Today’s Reading, Galatians 4-6
Focal Scripture: Galatians 5:24 “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
Making big decisions is a part of life. These decisions can range from what home you buy to what job you pursue. No matter what you decide you will mull over every possible outcome. You think about the positives and the negatives. You are consumed with whether or not you are making a wise decision. Hopefully, you are examining the passions and desires of your heart on the why behind your thinking. Unfortunately, we often don’t think some decisions are the most important.
This is where we find our reading today. Paul is addressing the church and telling them what the life in the flesh looks like and what life in the spirit looks like. The only way for a person to live in the spirit is to make the biggest decision of their life besides salvation. They must crucify their flesh with its passions and desires. For them to live a spirit filled life they must concisely choose to put their flesh on the cross.
The challenge for all of us today is to make that decision to crucify our flesh. As believers we know the horrors of what Jesus went through on the cross. His death was physically violent, public, and emotional. He was scorned, mocked, and beaten. He was wrongly accused. However, he was obedient.
I encourage you today to crucify your flesh. Every single day give it over to Christ and put yourself on the cross. When this happens you are surrendering your wants and desires. You are submitting to the best possible person, Christ and the Spirit.
For us to be different we must be spirit filled. Our goal should be to drive out the flesh and crucify it daily. This is the biggest decision besides salvation you will make. It will determine the direction of your faith. It will demonstrate how much you believe in the work of Christ. This is what made Paul, the apostles, and even the reformers different. They knew the spirit was needed and the only way to have the evidence of that in our lives is to crucify the flesh that gets in the way.
So today crucify your flesh. Live different. Be different. Show others the power of the redirection of Christ and the promised spirit that will help us live our walk.
Tomorrow I plan on reading Ephesians 1-3
