Scripture: Galatians 5:16-26 (NLT) So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.
When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
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.
Devotional: When it comes to politics, it seems as though people often fall into one of two camps; they are either completely engaged and pay attention to everything OR they want nothing to do with politics at all. I want to remind us that, while our primary goal is to share the Gospel and to love other people like Jesus does, politics do actually matter. I’ve heard it said, “Politics matter because policies matter. And policies matter because people matter.” Since we know that people are made in the image of God, we can recognize that the policies that are put into place impact us and all of the people around us.
Recognizing that policies impact people and therefore, politics are important, how do we get involved? How do we determine what is the right choice and what is the wrong choice? Some things are laid out for us in Scripture, but what about the times that it is not? That is when we can rely on the work of the Holy Spirit within us. What some may call a “moral compass” can actually be attributed to the work of the Spirit.
The Spirit helps us to understand the Word of God, and it also helps us to live lives that reflect Jesus. Our passage of Scripture from today describes many desires of the flesh. We all fall victim to these. But with the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, the fruit of the Spirit takes shape in our lives. As we continue to walk with the Spirit, we are made more and more into the likeness of Jesus. When this happens, we are able to use the Holy Spirit as our guide and determine right from wrong. We can also see how we can get involved with politics, where we feel called to stand on a certain topic, or even how we can help cover any gaps that exist within our society.
It is important that we care about politics because we care about the people that are impacted by politics. And if the thought of that overwhelms you because you don’t know where to start, you can relax. We have the gift of the Holy Spirit as our guide within us. By spending time in the Word of God, the Spirit will shape us and help us determine what is right and wrong. We can stand up for who and what we believe in, backed by the truth of God’s Word and the direction of the Holy Spirit.
Reflect:
- Are you someone who is naturally interested in politics, or would you prefer to not be involved?
- Knowing that politics are important because people are important, how might you get involved or change your viewpoint on politics?