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Scripture: Romans 8:8 - Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
Who is going to win this battle in your life? The flesh or the spirit?
Well, today we are going to address these two questions as we find, once again, Paul writing to the people of Rome, describing how to live a righteous life. Paul has divided the person, we call self, into two parts, one being the flesh, and the other being the Spirit.
The flesh being characterized by sin and the spirit being associated with righteousness.
Against the lengthy prose of many scholars, I disagree with this simple interpretation. Even though, through the eighth chapter there are references to the sinful nature of the flesh, how can we blame the flesh? That is its nature.
Paul warns us that following the flesh, whose nature is only to sleep, eat, and reproduce, will not bring you the fruitful life you desire. That lifestyle can only be produced through the Spirit.
We see this play out in real life, don't we?
As you may be hungry driving home from work after a long day, a skipped breakfast, and a lunch hour that was missed due to some reports that needed to be completed by end of day.
The rain beats down on your car so hard that you can barely see through your windshield. Irritated that the rain pours into your car as you barely crack the winder to receive the food you ordered in the drive thru. Hoping to make it home fast enough before it gets cold.
And as you pull out of the drive-thru, you see a woman holding a child, wrapped up in what seems to be a coat with a sign that simply reads, HUNGRY.
What do you do? Do you keep driving to your warm home and enjoy the food your body so desperately needs? Or are you led by the Spirit, to roll that window down, let the rain come in, and change 3 lives, the woman’s, the child’s, and yours?
This act of kindness is being led by the Spirit. And this is pleasing to God. This is what Paul meant when he said those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. Someone only concerned about pleasing the hanger pains coming from their own stomach to provide a life changing meal to a mother who desperately needed it, cannot please God.
Paul is pleading with us to seek our higher selves above the animalistic nature that is the flesh.
Today, when you make a decision, I want you to think about, are you being led by the flesh or are you being led by the Spirit?
Think about those actions and see if they are pleasing to God, or as Paul states earlier, are they hostile to God?
If you do this, then you will live in peace as the Bible promises.
Prayer: Lord, please remove the anxiety in my life as I move from a mind of the flesh, into a mind of the Spirit. I will not lean on my own understanding, but seek the Spirit to guide me to righteousness.
Thank you for reading!
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About the blog:
Many Christians struggle with the seemingly conflicting views about our faith and the pursuit of financial gain. They were taught that poverty was piety and that a lack of money was the only way to truly detach themselves from the love of money. Our blog debunks some of those claims, teaches you that you can be rich and righteous, and at the same time fulfill your obligation to tithe and give to the less fortunate. We are dedicated to helping you become cheerful givers by organizing your personal finances, providing investment tips to help you create wealth, and encouraging you to create a gifting strategy that will make your family and God proud.
Meet the Author:
A.B. Ridgeway, MBA (info@abrwealthmanagement.com) is the owner and Christian Financial Advisor with A.B. Ridgeway Wealth Management. With a decade in the finance industry, his goal is to give believers clarity around the most confusing topic in the Bible, money, and tithing. A.B. Ridgeway helps tithing Christians become cheerful givers but unlocking their money-making potential, so they can prosper and be the great stewards of the wealth God has entrusted them with.
This communication is not intended as an offer or solicitation to buy, hold or sell any financial instrument or investment advisory services. Any information provided has been obtained from sources considered reliable, but we do not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of any description of securities, markets or developments mentioned. This is strictly for information purposes. We recommend you speak with a professional financial advisor.