Choosing the Hard Path to True Beauty

Devotional

Day 1: Living by the Spirit, Not by the Flesh

The Christian life is marked by a daily choice between living by the Spirit or gratifying the desires of the flesh. While the way of the flesh may seem easier and more immediately satisfying, it ultimately leads to an empty and unfulfilling existence. In contrast, living by the Spirit is often challenging, requiring intentionality and self-denial, but it produces a life that is truly beautiful—full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This is not just a list of virtues to aspire to, but a picture of the life God desires for His people, a life that reflects His image and brings blessing to others. [44:16]

Galatians 5:16-25 (ESV)
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. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you are tempted to choose the “easy” way of the flesh over the “hard but beautiful” way of the Spirit, and what would it look like to choose differently today?

Day 2: The Beauty of a Life Sacrificed for Others

A truly beautiful life is not defined by comfort or ease, but by sacrificial love and service to others. The stories of Ruby and Laura, who gave their lives to serve the sick and poor in hard-to-reach places, illustrate that choosing the harder path for the sake of others creates a legacy of beauty and meaning. In contrast, a life spent only on personal pleasure or comfort, like the story of Bob and Penny collecting seashells, may seem attractive on the surface but lacks depth and purpose. The call is to resist the temptation of an easy, self-focused life and instead embrace the challenge of serving others, trusting that God will use our sacrifices to bring about something truly beautiful. [50:30]

John 15:12-13 (ESV)
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”

Reflection: Who is someone in your life you could serve sacrificially this week, even if it costs you comfort or convenience?

Day 3: Small Resolutions Lead to Big Transformation

Transformation into a life marked by the fruit of the Spirit does not happen all at once, but through small, intentional resolutions and daily choices. Whether it’s changing a habit, reframing your mindset, or setting a new goal, each step taken in faith can lead to significant growth over time. By identifying specific areas where you struggle and making concrete plans to address them, you open yourself to God’s transforming work. Even seemingly minor changes—like adjusting your driving attitude or choosing to be more patient—can have a ripple effect, shaping your character and witness. [54:01]

Romans 12:2 (ESV)
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Reflection: What is one small, specific resolution you can make today to grow in a particular fruit of the Spirit, and how will you put it into practice?

Day 4: Relying on the Spirit Through Prayer

Bearing the fruit of the Spirit is not something we can accomplish in our own strength; it requires a deep connection to God through prayer. Just as a tree needs life to bear fruit, we need the Spirit’s presence and power to produce love, joy, peace, and the other fruits in our lives. Prayer is both the starting point and the sustaining force for this transformation. By coming to God honestly, asking for His help, and seeking His guidance, we position ourselves to receive what only He can give. Focused, specific prayers—naming the fruit you want to grow in and the situations where you need help—invite God to work in tangible ways. [01:00:33]

Luke 11:9-13 (ESV)
And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!

Reflection: What is one specific fruit of the Spirit you need to grow in, and how can you pray intentionally for God’s help in that area today?

Day 5: Choosing and Cultivating One Fruit at a Time

Growth in the fruit of the Spirit often begins by focusing on one area at a time. When you intentionally choose to cultivate a particular fruit—such as patience, kindness, or self-control—you often find that the other fruits begin to grow as well. This focused approach allows you to be attentive to God’s work in a specific part of your life, making your prayers and actions more purposeful. As you resolve to grow in one fruit, consider where you struggle most and how you can redirect your actions and thoughts toward what is good. Trust that as you do, God will bring about transformation not just in that area, but throughout your character. [57:00]

Philippians 1:6 (ESV)
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Reflection: Which fruit of the Spirit do you sense God inviting you to focus on this week, and what is one practical step you can take to nurture it?

Sermon Summary

There are two ways of living: one that is easy but ultimately empty and ugly, and another that is hard but truly beautiful. The easy life is tempting because it asks little of us—it's like reaching for a cookie instead of preparing a nourishing meal. We are drawn to comfort, distraction, and the path of least resistance, but this often leads to a life that lacks depth and meaning. In contrast, the beautiful life, marked by the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—requires effort, intention, and sacrifice. Yet, it is this life that truly satisfies and reflects the image of God in us.

We see this contrast in the stories of two sets of people. Ruby and Laura, who spent their final years serving the sick and poor in Cameroon, chose the hard, beautiful life. Their lives were marked by sacrifice and service, and though their end was tragic, their legacy is one of beauty and purpose. On the other hand, Bob and Penny, who retired to a life of leisure collecting seashells, lived a life that, while pleasant on the surface, lacked the deeper beauty that comes from living for something greater than oneself.

The call is to resist the gravitational pull of ease and instead resolve to live differently. This doesn't mean making grand, sweeping changes all at once. Rather, it means choosing one area—one fruit of the Spirit—to focus on, and intentionally seeking to grow in that area. This process involves four steps: first, pray and connect with the Spirit, asking God to work in you; second, choose one fruit to cultivate; third, resolve how you will practice this fruit in a specific area of your life; and fourth, pray again, this time with focused, specific requests for God to bring about real change.

Change is possible, but it requires more than vague intentions. It means making concrete plans, redirecting your habits, and inviting God into the process. As we do this, we begin to see the Spirit’s fruit grow in our lives, and we move from the easy, empty life to the hard, beautiful life that God desires for us.

Key Takeaways

1. The easy life is alluring because it requires little effort, but it ultimately leads to emptiness and ugliness. True beauty in life comes from choosing the harder path of intentional growth, sacrifice, and service, even when it is uncomfortable or inconvenient. The Spirit calls us to resist the temptation of comfort and instead pursue what is truly beautiful. [44:16]
2. The fruit of the Spirit is not just a list of virtues to admire, but a vision for the kind of life God desires for us. These qualities—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—are the evidence of a life lived in step with the Spirit. They are not easy to cultivate, but they are deeply attractive and transformative. [50:30]
3. Real change begins with small, intentional steps. Rather than trying to overhaul your entire life, focus on one area where you sense God is calling you to grow. By choosing one fruit of the Spirit to develop, you often find that growth in one area leads to growth in others, as these virtues are interconnected and mutually reinforcing. [54:01]
4. The process of transformation is both practical and spiritual. It involves making concrete resolutions—identifying specific habits or situations where you want to grow—and also relying on the Spirit through prayer. General prayers are good, but specific prayers, tied to real actions and goals, help us see God’s work more clearly and keep us accountable. [60:33]
5. We are made to bear fruit, but we cannot do it alone. Our connection to the Spirit is essential; it is God who brings life and growth. As we pray, plan, and act, we must continually return to God, asking for His help, guidance, and power to live the hard, beautiful life He calls us to. [01:02:08]
** [62:08]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[42:44] - Opening Prayer
[44:16] - Two Ways of Living: Easy vs. Beautiful
[45:30] - The Temptation of Comfort and Distraction
[47:00] - Stories of Ruby & Laura: Choosing the Hard, Beautiful Life
[50:30] - The Alternative: The Easy, Empty Life
[51:48] - The Call to Resist the Easy Path
[53:05] - Practical Steps Toward a Beautiful Life
[54:01] - Personal Examples of Change
[56:00] - Four Steps to Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit
[57:00] - Choosing and Practicing One Fruit
[60:33] - The Power of Specific Prayer
[61:11] - Persisting in Prayer and Growth
[62:08] - Final Encouragement and Closing Prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Galatians 5:16-25 (ESV) — 16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 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. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 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. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

Observation Questions

What are the two different ways of living that Paul describes in Galatians 5:16-25? How does the sermon describe these two ways? [[44:16]]
According to the passage, what are some examples of the “works of the flesh” and the “fruit of the Spirit”? [[44:16]]
In the sermon, what real-life examples are given to illustrate the “easy, empty life” and the “hard, beautiful life”? [[50:30]]
What practical steps does the sermon suggest for someone who wants to grow in the fruit of the Spirit? [[57:00]]

Interpretation Questions

Why do people often choose the “easy” life, even when they know it leads to emptiness? What does the sermon say about the temptation of comfort and distraction? [[45:30]]
How does focusing on just one fruit of the Spirit at a time help someone grow in other areas as well? [[57:00]]
The sermon says that real change requires more than vague intentions. What does it mean to make “concrete plans” in the context of spiritual growth? [[53:05]]
Why is prayer emphasized both at the beginning and end of the process of change? How does specific prayer help in seeing God’s work? [[01:00:33]]

Application Questions

The sermon tells the story of Ruby and Laura, who chose a life of sacrifice and service, and Bob and Penny, who chose comfort and leisure. Which of these stories do you relate to more, and why? What might it look like for you to move toward a “hard, beautiful life”? [[50:30]]
Think about your daily routines. Where are you most tempted to choose the “easy” path (like reaching for the cookie instead of making a meal)? What is one small change you could make this week to choose the harder, more beautiful way? [[45:30]]
The sermon suggests picking one fruit of the Spirit to focus on. Which one stands out to you right now, and why? What is a specific situation or relationship where you want to see this fruit grow? [[57:00]]
The process of change involves making a plan. What is one concrete step you can take this week to practice your chosen fruit of the Spirit? For example, if you choose kindness, what is one act of kindness you can plan for? [[53:05]]
The sermon emphasizes the importance of specific prayer. Write out a short, specific prayer asking God to help you grow in your chosen fruit of the Spirit. How will you remind yourself to pray this prayer each day? [[01:00:33]]
Sometimes, growth in one area leads to growth in others. Have you ever experienced this before? Share a time when working on one character trait helped you grow in another.
The sermon says we are made to bear fruit, but we can’t do it alone. Who can you invite to encourage you or keep you accountable as you seek to grow? How can your small group support you in this? [[01:02:08]]

Sermon Clips

``But because of the sinful nature that exists within us that pulls us away, we're going to see something else. And Christians are called to live in the first and not in the second, to live in the Spirit, not in the flesh. But I think as we dig deeper, what we actually see is one life that is easy but ugly, and another that is hard but beautiful. [00:45:17] (27 seconds) #ChooseTheHardBeautiful

I cannot think of anybody I know who looks at the first, the list of the things that come out of the Spirit, to look at jealousy and idolatry and strife and anger and dissensions and drunkenness and crowds, all of these things, who looks at that and goes, you know what? That's beautiful. I want to live like that. I can't think of anybody who wants to live like that, but if I say, do you want to live a life that is loving, joyful, gentle, full of self -control, is faithful to the people around you and to the things you care about where there's uh where there's gentleness and kindness you look at that you go you know what life i want to live i want to live that life i want to live the beautiful life right but it's hard so why what what makes us live what makes us want the the easy life the ugly life we want it because it's easy. [00:45:46] (58 seconds) #EasyIsTempting

Paul in his letter to the Galatians calls us to a life that pushes back against giving in to easy easiness, that pushes against the desires that sit within us to be full of pride, be full of jealousy, to hold on to things that other people have because we want to live better, to hold, to walk away from the things that are beautiful and instead choose the things that are easy. [00:51:48] (34 seconds) #HardBeautifulLife

I don't want to be impatient. I want to be patient. I don't want to be unloving. I want to be loving. I don't want to be greedy. I want to be generous. I don't want to be slothful. I don't want to be lazy. I want to be self -controlled. [00:53:49] (24 seconds) #LiveByTheSpirit

So then how do we go about doing this well in verse 16 of our passage paul says that we should live by the spirit i say not by gratifying the desires of the flesh as images of god the fruits of the spirit exist waiting for us to live them out we are all if you want to think about this in maybe a different way we are all trees waiting to come to life trees naturally fruit trees naturally bear fruit is what they're made to do we are made to bear fruit in our lives but we need the spirit's help to do it we need to come to life and so even though all these gifts are given to other people given given to all of us we need life to come to us but god has given us his spirit god has given us a connection to him so that we can live this out and so the first thing we need to do is have a connection to the spirit. [00:56:42] (71 seconds) #ChooseOneFruit

The next thing i want to teach you to do is to choose one fruit that you've heard this morning of love joy peace patience kindness goodness gentleness faithfulness and self -control one of the nine fruits choose one and what you'll find is if you choose one you'll get the others okay you can't be a patient person if you're a patient person you will probably also be described as a loving person if you're a self -controlled person you'll probably also be described as a faithful person someone who answers the promises they make because you're self -controlled you deny the things that stop you from making the promises and you get there so if you pick one of these fruits you'll find you'll also grow in the others but pick one of them this morning. [00:58:10] (42 seconds) #PrayWithFocus

If you're going to choose to live the beautiful, hard, the hard, beautiful life, pick one of these fruits and then resolve how you're going to do it. Step three, resolve how you're going to do it and what area of your life you will do this in. [00:58:53] (15 seconds)

Maybe you want to grow in kindness and you find, ah, there's words that I say to others that are unkind. Okay. I'm not just going to say not say those words, but what could I say instead of them? What could I plan to say to people? Or what could I plan just to walk away from moments that stress me out too much when I get a bit angry and heads up and come back later and fix the problem? [00:59:38] (26 seconds)

So step one, pray. Step two, choose one fruit. Step three, resolve how you're going to do it. Find out where you struggle in your life with this fruit and attack it. Meet it head on and do something different instead. And step four, pray again. More prayer. More prayer is always good. [01:00:04] (24 seconds)

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

What are the fruits of the Spirit mentioned in the sermon?

How can prayer help develop spiritual fruits?

What choices can lead to a beautiful life?