Borrowed Shoes

Hi, and welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. Our reading, titled Borrowed Shoes, was written by Kirsten Holmberg. In the chaos of fleeing his home during the California wildfires of 2018, Gabe, a high school senior, missed the state-qualifying cross-country race for which he'd been training. Missing this meet meant he wouldn't have the chance to compete at the state meet, the culminating event of his four-year running career. In light of the circumstances, the state athletics board gave Gabe another chance. He'd have to run a qualifying time by himself on a rival high school's track in street shoes because his running shoes were in the charred rubble of his home. When he showed up to race, Gabe was surprised by his competitors who had come to supply him with proper shoes and to run alongside him to ensure he kept the pace necessary to be entered in the state meet. Gabe's opponents had no obligation to help him. They could have given into their natural desires to look out for themselves.

Doing so might have improved their own odds of winning. But in Galatians Chapter 5, Paul urges us to display the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, to serve one another humbly in love and to demonstrate kindness and goodness. When we lean on the Spirit to help us not act on our natural instincts, we're better able to love those around us.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Galatians Chapter 5, verses 13 through 26. You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free, but do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh. Rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command, love your neighbor as yourself.

If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. So I say, walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.

They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. The acts of the flesh are obvious. Sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy, drunkenness, orgies and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. Let's pray. God, help us remember Paul's encouragement to the Galatians to live in the Spirit, to listen to your voice and to follow your leading, even when it means going against our own inclinations to do what only benefits us.

We want to please you, God, and not ourselves. Give us the opportunity today to be Jesus to someone else. Thank you, Lord. It's in your name we pray. Amen. This encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.