THOSE WHO BELONG TO CHRIST: Devotion for Tuesday June 14, 2016

     

Text: Galatians 5:24 – 26             Memory verse: v 24

The fruit of the Holy Spirit exemplifies us as Christians. Any professing Christian who doesn’t possess these virtues is mere compromiser and should not be taken seriously. How can a Christian lack love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control? If any of these is lacking in your life, then you have either backslidden or you have been compromising. Those who have these are those who actually and really belong to Christ (5:24). Those who are Christ’s have crucified their flesh when they became Christians (Rom 6:3, 4), and it is done continuously (Rom 6:6) so that the Holy Spirit will be able to produce in them the fruits just listed (5:22, 23). It is by faith in Christ that a man becomes dead to a sinful life and rises to a new life of fellowship with Christ (Col. 3:3).

Brethren, if our inner life be in the Spirit; that is, received from the Spirit, sustained by Him, and conformed to Him in character then we should also walk in that Spirit (5:25). Our outward life also should be in the Spirit; in other words, let it be conformed to Christ in character, so that our inward principles and outward conduct shall be in harmony with each other. This, in Paul’s opinion is what it means to belong to Christ. Is your inward and outward life in harmony with that of Christ? Think about it.

Food for Thought: Do you truly belong to Christ in your character?

Prayer: Lord, help me to conform to the image of Christ in my inward and outward character in Jesus name.