Galatians 5

Jesus Christ did not set me free so I could continue to live in a cage.

That's how this chapter rolls out. And all of the good stuff about the law is great, but the part that I gravitate to the most is always the end, verses 16-26.

First, it's always painful to read that bad list. Because among the horrible blatant sins I see little bits of my own behavior there. And on the good list? There are always a few that are conspicuously absent in me.

But if I just look at those two lists as "don't" and "do" lists, then I'm missing the context of the freedom thing Paul started with. I, Kendra, cannot defeat that sin by trying harder, nor can I squeeze out those fruit on my own. I may be able to pull several of them off, but not all. And not all the time either. The whole point of Paul calling them fruit at all is that they are a by-product, the evidence, of a life walked in step with the Holy Spirit.

So what I'm working on now is getting more and more consistent with that pace. Staying in tune with God's Spirit inside me. Keeping perfect stride with Him. It won't ever be too fast and burn me out. It won't ever get too slow and bore me or leave me hanging. It will always have me in just the right place at the right time with the right heart for whatever God sends across my path.