We are so comfortable with our ugliness, aren’t we?

Our fleshly irritations.

Our selfish demands.

Our ‘higher than thou’ attitudes towards all else.

Our complaining when sacrificing.

Our responses when wronged.

Ugliness.

Does your ugliness repulse you?

When it rears it’s ugly head, do you embrace it?

Honestly, we usually do, don’t we.

We not only embrace it, but wear it proudly.

All boils down to flesh and sin.

Our flesh cries out selfishly.

But God wants us to respond differently.

It’s so hard, isn’t it?

“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

Those words from Paul in Galatians 5 remind us to put away our flesh.

To literally kill those fleshly desires that are ugly.

Impossible apart from God.

Literally.

When we purposely put down our ugly flesh, God will fill us with His Spirit.

You remember His fruit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Isn’t it so much better to reflect kindness than malice?

Gentleness instead of anger?

Love instead of hate?

Peace instead of war?

Folks, we can either react with the fruit of God or the flesh of ourselves.

One is lovely, the other is ugly.

Stop the next time you face an irritation.

Ask God to react through you.

Each time you do that, your ugliness will melt away.

I know, it’s not as fun as feeding your flesh.

But wouldn’t you rather please God than your sinful self?

 

 

Photos by Cain, Korpa, Nohassi, Boer, & Gonzalez on Unsplash