Christ Leads The Way

“For those who live according to the flesh think about the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, about the things of the Spirit.” –  Romans 8:5

This is the day the Lord has made; let’s be glad in it! I hope that you are having a good start to your week on this day that we honor those who sacrificed their lives, their homes, and their families’ lives to protect us. To him who has, I say, “Thank-you for protecting me with your life.” And to you who keep supporting me and showing me love through your reading: I appreciate you!

It’s my heart’s desire that we all be united as one – that we be on one accord as it relates to spiritual and doctrinal issues concerning our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that we speak the same things, that we believe the same things, and that we earnestly fight together for the cause of Christ.

There’s no fun in being divided. Two people can’t walk together unless they agree. So we must come to an agreement on some very important things. That’s why we’ve been discussing restoration of New Testament Christianity.

We have to be spiritually-minded in order for us to be on one accord. We can’t let petty, carnal, and worldly things overshadow our divine purpose as ambassadors for Christ. The Bible says, “to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Rom. 8:6).

If we want life and peace, we have to be spiritually minded. We can have peace among ourselves – not chaos and division – if we focus our minds on God and on spiritual things.

People who are carnally minded or who have a mindset that’s focused on fleshly things cannot please God (Rom. 8:8). The Word is clear what it means when it talks about fleshly things.

“Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I tell you about these things in advance—as I told you before—that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” – Galatians 5:19-21

People who are carnal in their thinking focus on things like hate, selfish ambitions, drunkenness, partying, sex, and divisions. Being divided is a work of the flesh. And on the contrary, being unified in a common goal is a work of the Spirit. If we are divided, if we are focusing on things like selfish ambitions, partying, sex, and the like, then we cannot please God and our end will be death.

Those things don’t matter in the big scheme of life, anyway. Like material things, they will pass away and be destroyed in that day when the Lord returns, and you can’t take any of that stuff with you – it’s temporal.

But we who aim to please God focus on those things that are eternal. We know that who has the best party, who gets the promotion, or who has the most fun in fleshly pursuits does not matter.

Those are not the kinds of things I want to imitate in anybody. The only moves I want to be shown to me to imitate are moves that will get me closer to heaven. Otherwise, I have no care about them. All that’s not necessary anyway. Fleshly and carnal things do not matter to me. None of these things move me (Acts 20:24), for in Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). That’s why I can imitate Paul, as he said to “follow me, as I follow Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1).

What matters most to me is what matters to God. I want to make sure that I adorn myself with “what is inside the heart with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very valuable in God’s eyes” (1 Pet. 3:4). That’s what I want to be like – not anybody else.

We need to be focused on things that are spiritual if we are going to be and do what God wants us to be and do. He told us exactly what they are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23).

A man who is spiritually minded is not dumb or stupid by any means. He’s actually very smart. Following God’s commands is the hallmark of a wise person (Prov. 2:6).

To be united as one people, we absolutely must lay aside all talk and acts that are of a fleshly mind-set. Having a carnal mindset will not get us into heaven. Being carnally minded will only keep us divided.

But we don’t want that; we want life and peace. So let’s focus on loving one another, having peace among ourselves, being joyful for the life that we are living, being patient with one another, showing kindness, having faith in God, being gentle towards each other, and controlling ourselves from doing anything to the contrary.

Anyone who chooses to think, act, and live differently is not pleasing to God. Is that you? Everybody makes mistakes. But you can choose to live for the Lord – to be spiritually minded and obey God. When you do, the Lord will essentially say, “I forgive you.” He’ll wash your sins away, if you’ll obey Him. Believe that Jesus is the Son of God, repent, confess that He is Lord, be baptized, and live a faithful life until death. Will you choose to be spiritually minded today?

Let us endeavor to diligently keep the unity of the Spirit with the peace that binds us (Eph. 4:3).

“Above all, put on love—the perfect bond of unity.” – Colossians 3:14

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