I apologize for the long absence. Lot of stuff going on right now. Trying to cram everything in doesn’t work. You only end up with mediocrity. Be back soon!
Archive for February, 2010
Aligning With The Morality of God – Romans 8:9
18
Feb
(Romans 8:9Romans 8:9
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
WP-Bible plugin) “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”
Can we legislate morality? Can we pass laws that dictate the norms and behavior for the people of a country? Of course we can. Legal systems are set up to provide a standard of right and wrong. However, the problem comes when we start to discuss the definition “moral.” We should not confuse the terms of legality with the standard for morality. What is considered legal may be based on a different standard than the moral. For example, abortion has been legal in the United States for many years but those of us who look to the Bible as the standard for right and wrong consider abortion to be murder. Thankfully, we have the privilege of influencing the legal system to bring about changes that will align us with God’s definition and standard of the moral. But we must resist the temptation to consider our society “spiritual” because we succeed in passing laws that conform to the Biblical definition of morality.
If the Spirit of God is not residing in someone, they are bound by the dictates and terms of the flesh. This doesn’t mean they will resist the Biblical standard. But it does mean, regardless of behavior, their flesh is controlling their actions. So I also have to resist the temptation to believe those who are moral are also those who are indwelt by the Spirit of God. The religious flesh is prideful. Religious flesh seeks to please God through behavior. Religious flesh believes it is righteous based on behavior. Legislated morality appeals to the religious flesh. It is the Spirit of God that brings about true morality. When someone receives the gospel, the Spirit of God aligns their spirit with His Spirit. Their life is identified with His life. I need to be aware of this and never assume those who agree with my moral position and beliefs are born of the Spirit.
Renewed Thought – I can never vote people into heaven. I can never legislate spirituality. But I can love. Lord, help me to show Your love by giving someone the gospel today.
The Little Engine Who Couldn’t And The Savior Who Did – Romans 8:8
12
Feb
(Romans 8:8Romans 8:8
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
WP-Bible plugin) “So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”
One of the most misunderstood pieces of advice I’ve ever heard is, “You can do anything you want to do if you set your mind to it.” Many teenagers get this advice as part of a motivational talk. The motivators mean well. And most teenagers certainly need some motivation! But as I’ve grown older, I learned this piece of advice just doesn’t make sense in the context of the spiritual environment. Reality dictates that we can’t do anything we want to do if we set our mind to it. I know, I know, this sounds sooo pessimistic!
“So” = A conclusion based on the previous verses. We know the carnal mind is death and it is the enemy of God. Since God is life, why would I ever think that living in the flesh could possibly please God?
“cannot” = formed by two Greek words. One of them is dunamai, which is in the Present tense. It means right now, if I am in the flesh, I cannot please God.
A lot of us live as if the Christian life is “The Little Engine That Could.” We think Christianity is all about conquering life by saying, “I think I can, I think I can.” We believe we can push up that big hill. We allot a place for God by thinking He is the force in back of us pushing us up that big hill or He sits above rearranging the hill by making it a little smaller. All the time we continue to say, “I think I can, I think I can.” We believe that reaching the top of the hill sometime in the future means we will finally grow to a spiritual plane where we have the life we want to live and peace. Unfortunately, the entire journey becomes an effort in the flesh and no matter how far up the hill you think you advanced, it was all done in the flesh…and God was never pleased from the moment we left the station.
The real Christian life is having the mind of the spirit which says, “I know He did, I know He can, I know He will.” Christ is the totality of the power that takes us everywhere in life – up the big hills, down in the valley, and speeding along a level track. He is the engine, He is the engineer. When we step out of the way and reckon that our flesh has been, is, and always will be crucified with Him, we begin to live a Christian life that is supernaturally powered and beyond anything we could ever ask or think.
Renewed Mind – God never designed us to live like “The Little Engine That Could.” He designed us in Christ to live the life of the Savior Who Already Did.
NewsNote: Tiger Woods’ Buddhist Confession
NewsNote: Tiger Woods’ Buddhist Confession.
After all the weekend news about Tiger Woods’ statement last week, Albert Mohler hits a homerun with this post.
Posted in Commentary