Letting Go: Galatians 2:20 (Love)

Read Galatians 5:22-23:

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

Are you ready to make an investment in the Fruit of Love?

Is there something in your life you know that you really need to let go of, but just can't seem to do so?

If so, write it down in the space provided.

Read Galatians 2:20:

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

Select 'Successful' when you are finished.

Go to 'DOCUMENTS' and read Oswald Chambers' insights in this verse.

Select 'Successful' when you are finished.

Oswald begins:

"To become one with Jesus Christ, a person must be willing not only to give up sin, but also to surrender his whole way of looking at things. Being born again by the Spirit of God means that we must first be willing to let go before we can grasp something else."

How much does this description of 'letting go' align with your own ideas of what it means to ‘let go’?

Oswald states:

"The first thing we must surrender is all of our pretense or deceit. What our Lord wants us to present to Him is not our goodness, honesty, or our efforts to do better, but real solid sin. Actually, that is all He can take from us."

Do you agree that the first thing you need to surrender is all of your pretense and/or deceit?

Oswald adds:

"And what He gives us in exchange for our sin is real solid righteousness. But we must surrender all pretense that we are anything, and give up all our claims of even being worthy of God’s consideration."

If you like, take this opportunity to confess your pride before the living Christ.

You can do so privately or in the space provided.

Oswald continues:

"Once we have done that, the Spirit of God will show us what we need to surrender next. Along each step of this process, we will have to give up our claims to our rights to ourselves. Are we willing to surrender our grasp on all that we possess, our desires, and everything else in our lives? Are we ready to be identified with the death of Jesus Christ?

How would you answer those last two questions?

Oswald claims:

We will suffer a sharp painful disillusionment before we fully surrender. When people really see themselves as the Lord sees them, it is not the terribly offensive sins of the flesh that shock them, but the awful nature of the pride of their own hearts opposing Jesus Christ. When they see themselves in the light of the Lord, the shame, horror, and desperate conviction hit home for them."

Get quiet. When you are ready ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a specific action you can take to let go of the issue you identified in Step 2 above.

If you like, you can write down what you receive in the space provided.

If you received an answer, how motivated are you to follow through on that action starting right now?

Oswald concludes:

"If you are faced with the question of whether or not to surrender, make a determination to go on through the crisis, surrendering all that you have and all that you are to Him. And God will then equip you to do all that He requires of you."

Is there anything you would like to praise God for? If so, you can do so privately or in the space provided.

How much has this Trail increased the Fruit of Love in your current disposition?