Romans 8:5-7
Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God’s law, nor can it do so.
When I think of complacency, I think of being satisfied, comfortable, and having no drive to become better, or to do more- whatever the setting. In my life as a Christian, this is a condition or a state of mind to be avoided. Transformation does not stop. There is always room for improvement. There are opportunities all around to serve others, to make better choices, to choose to be kind. When I am complacent, I will overlook these opportunities, or even worse, ignore them.
God of kindness and mercy, God full of grace, be with me today and tomorrow, keeping my eyes open. Guide me away from complacency, toward those I may serve in some way. Help my transformation to continue, I pray. Amen
Becky, transforming
Romans 8:5-7
Because we have free will to think and act out what kind of life we will have, we cannot be complacent about those decisions. Paul was reminding us to be careful and choose spirit over flesh. I often reminded my teenage girls that the company they kept often led them one way or another, depending upon the company. We were fortunate that they understood. I see them today saying the same things to their children. While we don’t use the words spirit or flesh, we are offering the same advice that Paul offers in these verses.
Prayer: Gracious God, May I always choose your spirit in all situations. Amen
Tuesday, October 29th, 2024
Romans 8:5-7
For 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. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot.
These are very lengthy verses but very straight and to the point…. when people walk in the flesh it’s because they have set their minds on things of the flesh. Anything that gives pleasure…
We are reminded here to live by the Spirit not what is popular or trendy. Sometimes I think there is too much pressure, especially for young people, to focus too much on these earthly things and less on our spiritual journey. Scratching the surface of our faith daily and living a life filled with the Spirit should be our goal.
Dear Father, help me to abandon any complacency I may harbor and help me to start each day with the Spirit in my mind and in my heart and live each day in a manner that is with the Spirit. Amen
Romans 8:5-7
One of the characteristics of the Church that has developed over the last century and badly damaged her credibility and witness is the number of folks who claim Christianity, but live according to the flesh in ways virtually indistinguishable from their unchurched neighbors. The message sent to their children was that faith does not really matter and we have seen the millennials and Gen-X abandon the Church. The potential good news is that Gen-Z seems to be hungry for a spiritual anchor. Here is where complacency by the Boomer remnant in the Church can hinder renewal and revival. We can huddle together and watch the Church as we know it fall further into cultural irrelevancy, or we can…