For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.Galatians 5:13-16
In college, I used to wrestle with the Christian terminology “I was doing it in the flesh.” I used to sit at the piano, needing to practice, with my hands outstretched, thinking to myself, “How can I NOT play the piano in the flesh?” At some point, I had to physically move my hands.
The idea of walking in the spirit is a followup to my ponderings. Last week I struggled with both my desire to right, and the realization that I was doing all the right things, but obviously not manifesting the fruit of the spirit at the same time. I think it’s safe to conclude that I was not walking with the spirit, and I was accomplishing things “in the flesh.”
Where am I going wrong? I’m only just beginning the process of thinking it through, and it’s late so I know I’m not thinking totally straight (that’s part of the problem!)
In the mornings, I’m reading my Bible, I think genuinely renewing my mind and putting on the mind of Christ. Somehow, though, I’ve been forgetting everything I’ve read and pondered shortly after I close my Bible and track down a child with a smelly diaper.
Daniel had a habit of praying three times a day. Perhaps I need to deliberately incorporate specific times of renewing my mind. I don’t think it has to be long. I read about a mother who leaves her daily planner open throughout the day so she doesn’t lose track of what she has to accomplish. I like that idea, but I wonder if having the Bible open all day might serve the same function.
This is what I’ve been working on this week– putting Scripture deliberately and physically in my path throughout the day. Maybe I also need to be more deliberate in using mealtime prayers to renew my mind with the gospel.
Enough. Sleep is also spiritual.
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