The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace. (Rom. 8:6)
WE CAN LIVE ONE OF TWO WAYS. We can live for self, or we can live for Christ. The way we think governs the way we live. If our mindset is toward God, we live to please Him. If our mindset is governed by the flesh, we live to please ourselves.
The Amplified Bible defines flesh as “man’s nature without the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 8:3 amp). Many people go through life without giving God and His priorities a second thought, or even a first thought. That kind of thinking is not on their radar, not in their ZIP code. Instead they live according to their own passions, their own lusts, their own ambitions, and their own pursuits.
On the other hand, those who live by the Spirit want to please God. They ask, “What is God passionate about? What is His will for my life?” They surrender their ambitions to God. They desire to pursue the things that fulfill God’s purposes for them.
Some ministers in a certain community wanted to call the renowned evangelist D. L. Moody to come and preach in their city. One man was skeptical. “Does D. L. Moody have a monopoly on the Holy Spirit?” he asked. Another man answered, “No, but the Holy Spirit has a monopoly on D. L. Moody.”
Does the Spirit have a monopoly on you?
Determine today that you will yield all your ambitions to God’s Spirit.
Ron McClung lives in Fishers, Indiana, with his wife Carol. He has written his weekly column, Positive Perspective, for more than twenty-nine years.
© 2018 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.
