“Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” Galatians 5:26
Due to our fallen and sinful nature, we desire our own glory rather than giving God the glory due to His name. We provoke and envy each other because of our self-centeredness and conceit. Having come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world, the Apostle Paul urges us to put to death such evil inclinations of our hearts and look to Christ for pardon and for His help and strength to amend our evil ways.
Cleanse my sinful heart, O God, in the shed blood of Christ Jesus my Savior, and move me to love You and my neighbor so that I might not seek my own glory and good but Your glory and the good of my neighbor. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:18
How can we be forgiven and righteous before God? How can we have eternal life? Through faith in Jesus Christ — Period. Those who trust in Christ and His atoning sacrifice on the cross have God’s pardon and forgiveness. Those who do not believe stand condemned already because, apart from faith in Christ, there is no forgiveness, and there is no eternal life!
O gracious God, grant me faith in Christ Jesus that I might have Your pardon, forgiveness, and life eternal. Amen.
“And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” Galatians 5:24-25
When, by the working of God’s Spirit through the Word, we repent of our sinful ways and place our faith in Christ Jesus and His cross, we trust that all our sinful affections and desires were crucified on the cross of Christ and that He paid the full penalty for all our sins. Since it is by the Spirit of God that we are now alive to God through faith in Christ, we also live our lives in the strength of the Holy Spirit and according to His leading, putting to death the desires of the flesh and living our lives in accord with the counsel of God’s Spirit in the Word.
O gracious Holy Spirit, grant that I regard myself dead to sin but alive to God through faith in Christ Jesus, my Savior, and walk in accord with the counsel of Your Word and not in accord with my own sinful passions and desires. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23
The Holy Spirit, through the hearing of God’s Word, moves us to repent of our sins and trust in Christ Jesus as our Savior. He also regenerates us, making us alive to God through faith in Christ and producing in us the fruits of faith: “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” The law forbids none of these things. In fact, they are necessary for the keeping of God’s commandments.
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Ps. 51:10). Amen.
“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19-21
Many who claim to be Christians fail to see that continuing impenitently in the works of the flesh leads to eternal ruin. As the apostle writes, “Those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” Those who repent of their sinful ways and trust in Christ for pardon are forgiven and led by the Spirit of God to put to death the works and desires of the flesh.
Grant that I continue in the true faith, O Lord God, acknowledging my sins and looking to Christ for pardon and forgiveness, and seeking the help and aid of the Holy Spirit to amend my ways and resist the longings of my old sinful nature. Amen.
