P.R.A.Y
PAUSE
REJOICE & REFLECT
ASK
YIELD
Personal Worship
Paul introduces us to the fruit of the Spirit today!
Together we will pray (P.R.A.Y.) each day – ‘P’: Pausing to be still as we come into the presence of the Lord. ‘R’: Rejoicing as we remember who our God is and what He has done, and Reflecting on His word. ‘A’: Asking God to help us and others. And ‘Y’: yielding to His will in accordance with His word.
As I come before you to pray, I still my thoughts and quiet my mind. I seek to make you the center of my focus.
Prayer of Approach
Lord, you are the living water. I approach your throne thirsty and desperate for your presence. As I enter in allow me to lay it all down at your feet because there is no better place for me to bring all of my praise, all of my fears, and all of my needs today. Meet with me and fill me with your Spirit.
We choose to rejoice in the power of God’s Word, with all his people in Psalm 65:5-8:
By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness,
O God of our salvation,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas;
the one who by his strength established the mountains,
being girded with might;
who stills the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
the tumult of the peoples,
so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs.
You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.
Psalm 65:5-8
Today we are reflecting on the words of Scripture in Galatians 5:22-23, where we read:
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23
Paul always chooses his images carefully as he writes. He speaks of the works (plural) of the flesh, but he will speak of the fruit (singular) of the Spirit. Fruit takes us into the world of agriculture and helps us understand how the Spirit works.
First, Christian growth is gradual. Just like a seed doesn’t turn into a tree instantly nor does Christian growth happen instantly. You may not feel like it is happening, but you can only measure it after a period of time. We see it when we say things like, “A couple of years ago I would have never been able to have been so patient in that moment.” Things like that show us that the fruit of the Spirit has been growing, gradually, and oftentimes unnoticed.
Second, the growth of the Spirit’s fruit is inevitable. There will be growth. If the Spirit is in you, meaning that you are a Christian by faith alone in the work of Jesus Christ, the fruit will grow. Our sinful nature can seem impossible to overcome, but the Spirit is powerful. If the fruit of the Spirit is inevitable it forces us to ask at certain points in our lives, “Is there fruit growing in my life?” We are saved by faith alone, not by the measure of the growth of the fruit of the Spirit. But we are not saved to live a fruitless faith in this life. A person who is saved by faith will be a person in whom the fruit of the Spirit grows.
Third, the fruit of the Spirit has internal roots. It is not about traits or characteristics. The change goes much deeper than that. The Holy Spirit has indwelled us and is transforming our very hearts and motivations, not just our actions.
Fourth, Christian growth is symmetrical. Paul uses the singular “fruit” very purposefully when describing the list. He is showing us that real fruit of the Spirit always grows together. When we look at the list and then look at our lives we may notice that we are naturally stronger in some than in others. Our strengths, apart from the Holy Spirit, are due to our natural temperament or natural self-interest. We see the power of the Spirit and the growth of the fruit in our lives when we see where we were once weak the Spirit has done a mighty work to grow in us the fruit of the Spirit.
Lord, I ask that you pour out your Spirit on me so that I may examine my heart and my motivations in this time. Let me feel the freedom to lay my heart down at your feet in total surrender.
1)Take some time to examine my own heart. How can I see the fruit of the Spirit growing in my life?
2)Do I have natural characteristics that can be confused with the fruit of the Spirit?
3)What areas do I need to ask the Holy Spirit to do a work in me that I cannot do myself?
Lord, look upon your people and have mercy on us. We are lost like sheep without a shepherd. We need your Spirit to be poured out on us. Fill us with your Spirit and allow us to walk by the Spirit in this world. Revive our hearts and change our desires in this life.
As I read the passage again slowly, I listen for anything that You would say to me in it. Help me see how to position my life in order to yield to your word.
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23
Yielding Prayer
Lord, I lay my life at your feet. I ask for the Holy Spirit that lives in me to transform me. Where I am weak make me strong by your power. I do not want to live a fruitless life here on this earth, so I ask that you pour out your power on me. Fill me with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I move into the day ahead, the Lord who loves me reminds me in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20:
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Closing Prayer
Lord, enable me, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to love you today with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength; and to serve you today, by loving and caring for others as I do my own self; and, to exalt you today, by telling the people in my world about the abundant and eternal life found only through faith in Jesus.
*The P.R.A.Y. acronym has been adapted from the Lectio 365 app.