Devotion
Live by the spirit, die by the spirit
David Jacobs
It is not always easy to control our natural urges. Our consumer culture seems completely devoid of any moral compass, constantly leading us towards temptation. Turn on the TV, watch any movie, listen to any song, look at any advertisement online or on the TV or in a movie...we are constantly bombarded by sins of the flesh: lust, violence, gluttony, greed, envy. As followers of Christ, the task of resisting these temptations may seem daunting, and it is. However, considering the consequences of relenting and giving in to these temptations, it is obviously worthwhile.
Prayer
The Old Testament commandments are often prohibitive, and God's prophets more strict than the Apostles. In the verses directly preceding these, Paul writes that circumcision, a commandment of Moses, is no longer necessary and does not measure the worth of a man (Galatians 5:6). In the verses above, Paul writes about much of the sins to avoid, but he also mentions what we should pursue: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. These we should perform in abundance, the sins as sparingly as possible. It may sound difficult when you read the words, but it is a guide to make our lives and the world as the kingdom of heaven: one of eternal love and life everlasting.
"Sins are like credit cards: enjoy now; pay later." -Unknown
Night Prayer
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Inspiration
We despise the thought of a pile of dirty dishes in the sink. The outside is easy to clean; it's the caked-up residue on the inside that's so difficult to remove. Jesus compares the scribes and Pharisees with dishes that have been wiped clean on the outside while dirty inside. The Pharisees took exceptional care of their outward appearance and neglected their inward spirits. We are guilty of allowing our hearts to be left filthy as well. We look and act as we should while our souls are full of darkness. We must continue to converse with the Holy Spirit daily and trust His guidance to cleanse our sinful nature.
Prayer
Dear God, Please forgive our sinful nature. We yearn for cleansing from within, so we are genuine witnesses to Your name. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
