Galatians 5:13-21

December 25, 2005

Practice Love

5:13 For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity to indulge your flesh, but through love serve one another. 5:14 For the whole law can be summed up in a single commandment, namely, “You must love your neighbor as yourself.” 5:15 However, if you continually bite and devour one another, beware that you are not consumed by one another. 5:16 But I say, live by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. 5:17 For the flesh has desires that are opposed to the Spirit, and the Spirit has desires that are opposed to the flesh, for these are in opposition to each other, so that you cannot do what you want. 5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, depravity, 5:20 idolatry, sorcery, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish rivalries, dissensions, factions, 5:21 envying, murder, drunkenness, carousing, and similar things. I am warning you, as I had warned you before: Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God!

It’s a rare Sunday Christmas morning, and at first I thought this passage from Galatians is not too appropriate for this day. But maybe it is. This is Paul’s admonition to “practice love,” and on this day, Christians throughout the world celebrate the greatest example of the practice of love, ever.

I would like to think that many of us may come closer to God’s example on this day than on any other day of the year. Or, at least we should. Our thoughts should be anchored on those we love, based on our gratitude for the way God showed his love for us over 2000 years ago. -sdg-

Posted by Dave | Filed Under Bible