6/22

Romans 8:5-6

⁵For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. ⁶For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

When a person places their faith in Christ, he or she has a mental paradigm shift. What they once thought of regularly, they now abhor. What they once thought was of little or no value, they now dwell on continually. The mindset becomes altered. It is not as if the free will has been taken away or that the carnal nature is gone, but rather that the values have been changed.

To live according to the flesh is an animal-like existence. It is to seek what satisfies the body and dwell on those things that do. The flesh can take a subtle form. It can act like a saint for purpose of self-exaltation, or it can receive exaltation in the eyes of others. Either way, it can obtain what it desires. However, because the carnal nature seeks the temporal, it always fears losing the things it craves or being discovered as utterly selfish. Life in the carnal nature is to be spiritually dead and to expect eternal death.

To live according to the Spirit is to yield to the new life within. It seeks to do God's will and live in communion with Him. Life in the Spirit seeks the glory of God, not one's own glory. That life finds joy in serving others in love. That life is to truly live now, and it anticipates an even more joyous future because of the peace we have with God.

Consider: Both lives have moments of happiness and pain. This verse identifies the biggest difference in the two: one is death, and the other is life. One is at odds with our Creator, and the other is at peace with Him. May you chose life and peace.