"For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." Galatians 6:8
Just as we feed our physical bodies that which is nourishing for health and strength, so too we are to feed our inner man that we might overcome the temptation of sin. However, just as when we eat the wrong foods on a regular basis we suffer the consequences of ill health, so too by not feeding upon the living Bread we can become spiritually weak.
Scripture warns us to not sow to the flesh because what we sow we shall reap. Not only do we suffer consequences for our sin, but we quench the Holy Spirit's working and thereby feel the effects of death in our lives.
Galatians gives us a synopsis of the contrasts between the flesh and the Spirit. By abiding in Christ we will bear the fruits of the Spirit, but if we allow our fleshly lusts to be indulged, we will begin to express the works of the flesh. So be careful what you eat, it may have ramifications you never desired or expected.
"Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God."
1 Peter 4:1-2
2 comments:
Many people who I see suffer because they have let their physical desires get out of control. They have hurt themselves and other people.
Yet, many other people I see suffer from a huge amount of unnecessary guilt from having normal physical desires and wanting to express them in natural, mutual and supportive ways, but some of these ways are not approved of by those who seem to feel that have the power to make such judgments.
I actually saw a couple today who described their interest in doing some of the weirder, and more unusual sexual things, and they said they felt like doing so BECAUSE one of them felt he was raised in such a restrictive, orthodox fashion that he has yearned since childhood to do some outlandish things. He doesn't want to hurt anyone. He doesn't want to make anyone uncomfortable. He just wants to push himself out of the box he feels he was forced into.
TM, thanks for stopping by. The God who gave us those desires also gave us the blueprint on how to handle them in a proper way. That blueprint is the Bible.
Trying to suppress the fleshly lusts by our own strength can lead to much frustration, angst, and inner turmoil. But as we submit to Christ, He frees us from the power of sin and its consequences.
God bless,
Jim
Post a Comment