Worldly persons want to do what their emotions, mind, or will tells them. In contrast, spiritual persons obey the higher call to do what the Holy Spirit reveals. Doing what God says is right, rather than what you want to do, is a conscious act of the will. Christians understand their obligations to act rightly toward others even if they do not fell like doing so. If you wait until you feel like doing right, you may find yourself excusing your failure.
Not only do your feelings influence the way you act, but the way you act also determines how you feel. You can change your feelings by changing your actions. In Matthew 5:24 and 7:1-2, Jesus’ solution for many emotional responses was to command an action rather than a feeling.
In 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, the Bible defines love as something you do. Love manifests itself in the way you act. Acting lovingly toward someone, even if you do not feel like doing so, is the essence of love. The Holy Spirit can help you do this.
Each fruit of the spirit is more than an emotion. Each is a strong character trait. You develop each by having a close relationship with Christ through the Holy Spirit and by growing in maturity through experience.
Daily Thoughts: What did you get from today’s study?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment