Day6

Until the jump, you and I are here on planet earth. God’s overarching plan for our lives is to make us like His Son, Jesus Christ. As we yield our lives to His leading, something amazing happens…

Galatians 5:22-26 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.

As followers of Jesus we are to daily yield to the control of the Holy Spirit. Verse 25 encourages us to “live by the Spirit” and “follow the Spirit.” The tangible evidence that the Holy Spirit is in control of our life is spiritual fruit.

Just as an apple is the outward evidence of the inner reality of an apple tree, so the fruit of the Holy Spirit is the outward evidence that the Holy Spirit is in control of our lives.

When the Holy Spirit is in control, our lives will be characterized by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faith, gentleness and self control. God’s plan is to produce all of these qualities in us as we yield to Him. When the Holy Spirit is not in control of our lives we can be very unloving, joyless, restless, impatient, unkind, and out of control.

If the person who knows you best were to describe you using the qualities in verses 22 and 23 as a checklist, what words would they choose to describe you? Would they describe you as a loving person? A person characterized by joy? Would they refer to you as a patient person? A kind person? And so on?

PRAY TODAY:

• Yield today to the work of the Holy Spirit in you. Ask God to fill you. Ask Him to produce in you the fruit of His Holy Spirit. His will is to produce this fruit in you, just ask Him to produce fruit in your life. “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

• Pray that God would bountifully provide for our church family to accomplish the 2018 ministry plan and beyond. “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

• Pray that each of us would take our next steps in our growth as believers, that we would see great amounts of fruit produced as we yield our lives to God. “Speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ…” Ephesians 4:15