My watermelon plants are failing….
There are little bugs attacking my watermelon, zucchini, and cucumber plants in my garden. They are very persistent bugs as they have not been taken care of by two of the name brand pest sprays safe for vegetable gardens. These bugs are itty bitty and yet they can reduce my plants to being sick and dying.
Lest you should think, I am asking for gardening advice (though I probably could use some of that), let me approach my point quickly. My spiritual life and your spiritual life can be attacked by bugs we let into our lives as well. There is no quick fix or pest spray we can apply to the very souls of our life; however, God and His Word does not abandon us when it comes to these pests.
In Galatians 5:19-24, the Apostle Paul states,
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
In verses 19, 20, and 21, we read of the pests that can often be found in the lives of humans. We can on some measure of the spectrum write off some of these behaviors as being normal, not too harmful, or even a by-product of being human. Those in the church have often been said to have strife, jealously, rivalries, dissension, and division. While the other sins in the list would be sins hidden from the sight of the watching public. It is commonplace in churches like ours to disagree over finances, décor, remodeling, and even your preference of how the sermon is preached. In a church in Elkader, Iowa, there was a fight over words being projected on the wall during worship, rather than using a hymnal. In a church in Grinnell, Iowa there was a fight over the need to pay down church debt. In a church in Paola, Ks, there was a fight over the issue of abortion. In a church in Hays, Kansas there was a fight over the attire of the Pastor during worship. There has been disagreements of expositional (verse by verse), topical, or narrative (story time) approaches to sermons in many, many churches. There was even a lady one time, who got up and walked out, while announcing, “Doesn’t he know the Youth Pastor only gets 20 minutes to preach?”
I have probably given too many examples, but we can begin to recall some other examples, I am sure. These sins of the fleshly heart, can seem hidden, can seem normal, and can even seem inevitable, but I assure you they are deadly to our spiritual walk and unity in the body of Christ. These undealt with behaviors are more effective at causing decay than all the bugs in my garden. Verse 24 tells the recipients of Paul’s letter that the sins listed in verses 19, 20, and 21 have been crucified with Christ, meaning they are to be considered dead and dealt with. We no longer can go about committing these sins that will steal, kill, and destroy our spiritual life, unity, and joy.
Instead, we are to focus on living out the new behaviors taught to us by the indwelling Holy Spirit. We teach the kids at Awana the Fruits of the Spirit song, and I often wonder, do they understand that song? Or do they see it as a fun song, rather than a message of how our lives are to align with the characteristics of God? We need to be choosing each day and each interaction to operate out of the new spirit. The Spirit that produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
The next time you experience conflict in the church watch yourself to see that you are walking in the Spirit.
James Blake
