HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 1433
G AL ATIANS 6
page 1063
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of
fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness,
and self-control. There is no law against these
things!
24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have
nailed the passions and desires of their sinful
nature to his cross and crucified them there.
25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow
the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.
26 Let us not become conceited, or provoke one
another, or be jealous of one another.
— promises —
from God
So let’s not get tired of
doing what is good. At just
the right time we will reap
a harvest of blessing if
we don’t give up.
Paul’s Final Advice
11 Notice what large letters I use as I write
these closing words in my own handwriting.
12 Those who are trying to force you to be
circumcised want to look good to others. They
don’t want to be persecuted for teaching that
the cross of Christ alone can save. 13 And even
those who advocate circumcision don’t keep the
whole law themselves. They only want you to
be circumcised so they can boast about it and
claim you as their disciples.
14 As for me, may I never boast about anything
except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because
of that cross,* my interest in this world has been
crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also
died. 15 It doesn’t matter whether we have been
circumcised or not. What counts is whether we
have been transformed into a new creation. 16 May
God’s peace and mercy be upon all who live by
this principle; they are the new people of God.*
17 From now on, don’t let anyone trouble me
with these things. For I bear on my body the scars
that show I belong to Jesus.
18 Dear brothers and sisters,* may the grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
GA L AT I A N S 6:9
We Harvest What We Plant
Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer* is overcome by some sin, you who
are godly* should gently and humbly help that
person back onto the right path. And be careful
not to fall into the same temptation yourself.
2 Share each other’s burdens, and in this way
obey the law of Christ. 3 If you think you are too
important to help someone, you are only fooling
yourself. You are not that important.
4 Pay careful attention to your own work, for
then you will get the satisfaction of a job well
done, and you won’t need to compare yourself
to anyone else. 5 For we are each responsible for
our own conduct.
6 Those who are taught the word of God
should provide for their teachers, sharing all
good things with them.
7 Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you
plant. 8 Those who live only to satisfy their own
sinful nature will harvest decay and death from
that sinful nature. But those who live to please
the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the
Spirit. 9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is
good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. 10 Therefore,
whenever we have the opportunity, we should
do good to everyone—especially to those in the
family of faith.
6
6:1a Greek Brothers, if a man. 6:1b Greek spiritual. 6:14 Or
Because of him. 6:16 Greek this principle, and upon the Israel
of God. 6:18 Greek Brothers.
• Addiction
G A LATI A N S 5:22-23
Think of it: We can choose love or hate,
joy or misery, peace or tumult, goodness
or evil, and so on. It isn’t hard to decide
which is better. It isn’t hard to know how
we get the fruits of goodness. But we
have to make a conscious decision to let
the Holy Spirit firmly plant himself in our
lives. Then he will produce the good fruits
of God in us and through us.
• Work
G A LATI A N S 6:9
It’s natural to grow weary sometimes—
even of worthwhile activities. Sometimes
we’re bored because the task seems
endless. Here the apostle Paul encourages us to keep the end in mind; we will
reap a harvest if we keep at the task.
When we do Christian work for the sense
of personal satisfaction, it’s easy to give
up if the benefits are long in coming.
But if we work with the attitude that the
process is as important as the outcome—
and that God is honored in our work even
apart from any results—every piece of the
work will continue to be important to us.