Galatians 5:16-25
“Walk by the Spirit…live by the Spirit…keep in step with the Spirit.”
“Keep in step….” This reminds me of
dancing—not what I have experienced, mind you. My wife will quickly tell you
that dancing is not one of my great pass-times or skills. But, I’ll this a
go and y’all can tell me later if I got it right…or not.
Now, there are very different forms of
dancing—a lot is solo dancing today, or two dancing without touching. But, there are dances that require the couple join hands on one side, the other hand placed behind
the back. After seeing The Great Waltz (1972) as a child, I insisted my
mom teach me how to waltz. I learned to keep in step by listening to the beat
of the music…keeping my eyes on the one before me. If we don’t do those
things, it all falls apart.
The Life of Self—Paul writes about two primary ways of living (or ‘dancing’, if you will). The first list of descriptors reveals an over-arching theme: Dancing this life to your own beat, to your own tune, and to the seeming—seeming—benefit of yourself. The sex Paul writes about is nothing more than self-gratification (no thought of the other). Idolatry is a transactional religion—I’ll worship this god so I can get my way. Witchcraft—from the Greek word is farmakia—as the word suggests, has everything to do with drugs…either deadly drugs used to kill your enemy or hallucinogenic drugs that allowed one to take a spirit journey to attack the spirit of an enemy. (Yes, still all for self.) And then all the rest—hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage,… “and the like.” All things that grow out of self-interest and feed self-interest. How much the world has changed in 2000 years. How little human nature has changed.
Paul ends this section with a fair warning: “those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” This “dance,” this way of life, finds us jerking and stomping across the floor…alone. No grace in the movement. We end up passed out in a heap, a mess. When we live for “self,” we die by ourselves. This is a lonely dance.
The Life of the Spirit—Paul then suggests a different life…life in the Spirit, with the Spirit. Paul’s descriptors here are all relational words. Love—by definition necessitates at least two beings committed, two wanting the best for each other. Joy in the New Testament grows out of our connection to God. Peace—something between two of more entities that could be at odds. Forbearance (patience)—again, takes two. Kindness—something we show towards others. All of these are about relationship. And this is the way, the rhythm, the dance of the Spirit.
I have often wanted to use this list as a measure of others. But really it’s a mirror, a way to check how we’re allowing God’s Spirit to shape our lives. Let us measure ourselves—how are we doing in this dance of life? Are we keeping our eyes on God? Are we in step with the Spirit of God? Let’s hear these patterns of Spirit-life again: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. How are we doing? Are living by the Spirit? Are we in step with the Spirit?
Conclusions—Let us embrace the Spirit of God, keeping our eyes focused. Let us listen to the rhythm of the Spirit-life, the Spirit-music that we find in God’s Word. Let us let go of our self…and our selfishness. Allow God to take your life and do something beautiful. This is not to say that we’ll all be doing the exact same dance—some may waltz, some may salsa, some may ballet, some may do the West Coast Swing. But this is to say that we will all be dancing with the same master partner…following the steps of grace, living lives of peace-filled trust, dancing before others something beautiful to watch that makes them want to join the divine dance of life as well.
“Walk by the Spirit…live by the Spirit…keep in step with the Spirit” – Paul’s admonition; God’s call for our lives today. Amen.
Galatians – Paul’s
Take on the “Spirit Life”
Watch/Listen: HERE
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