"This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?" Galatians 3:2
How often do you catch yourself still trying to please God through performance? Why is it we continue to think that if we just read our bible more, pray more, memorize more scriptures and the like that God would love us more? Where is that coming from? Well it is not coming from the message of the gospel. Think about this, when did Jesus Christ die for your sin, before you believed in him or after? Listen carefully to what the apostle Paul says about this: "but God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Allow the joy of that truth sink in for a moment. If the God of the universe purposely died on our behalf before we were even born, before we believed in him, while we were living in sin, it is irrational to think he will now love us more if we strive to be perfect. Here us a trustworthy statement: we can not be perfect, only Christ is perfect! That's the whole point of the gospel, it is Good News! How do we receive the Spirit? By faith in Jesus Christ, believing the gospel. Again listen to the apostle: "In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise" (Ephesians 1:13). How may we know that we have received the Spirit? Because we believe the gospel of Jesus Christ. How may we know that our faith is genuine and not counterfeit? Because the Spirit changes us from the inside out, our disposition, likes and dislikes, slowly conforming us to be like Christ in our thinking and behavior. This is what is referred to as the fruit of the Spirit, those qualities he produces in our lives: "For the fruit of the Spirit love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control; against such things there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23). So allow yourself to be your own fruit inspector. Are those qualities increasing in your life? If they are that is the Spirit's work in your life. The truth is, all who come to Christ by faith are changed by him. As many theologians have stated: Christ loves and receives us as we are, but his love for us does not leave us as we are. Continue to pursue Christ, read his word and talk to him, listen to him. More importantly believe his word by living it, and the Spirit will do amazing things in your life, things you could never imagine possible.
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