263

Isaiah 33:10–36:22; Galatians 5:13-26; Psalm 64:1-10; Proverbs 23:23

YESTERDAY, WE DISCUSSED divergent paths in Isaiah. In our reading from Galatians today, we had another opportunity to look at two paths and their outcomes —the path of the sinful nature, and the path of union with the Holy Spirit:

The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.

As we see, the path that submits to sin fights for control. But are there any telltale signs that reveal whether we’re choosing this path? According to the apostle Paul, there are:

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these.

Spend a moment with what Paul said. Sure, we can understand how sexual immorality, lustful pleasures, drunkenness, and wild parties would make the list. We’ve been warned about these since puberty. But what about jealousy or envy? What about outbursts of anger? Have we ever considered that these actions are the result of walking our sinful nature’s path?

And what’s the big deal, anyway? Everyone gets angry.

For Paul, the big deal was that these sins do not lead us into anything other than more bondage. And Paul wanted to reveal a freedom in Christ that is boundless.

Think about it. How free do you feel when you are burning with jealousy or comparing your life with someone else’s in envy? Did you get a sense of overwhelming wholeness the last time you had an uncontrollable outburst of anger? When was the last time lust gave you a deep sense of spiritual joy?

According to Paul, these behaviors dominate our lives when we have chosen the path of the sinful nature. And where does that path lead?

Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Thankfully, Paul didn’t say that anyone who fails in one of these areas is hopelessly lost. Rather, the person who lives into that way of being —the one who walks that path —will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Are we walking that path? If so, it will not end where we hope.

Paul outlines another path in our reading today, however —the path of the Spirit. And what does this path look like?

The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Now that we can see these contrasting paths clearly, we can decide which one leads to where we are hoping to end up, and we can follow that path. This is often the case with the Scriptures. The Bible continually shows us that our thoughts, words, and deeds become the path we are walking. It reveals where those paths lead so that we can understand the outcomes of our choices. Today, we considered the path of the sinful nature and the path of the Spirit. Which one will you choose?

MEDITATION:

For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”