"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." -- Galatians 5:22-23

So many of us just want to know what God would have us do in any given situation.  The fruits of the Spirit as taught in Galatians can be our guide.  We speak often of love being the essence of God... the highest law itself... but when we are exercising and practicing love, and when we live within the bounds of that law, these are the things that become evident in us.  It's a great checklist to see how each of us is doing in our discipleship.  If you want to know whether you're growing or not, Paul give us here a list of mostly measurable attributes that characterize our lives as Christians.

Take time to reflect on each of these separately today:

love
joy
peace
patience
kindness
goodness
faithfulness
gentleness
self-control

So how are you doing?

Readings:  Isaiah 33:13-36:22; Galatians 5:13-26; Psalm 64:1-10; Proverbs 23:23

"But the noble man makes noble plans, and by noble deeds he stands." -- Isaiah 31:8

The outcome of your work, your life, your time, will reflect that which preceded the work itself: the plan and the purpose of the work.  If you expect to successfully change the world, you probably will.  Consider professional athletes.  They have been trained and conditioned most of their lives to play what appears to be instinctively.  But it's not instinct.  Instead, it's rapid brain processing that moves so much quicker than the typical brain.  It moves quicker because it has trained and built myelin inside it that physically causes that brain to fire at such impressive speeds.  But it all began with the image of what success looked like.  The 7 yr-old pitcher knew that to be successful meant to stand on the mound and throw the ball straight and over the plate, hoping the batter would swing and miss.  How many hundreds of thousands of pitches has a 25 year-old pro pitcher thrown in their lifetime?  Too many to count.  But it started with the vision of the ball going over the plate.  What is your vision?  Don't have one?  Pray until one comes.  Then with that vision, set out to make it a reality.  Make it a noble one!

Readings:  Isaiah 30:12-33:12; Galatians 5:1-12; Psalm 63:1-11; Proverbs 23:22

"Lowborn men are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie; if weighed on a balance, they are nothing; together they are only a breath. Do not trust in extorsion or take pride in stolen goods; though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them." -- Psalm 62:9-10

The scratching and clawing that so many give themselves to in this rat race of a life leads to the same end:  death.  The dead in their graves are equal.  They are silent bones.  Their wealth might allow the adorning of their burial site, but from what I gather, they know no different.  It is to this we all move toward.  So scratch and claw if you want to change your station in life.  It might make an interesting game of it.  But don't give your life away in trying to achieve it.  Give your life away in a different manner, and you will find life... even life after death.

Readings:  Isaiah 28:14-30:11; Galatians 3:23-4:31; Psalm 62:1-12; Proverbs 23:19-21

"But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead." -- Isaiah 26:29

Prophetic or wishful thinking?

What is your understanding of life after physical death?  If you have been present to anyone who has ever died, you know what it's like when they are "not there" anymore.  Their body is there.  In many cases, it hasn't changed much at all... flesh, blood, bone.  Breathing has stopped.  Heart has stopped.  And they, we say, are "gone"... where did they go?  If we are not our bodies, then we are something else housed by our bodies.  It brings about the ageless questions and debates centered around the most fundamental question:  who am I?

Readings:  Isaiah 25:1-28:13; Galatians 3:10-22; Psalm 61:1-8; Proverbs 23:17-18

"My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart will be glad; my inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right." -- Proverbs 23:15-16

Since recent findings have shown that skill mastery can be gained after approximately 10,000 hours of deep practice, parents have started their children at very young ages working with them to attain certain skills.  Whether it's sports, music, or math... the extracurricular development of children has become a multi-billion dollar industry.  But what does this say about the work we must do in developing the morals of our children?  Do we spend the same amount of time teaching ethics to them as we do how to throw a curve ball or how to play their scales?   It's something to think about.  We want our children to grow up skilled, but more importantly, we want them to be wise and morally sound.  It requires the same sort of investment of time, effort, and resources... are we willing?

Readings:  Isaiah 22:1-24:23; Galatians 2:17-3:9; Psalm 60:1-12; Proverbs 23:15-16

"... know that man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ." -- Galatians 2:16

Who you are matters so much more than what you do.  For who you are determines the compass by which you navigate the moral terrain of this life.  If you are a selfish conniving rat, then you will follow the laws of the land provided they are useful to you.  If not useful, you'll twist them until they conform to your personal template.  If, however, you are a person of integrity who loves, and sacrifices for the sake of others, you will find yourself following a Christ-centered law that has the most elegant and simplest of centers.  If you follow Christ, the law takes care of itself.  In fact the mark of the Christian is their love for others.  What law(s) are you most careful to abide by?

Readings:  Isaiah19:1-21:17; Galatians 2:1-16; Psalm 59:1-17; Proverbs 23:13-14

"Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge." --- Proverbs 23:12

The one who aspires to be a teacher must first master that which they wish to teach.  The one aspiring to be a leader must know clearly to where he or she would like to lead followers.  In our society, there is so much available on leadership training and the like, that we become inundated by the volume of it.  Not only that, we come to believe that teaching and leadership are ends in themselves.  But they are not.  There has to be a destination in which people are to be led.  There has to be a topic of which the teacher desires the students to be learners.  

If there is something you aspire to be great at... and especially if you aspire to lead others to a new place and/or higher level, it begins with individual private humility.  It requires that we remain open to learn.  When we approach people/ideas/situations with a humble spirit, we will be more authentic in our response to them.  When we are more authentic, we exact more influence.  Open your mind, your spirit, and your heart and dedicate them to consistent learning and growth.

Readings:  Isaiah 15:1-18:7; Galatians 1:1-24; Psalm 58:1-11; Proverbs 23:12