Freedom in Christ Course
Devotion
Relationship, not regimen 23 February 2021
The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death (Romans 8:2)
Walking according to the Spirit is more a relationship than a regimen. Think about your marriage as an illustration. You may have started out relying on some rules for effective communication, meeting each other's sexual needs, etc. But if after several years you can't even talk to each other or make love without following an outline or list of steps, your marriage is still in infancy. The goal of a marriage is to develop a relationship that supersedes rules.
Or think about prayer. Perhaps you learned to pray using the simple acrostic ACTS: adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication. But if you have been a Christian for a few years and your prayer life is no deeper than an acrostic, you've missed the point of prayer. Prayer is not a formula; it's the language of your relationship with God. Similarly, walking in the Spirit is essentially a relationship with the indwelling Spirit, which defies quantification.
Even though Scripture doesn't give us a formula, it does help us see what the Spirit-filled walk is and what it is not. Helpful parameters are found in Galatians 5:16-18: "Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law."
So how do you walk by the Spirit? If I answered by giving you a rigid formula, I would be putting you back under the law. The Spirit is not an 'it'; the Holy Spirit is a 'He' - a person. Walking by the Spirit is a relationship issue, not a legal issue or ritualistic exercise. It is a walk with God.
Over the next several days we will examine what the Spirit-walk is and what it is not.
Father, thank You that my life in You is a relationship, not a set of rules.
Neil Anderson
Devotion
Relationship, not regimen 23 February 2021
The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death (Romans 8:2)
Walking according to the Spirit is more a relationship than a regimen. Think about your marriage as an illustration. You may have started out relying on some rules for effective communication, meeting each other's sexual needs, etc. But if after several years you can't even talk to each other or make love without following an outline or list of steps, your marriage is still in infancy. The goal of a marriage is to develop a relationship that supersedes rules.
Or think about prayer. Perhaps you learned to pray using the simple acrostic ACTS: adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication. But if you have been a Christian for a few years and your prayer life is no deeper than an acrostic, you've missed the point of prayer. Prayer is not a formula; it's the language of your relationship with God. Similarly, walking in the Spirit is essentially a relationship with the indwelling Spirit, which defies quantification.
Even though Scripture doesn't give us a formula, it does help us see what the Spirit-filled walk is and what it is not. Helpful parameters are found in Galatians 5:16-18: "Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law."
So how do you walk by the Spirit? If I answered by giving you a rigid formula, I would be putting you back under the law. The Spirit is not an 'it'; the Holy Spirit is a 'He' - a person. Walking by the Spirit is a relationship issue, not a legal issue or ritualistic exercise. It is a walk with God.
Over the next several days we will examine what the Spirit-walk is and what it is not.
Father, thank You that my life in You is a relationship, not a set of rules.
Neil Anderson