Be Righteous In Joy, Just Don’t Be Pious About It
Word-Of-The-Day: ‘(22) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (23) gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (24) Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (25) Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (26) Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.’ (Galatians 5:22-26)
Each of us go through the storms in life, and none of us are immune to them. Some of us have storms that are far more troubling than what we could ever imagine and often we look and can’t help but think, ‘I’m glad I’m not in that bubba’s shoes’. It may even be that we begin to think that perhaps the Lord is blessing us for being so good while punishing them for somehow missing the mark Spiritually. We become pious in our good time while others are suffering – after all, it must be that God favors us for being the loudest in praise, the deepest in prayer, and being the one most seen at church events, right?
It is good to be someone wanting to be a leader in praise, prayer, and attending to the Lord’s business. But is it for the right reason and the right purpose? We all should want to strive to be joyous, and in our joy, find we can be happy in our worship of the Lord. However, we also must perform our worship for the benefit of advancing God and His Kingdom, and not for the benefit of lifting ourselves up to gain a certain status over others.
It’s important to temper the moments of happiness – and we do need to rejoice in those moments – and remember to try to walk with and help those who may not be their most pleasant moments. What is important is regardless whether we are in our most-happiest of moments or our most tragic, is to be filled with the Joy of the Lord and know He is in control, and to be tempered by His Joy, as we all are or will be in similar situations at some point.
Galatians 5:22-26 is the second ‘half’ answering the first ‘half’ of this passage is Galatians 5:13-21, which discusses the acts or sins of the flesh, the ‘flesh’ being another name for ‘self’. We can commit such sins by reacting to Godly things that occur in our lives; we could react by the temptation of reacting like a Pharisee or ‘holier-than-thou’ when we are provided a Godly gift, either in service or in provision. Both service and provisions are examples of Godly gifts that may be turned into sins of self-piety and greed – ‘I’m so good and it’s all mine!’ is the opposite mindset that Paul is providing to us.
However, there is a greater good that Paul recognizes that was taught by Jesus in His Gospel ministry; everything must be placed in perspective and all acts must be tempered by the Spirit. A gift from the Lord, whether ordained to serve or a provision to use is not entirely my own, but is to aid others in the cause of Christ; my time, treasures and talents are not just for me but to share for the cause of Christ.
There must be times set aside for ‘self’, times to get away and relax as well as personal time alone, as we all need this. However, time (as well as treasures and talents) is something to also be offered to the Lord for His purposes, time that may help others in need. It may be taking the time to repair an item for someone who may not have the tools or skills to do so, or it may be simply taking the time to talk to them (or more importantly, listen to them).
Be tempered in all that you do; we all have those moments of pride, where we accomplish something of great importance. We must always balance that with the knowledge that we successfully achieved the accomplishment not on our own, but with the help of others and especially with the guidance and strength we have through the Holy Spirit. In these moments it is important not to overlook or allow them to overshadow what could be the moments in others, who equally have achieved or who are going through troubles, and be there to cheer for each other and well as to be there to help each other.
