Do you know where you live? Do you live in the here and now? Do you live in the past? Do you live in the future? Do you live for fleshly desires and pleasures? Do you live for spiritual satisfaction and completeness?
We all live someplace. I’m not talking about a place, but a mental state. True, the physical place is part of that, but it is driven by our mental state. Mentally we are focused on what we can gain in the world or on the spiritual things of God.
Those who are focused on this world strive for improving their status as their peers define it. They focus on moving up in their jobs. They seek the right mate, too often based on their position or physical looks. They also complain quite often when what they are seeking is out of their reach or something doesn’t go their way.
Those who are focused on the spiritual things of God seek God’s desires. They pray that God reveal to them what he would have them do. They desire to serve others as Jesus served. They spend time with God both in prayer and in reading his Word. They have an aura about them, there seems to be an internal peace that cannot be explained. Of course, they know how to explain where it came from—God.
The Apostle Paul tells us our bodies are dead because of sin. Obviously, Paul is not saying we are physically dead yet, but is saying that our bodies will die, they let us down, and we fail because of fleshly desires.
On the other hand, the Spirit is life because of God’s righteousness. The Spirit that lives within us grants us life as well. Therefore, we are to live by the Spirit rather than by our fleshly desires. Unfortunately, none of us can do that perfectly. Thank God for his grace and mercy. Thankfully God forgives us for our shortcomings.
I pray we all choose to live by the Spirit. I pray we realize our bodies are dead. I pray each one of us will spend time with God to discern his will for our lives and follow the path he desires. Know your body is dead. Know the Spirit grants life. Choose the spiritual life. Choose follow God’s path.
Romans 8:9-10 But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Marty Pressey 