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Campus Life, July/August 2001
How Can I Live for God?
Devotions on the fruit of the Spirit
by Amber Penney
God has a plan for you. You know what it is? He wants to make you like himself. Not only will that bring him glory, it will bring you satisfaction. But what does it mean to be like him, and how does it happen?
The devotions that follow were created to help you begin to answer these questions. But they're only the starting point. Over the next several issues, we'll take a look at godliness by examining the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). As we study each of these godly characteristics, we'll find out how to make them a part of our lives. But first, let's start with the basics.
What's It Mean to Be Godly?
"And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8)
Being godly means living a life that pleases God—acting justly, loving mercy and walking humbly with him. The key, though, is the walking part. It's only when we walk with God in a relationship with him that we're able to do what's right and love others. As we spend time getting to know him, he changes us. The change comes as we see how awesome God is and how we, with all our imperfections, pale in comparison. It comes as we learn that God became a man—Jesus Christ—just so he could die a painful death to save us from our sin. And what is our response? Amazement? Gratitude? Yes, but it has to be more than that. God wants us to be totally devoted to him, in much the same way you probably dream about being devoted to a husband or wife some day. Because of your love for that person, you'll want to spend time with them and you'll do nice things for them—not because you have to, but because you really want to. When we have this kind of devotion to God, the things we do for him won't be a chore to dread. They will become something you look forward to doing. Not only will that be more pleasing to God, you'll like it better too!
What About You?
1) What does it mean to walk with God?
2) Two of your friends have bought you gifts. The first gives you the gift and says, "I got this for you because you mean so much to me!" The second friend hands you a gift and says, "I bought you this because friends are supposed to give each other stuff." Which gift would you rather receive? Why? When it comes to your relationship with God, which type of friend are you? Why do you do good things for God?
3) Ask God to help you understand who he is so that you'll want to be devoted to him.
Why Would I Want to Be Godly?
"Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4)
To find any joy in a relationship with God, you have to agree that he knows what's best for you. You'll never find much "delight" in him if you're always fighting him.
A few years ago, I wanted to teach my little sister how to swim. She was only four at the time, and like many children her age, she was pretty afraid of the water. Because I knew how much fun being in water could be, I was determined to help her get over her fear. Her main objection was that she didn't want to get her face wet. So I promised her I'd keep her head above the water. I even demonstrated with another kid her age to prove that she could trust me. But it didn't help. When I tried to pull her away from the pool's steps, she screamed like crazy. Then, as if to prove that she didn't need me to have fun, she turned her nose up at me, and—in water that only came up to her ankles—started splashing around, saying, "See, look what I can do!"
We're like that with God sometimes, aren't we? He says to us, "I have a great plan for you, one that will be greater than anything you could ever dream." And we say, "I'm too scared to trust you," or "No thanks, I can have fun without you." Like my little sister, we fail to see what we're missing out on. We fail to see that our lack of trust is keeping us from enjoying God's best.
What About You?
1) What's something you know God wants you to do (love others, study his Word, pray, etc.) that you're not doing? What's your reason for not doing this?
2) Talk to three older Christians you admire. Ask them, "Why do you believe God really loves you and wants the very best for you?" Write down their answers and read them when you're having trouble following God.
3) Ask God to help you trust that his desires for you will ultimately bring you the most joy.
How Can I Be Godly?
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit. Apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5)
In this verse Jesus was basically calling himself the source of life. He said that anyone who isn't connected to him can't live. Do you believe that? How can that be true when we see so many who are living without being connected to Christ? Well, that's because Jesus was talking about true life, a life of freedom and joy.
To find true life, Jesus says we have to remain, or live, in him. What does that mean? 1 John 2:6 says, "Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did." So living in him means living like him, and that means living a life of love. But we know that it's impossible to love like Jesus did—he was perfect, after all. Well, that's why Jesus said we should depend on him like a branch depends on the vine it's attached to. The branch receives all of its nourishment from the vine. If the branch falls or is cut off from the vine, it will die. We stay connected to Jesus by reading his Word and communicating with him. That's what strengthens us and motivates us to be like him. And ultimately, it's what gives us life.
What About You?
1) What in your life demonstrates that you are or aren't connected to Jesus?
2) Grab a piece of fruit and think about the tree or bush that caused that piece of fruit to grow. Now think about the kind of "fruit" Jesus was talking about—the good qualities and works that show a person is a Christian. How are these "spiritual fruits" similar to the fruit you're holding? How do we "grow" good fruit?
3) Ask God to help you understand what it means to remain in Christ.
Get Ready to Grow
More verses to read and study
Psalm 1:1-3: Choose wise counsel
Psalm 119:9-11: Stay in the Word
Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust God's direction
1 John 3:24: Obey God's commands
Matthew 22:36-40: Love God completely
Ephesians 4:22-24: Get rid of the old stuff
Philippians 2:1-5: Follow Christ's example
Mark 1:35: Spend time in prayer
Luke 9:23: Deny yourself
Galatians 2:20: Live by faith
Colossians 3:1-3: Focus on Jesus
2 Peter 3:18: Grow in grace
2 Timothy 2:15: Be a diligent worker
Philippians 4:13: Rely on Jesus for strength
Try This!
Write about each passage in a journal or notebook. Here are some ideas to help you get started:
1) What does this passage tell you about growing in godliness?
2) What are three questions you have about this passage? Write down your own answers, then ask a Christian friend or your youth leader how they would answer. Write down their answers, too.
3) Write a prayer about this passage. Ask God to show you how doing what the verse says will make you more like him.
4) Using the devotions on these pages as a model, write your own devotion based on the passage.
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Copyright © 2001 by the author or Christianity Today International/Campus Life magazine.
Click here for reprint information on Campus Life.
July/August 2001, Vol. 60, No. 1, Page 10
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