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So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isa 41:10 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Thursday, April 30, 2026
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :Carousing and Moralism (Galatians #76) Bible Verse: Galatians 5:19-21 "You know perfectly well what I mean when I speak of indulging the “desires of the flesh”: Things like . . . drunkenness, carousing, and similar things. As I have told you before, those who indulge the desires of the flesh will never inherit God’s kingdom. The Spirit, on the other hand, produces fruit: . . . self-control." Message:
The leisure activity of getting drunk and having sex, particularly with people one might not sleep with sober, has been around a long time. Roman orgies, frat-house parties, urban clubs, suburban wife-swapping — the variations are endless. Outright orgies, where people have sex in a group, seemed to become rare under the influence of Puritan and Victorian cultures, which inhibit us still today; but it seems to be coming back. Certainly, pornography has boomed since the U. S. Supreme Court declared it protected by the First Amendment, starting in the 1960s. All it needed was cable t.v. and the internet to make it available to pretty much anyone, any time.
Is it sinful? We can say, definitely, “yes,” largely because of this passage.
The sex-with-strangers side of a wild party is included in the very first part of the list: “fornication, impurity, indecent conduct.” In the last few specific acts of the flesh, emphasized in today’s passage, Paul includes drunken “carousings” that do not necessarily involve sex. God’s Holy Spirit does not want us getting drunk, period; and He does not want us joining in wild drunken parties, whether we stumble home alone or in tandem.
It is not our job or within our power to stop sinners from sinning. Neither is it our job to judge them. But it is our job to clearly distinguish right from wrong, in the face of determined opposition, and it is our job to try to conform our own conduct to the will of God’s Spirit.
If we are older, perhaps we have less temptation or less opportunity to go to wild drunken parties and have sex with inappropriate people. (Often it is not simply religious education, but the secular wisdom of age, that teaches us to avoid the painful consequences of such behavior. But avoidance of earthly consequences is merely wiser flesh, not spiritual wisdom.)
Mardi Gras parade
The Golden Calf, updated
Nor are younger people apt to listen to old fuddy-duddies trying to dampen their fun. One can easily sound negative and moralistic. To inhibit the fruits of living in the flesh, we must first teach the joys of living in the Spirit. Any person, young or old, must find Christ, for even the strictest moral code, without Christ, avails us nothing in the long run. This is the foremost lesson of Romans and a major theme in Galatians.
God has promised to destroy the world; we should not be surprised when He does so. (E.g., 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12) He told us His plan right in the Bible. So, we should hardly despair at all the sin in the world, even if it seems to be increasing. Our Kingdom is intact. Rather than worrying about the lost, we must concentrate on showing Christ’s glory to the world, equally through our lives and through our words, so that as many as have ears to hear the call of Christ may, in fact, hear it.
This, Paul will show us how to do in the following verses: He will teach us how to display the fruits of the Spirit.
Meditation : Prayer : God our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, and Spirit of God amidst us, direct our way unto you. Make us to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you; to the end we may establish our hearts unblameable in holiness before you, even our Father, at the coming of our LordWalk with me, dear Lord, so that I may not be alone as I face this day, but always in your presence. Your joy is a lighthouse in a world often dark with sin, and I pray that I may reflect the light of your truth, to inspire others as I have been inspired. In the name of Christ, bless me this day, and all whom I may meet. Amen. |
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