Thank you for checking out today's blog.  God has promised to speak to us through his Holy Word.  St. Peter wrote, "men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit".  That means one way God desires to be in relationship with you is through the regular reading and study of scripture.  Before getting into His word please pray for God's inspiration and presence in your life, right now, as you are reading this blog.  Believe that God is with you and that He hears your prayers.  Ask Him to shut all distractions so you can focus on what He has for you today.  May God bless your time of meditation! Galatians 5:13-15

Life by the Spirit

¹³ You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh^[a]; rather, serve one another humbly in love. ¹⁴ For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”^[b] 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

Love your neighbor as yourself.  St. Paul is saying the entire law can be summarized with this simple command.  Don't know about you but I really love myself well.  I make sure I am well fed and taken care of.  I can see the needs of people around me, but I am always balancing those needs with my own.  Just being honest!

On Sunday, Delton was preaching from Galatians 5:19, "The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft;…".  He mentioned the root of all of these "acts of the flesh" is self-centeredness; putting my needs before the needs of others.

How can we break out of this focus on self?  It is only by remembering that through Jesus' resurrection we have a new life, a new identity (the sheet of paper Delton drew with the heart on it).  This new life is in constant tension with our old life and identity (the other sheet Delton used).  This old life is the one we started with, the one we lived in before Christ's resurrection was real for us.  This is the life we are prone to go to the minute something throws us off course; it's our "default setting".

This remembering we have a new life, by virtue of Jesus putting death to death, is something that has to happen - daily, hourly, even minute by minute.  It's the new life God intended for us to live through each second, minute, hour, day, and year of the rest of our lives.  So today, each time Satan comes to try and throw you off course, remind yourself that you have a New Life.  That will dramatically change the way we look upon ourselves and treat those God has placed in our lives.

To God be the glory!

Mark