5 Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh; but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 The mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace, 7 because the mind of the flesh is hostile to God: It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those controlled by the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are controlled not by the flesh, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you.
REFLECTIONS
Written by Tina Bogg
As I read this passage, I thought about what a blessing it is to be living by the Spirit, and I am so thankful to God that it is Christ who gave us the Spirit to dwell in us.
I thought about what it might look like for me to set my mind on the things of the flesh, and what first came to mind was a long list of worries. Worry about the future, money, not making the best choices for my family, worrying about what to eat or wear or what to buy or where to go in the next holidays. I can definitely see how the mind of the flesh is hostile to God, doesn’t submit to God’s law, and actually cannot please God. The things of the flesh often stem from not trusting God, from coveting or comparing ourselves to others, which is so all-consuming that it can crowd out the things that are important to God: loving God, loving others and serving God with our time, energy and gifts.
When all these thoughts come into my mind, I’m so thankful that the Spirit is also there to counter them with the reminder that none of these things are all that important in the big scheme of life. It’s ok to think about them sometimes, but it’s also important to keep these things in an eternal perspective. We’re to seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness, and Jesus promises that “all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33). Pray with me that we will keep listening to God’s Spirit in us as he prompts us to focus our mind on godly things so that we can have life and peace. As Jesus says: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34).
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tina is a member of our Bossley Park Morning congregation.