What if you could create a world exactly the way you wanted it? I could imagine that for many the construction would include: high levels of happiness, great amounts of goodness, lofty levels of love amplified by a never-to-be-faulted faithfulness, and lastly, how about some perfect peace thrown in.
Now, suppose for a moment we could add some icing to the cake by determining how everyone else would have to behave. We might make them: perpetually patient, genuinely gentle, superbly self-controlled and, of course, they would have to be consummately kind. This then, I would suggest, is what everybody wants.
Now compare this with these words from the New Testament:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5 verses 22-23
It is not hard to see that this is also what God wants – what He put in His original design. The previous verses, however, show a very different universe:
“The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5 verses 19-21
Unfortunately, this is the world we really live in most of the time. So what has gone so very wrong? Well the key is revealed at verse 19, it is our sinful nature. Any fix? Well simply and straightforwardly request the Spirit of Jesus to be first on our want list and then nothing else will be found to be wanting.