Saturday, June 23, 2007

Some Days

One of my very interesting friends describes herself in her blogger profile:
I am, in no particular order, a wife and mother and writer and dog-walker. My
life belongs to God, and some days I even show that in how I live.
Yes. Let it be so. This touches on a common sticking point about those, like my friend and I, who choose to be followers of Jesus Christ. If it were not for his love and sacrifice, my life would be a disaster. Yet there are days when I am not "following" very well and I'm just not very fun to be around.

Elisabeth Elliot gives this insight:

The Source and the Course

"If the spirit is the source of our life, let the Spirit also direct our course" (Gal 5:25 NEB).

It is only reasonable that He who gives and sustains our life (the Source) should be the One we would want to follow (whose Course we would choose). But we are not very reasonable creatures, I'm afraid.

Which side am I on--the self or the Spirit? I don't always know. But I can check myself out by studying the list of the kind of behavior that belongs to the lower nature (fornication, impurity, indecency, idolatry, sorcery, quarrels, contentious temper, envy, fits of rage, selfish ambitions, dissensions, party intrigues, jealousies, drinking bouts, orgies) and comparing it to the list of the "harvest of the Spirit" (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, fidelity, gentleness, self-control). If I pinpoint from those two lists what characterizes my behavior today, it's easy enough to identify the source.

So, each day I choose my self or my Saviour. May I make the choice today to let Him save me from myself.

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