Speaker: Ben Sigman

Theme: The Context For Change

Weekend Music links on iTunes: All To You - Lincoln Brewster, Hillsong - Run, Your Love Never Fails - Jesus Culture

Read:  Galatians 5:13-18

Think: Coming to a new church can be intimidating. I’ve moved around a lot over the years, and have found church hunting a daunting task. Which one is a good fit for me and for my family? Which one seems like we could fit in alright? And most importantly, which one has the best coffee? :)

Getting involved with a church takes courage, and a desire to grow and change for the better. In fact, the things that God inspires us to do, usually don’t come easy. They are rather un-natural, and require us to do things that don’t come easily or naturally to us.

Naturally, we will want to find a group of people who are similar to us and stay comfortably preserved with that group. But Supernaturally, God moves us out of our comfort zone to invite others to share our new and improved life in Christ.

Naturally, we are drawn toward certain formulas and rules that enable us to plan life and guarantee success. Supernaturally, God reveals his will simply one day at a time so that we are completely dependent on him at all times.

Naturally, we are drawn toward judging ourselves and others with a critical eye when the letter of the law is not met. Supernaturally, God introduces grace (unmerited favor) at the points where we have messed up the worst.

God is always about redeeming the “natural” and broken ways of humanity, to his godly and good ways. The natural ways are kin to the “sinful nature” or the “sinful self”. As God moves into our lives with his love, he replaces the pull toward sin derived from the sinful self, with the desire toward right- living derived from God’s Spirit.

The apostle Paul writes in Galatians 5:16-17, “So I tell you: Live by following the Spirit. Then you will not do what your sinful selves want. Our sinful selves want what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit wants what is against our sinful selves. The two are against each other, so you cannot do just what you please.”

As we partner with what the Spirit is doing in our lives, we break free of the pull of sin and begin to see supernatural things happen in our lives. It’s awesome.

Do: Reflect how it feels to be led away by the sinful nature as compared to being led by the Spirit, and the different outcomes of each.

Pray: Lord, make me aware of my sinful nature that pulls me away from you and your ways. I want to be led by the Spirit into what you have for me. Amen

The eDevo is written each week by a team of volunteers from Timberlake Church.

 4505 236th Ave. NE • Redmond, WA 98053 • 425-869-4400 • info@timberlakechurch.com