What guiding principles do you live by? Are they principles you have been taught by your parents? Are they principles you learned from an organization, such as scouts, 4H, or FFA as you were growing up? Are they principles you learned in the military?
We all live by principles. Some principles are beneficial, others are not. Some principles are meant for a lifetime. Some are only meant to apply as long as we are in a specific profession or fulfilling a specific role. Principles guide our decisions and behaviors.
We can often identify where a person learned some principles. As a retired Marine, I can often spot other people who have been in the Marine Corps by how they carry themselves, their decision-making process, and their general behavior. The same is true for people who have been with scouts, 4H, or FFA for many years. They know what those organizations teach and can spot someone who has been in those organizations.
Can people identify us as Christians by our decisions and behaviors? Paul tells the church in Rome a very important principle. Living according to worldly values will lead to death, while living by the Spirit will lead to life. He is talking about eternal death and life. Implied within his statement is this: if we live by the Spirit, there is no need to fear.
Fear and anxiety rule far too many lives. Fear of not being accepted causes anxiety. Fear of losing our earthly life causes anxiety. Fear of pain causes anxiety. But living by the Spirit, we no longer have those fears. We live for God, trusting he is in control. It does not mean we will never worry, after all we are human. It does mean we will not live in a constant state of fear and anxiety. Living by the Spirit sets us free as Jesus originally intended.
I pray we all choose to leave fear and anxiety behind. I pray we choose to live by the Spirit. I pray each one of us demonstrate the principle of living free through the Holy Spirit. Live by the Spirit. Choose to live free. Show you are a Christian by your behavior. Make wise decisions.
Romans 8:12-13 So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
Marty Pressey 