Read Ephesians 5:15-21. Be filled with the Spirit. (Eph. 5:18)
In my opinion, the Holy Spirit does two things that human effort can never duplicate: He produces Christian character and He gives power for witnessing. Look at the first result of this ministry. In Galatians 5 Paul lists qualities called the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control. Only the Spirit of God can produce such fruit. Human attempts at spirituality can only produce counterfeits. But to the extent that your life is under the Holy Spirit’s control, these good qualities will emerge.
Anything dependent on human effort is subject, in time, to weariness and breakdown. Take a simple illustration: We have all seen children (often our own!) who have been briefed before a visitor arrives: It’s very important that you behave while Mr. So-and-so is here. The children are models of politeness for about the first hour. Then they tire of maintaining their respectable façade and revert to form. They become a little more noisy; perhaps a quarrel erupts between two of them and something is knocked over with a resounding crash. In short, they became their own selves when they gave up trying.
We grown-ups, like little children, try to approximate the qualifications and characteristics of the Christian life. For awhile we may be able to put up a good front. But then we tire of trying, and at that point the whole effort is lost.
This devotional was written by Dr. Robert A. Cook. You can subscribe to his free email articles and listen to his Spirit-filled 15-minute messages at www.walkwiththeking.org. Used with written permission.
