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In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
“Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.”
Romans 8:5-8
This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Have you ever asked someone ask you about your mindset?
The question usually is grounded in the matter of one’s mental state or inclination but it also can refer to a fixed state of mind. It’s this latter part of the definition that we find center to our message today as we continue to look at my favorite chapter in the New Testament outside of the Gospels, Romans 8. Look at what Paul has to say in verses 5 through 8:
“Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.”
Note what God’s word is telling us here. A person can only have one of two mindsets. There is no third. Someone may move back and forth between the two mindsets but they always will be in one or the other. We find Paul compare and contrast these two mindsets this way, giving definition to each.
1. “Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.”
The emphasis here is on what a person desires for it will be reflected in their lifestyle.
Anyone who lives according to the flesh will have a mindset centered on what the flesh desires.
So what is the “flesh” exactly?
It’s far more than just skin, that’s for sure.
For in this context, the flesh represents a person who follows their own will or the will of the world. These people aren’t concerned about the ways of the Lord or His expectations because that will always run counter to the desires of the flesh that guide a person toward sin and wickedness.
Conversely, those who focus on the desires of the Lord will always have their minds set on the Holy Spirit that He sent to lead them on the paths of righteousness, on the way toward right living. They will always strive to live in accord with the Spirit.
2. “The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.”
If a mind set on the flesh results in a sinful lifestyle, then the person that adopts that way of thinking and living is on the road to God’s judgment and damnation, to an eternal place of torment after death.
This is strikingly different from the person who has a mind set upon the Holy Spirit. For anyone who has their mind centered on the Lord will display a life governed by Him, a life of eternal hope and peace grounded in the promise of salvation.
3. “The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.”
A sinful mindset is one that opposes God and the person who adopts it rejects God’s will and way for their lives. This life doesn’t please God as the person’s desire to live for the flesh makes them an enemy of the Maker and Master of all, the One who stands in absolute power and authority over humanity.
That’s not the place anyone wants to be.
So what way is more favorable?
Obviously, it’s the mind set on the Holy Spirit which harvests a life holy and pleasing to God, a life set apart from the ways of the flesh.
So what is your mind set on?
This is the question that the scriptures pose to us today and it couldn’t be more obvious that if our mind is fixed on the flesh, we had better change course immediately, repenting from the ways of the flesh while asking the Holy Spirit to take over and make the Lord’s desires our own.
Every time one does this, the Lord delivers.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
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