I will be (hopfully) preaching at my church sometime this month. I have been thinking about the passage a lot - the fruit of the spirit... It doesnt seem like the fruit of the spirit is the main point. One of the things that really suprised me is that we are commanded to walk by the spirit, and in addition, we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
Well thats great, very insightful. Except, that the "not" used here is the most emphatic not possible - you could insert an expletive here. So, its more like, we are commanded to walk by the spirit, and HELL NO we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
So, been thinking about that for a while. Especially when temptations come my way, I have been asking myself if I am walking by the spirit, because if I give in to those desires, then I am not walking by the spirit....which when it is worded so bluntly, makes me ask myself why I would choose sin over righteousness. In that sense, it becomes obvious, and easier, to choose the spirit rather than the flesh.
any comments?