Let's begin by defining what we mean by "fleshly". Fleshliness is nothing more than following your natural nature and instincts to determine things. When one sows to their flesh (Gal. 6:7-8), they allow their own feelings or natural thought processes to determine what they do. Fleshliness and spiritual are often contrasted together to help us get a better hold on what it means. In I Cor. 3:1-4, this contrast is great. Paul shows the Corinthian brethren as "still fleshly." They had not moved into being spiritual. What was the telling sign? They were practicing jealousy and strife! Those are two signs of fleshliness. When one is jealous, that is coming from the flesh. When there is strife, fightings and quarrels, that is coming from the flesh. (See Gal. 5:19-21) What is meant by "spiritual"? First, when you look up the word spiritual, there are two thoughts conveyed: (1) It is invisible and (2) It is powerful! God is spirit (John 4:24). He is invisible and powerful. His ways are not natural. A spiritual mind set is a mind set on the things that are invisible from God (that's why it is by faith) and they are powerful from God. A fleshly mind set is a mind set on your feelings, your senses, the visible and they are weak and enslaving.
Here is a good illustration of fleshliness in the church. I was holding a meeting and there was a deacon in the church that approached me. He began taking me from classroom to classroom, showing me the new paint they had applied to the interior of the building in preparing for the meeting. As he walked me through their building, he began sharing with me how important color schemes were to the development and teaching of people and certain colors had a calming effect. That is a mind set on the flesh! He learned it from the world. What about God and His ability and power? The instruction of the Lord is not about "color schemes". We are taking in too much information to guide our lives from a lost, separated world that has no idea of the power of God. We listen to too many that do not have the Spirit of God, excluded from the life of God and they stir our hearts and minds. If you are in Christ, you have the life of God within. The only question is, will you set your mind of the things of God and allow Him to teach and instruct your life? The flesh is external but the spiritual is invisible and powerful things from God and they cannot be mixed! That's why so many fail. Just give it some thought and if you would like to add something or disagree, I am willing to listen. I'll continue tomorrow.
2 comments:
I think it is interesting you used the "color schemes" illustration. Being in architecture I'm sure you know I deal with colors all the time and I hear color comments like that all the time. All I can think is where did that come from??? A certain color made someone be more creative? Made someone pay attention more? Made someone a better person? That is very strange to me. I thought color has to make things pretty :) Anyway I love your illustrations because they are real and they really help get the point across. It all makes perfect sense of fleshly behavior. Thanks for your blog and I can't wait for tomorrow.
I agree with Les! I've heard that type of thing said many times and have even had suggestions made to me about colors for my playroom since that's where I work and play with the kids. (Some of the suggestions come from the most unexpected placesm too!)
It's kinda scary though, isn't it - how easy it is to become fleshly! The scriptures even say that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. If someone is focused too much on what the world thinks/says about things that's what they will talk about and center their thoughts and ideas around - sometimes without giving it a second thought. Realizing how easy it is to let the flesh take over should give us a more sincere desire to fill our hearts and minds with the scripture and things of God so we don't let that happen without our notice!
I enjoy your blogs, too and always look forward to your thoughts and insight!
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