Begin with two minutes of stillness and silence before God.

In today’s passage, verse 17 states that “the flesh lusts against the Spirit; and the Spirit against the flesh.” When I read this verse, my mind is flooded with the image of so many 90’s cartoons where we see the devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other, both making their case to get the main character to come to their side. Both could seem so convincing, and often the main character would seem so conflicted.

This passage warns us to abstain from fulfilling the lust of the flesh, which, essentially, means to avoid acting on what that little devil on your shoulder is trying to convince you to do. “The flesh” in this instance is simply the sinful nature that we all battle against, even as children of God. This sinful nature and the goodness that God calls us to are in direct opposition to one another. They are at war, and this war can feel so intense.

Often, we choose our sinful nature because we have selfish desires. We don’t want to be left out. We don’t want to miss out on fun. We think the things that we are tempted by will bring us fulfillment and joy. We desire to feel superior or worthy of love.

I was far into adulthood when I first realized that our battles with the flesh impact more than just ourselves. Think about it: lust, gossip, slander, lies, greed. All of these things involve other people. When we choose to follow the desires of our flesh over the desires of the Father, we create a wave of hurt and other people are in danger of being hit by that wave.

This is why verse 14 so beautifully embodies one of our highest callings as children of God: to love others as we love ourselves. To truly honor the Lord, we must love His people. If we truly and honestly love them as we love ourselves, we steer clear of anything the devil on the shoulder might tempt us to do.

Loving others as we love ourselves might look like this:

• Avoiding gossip about that coworker because we wouldn’t want that being done to us.
  
• Being faithful in marriage because we would be heartbroken if our spouses didn’t provide the same.
  
• Telling the truth to our children because we expect the same truth and respect from them.
  

Paul reminds us in verse 13 that we have full liberty to choose, but he warns us not to use this freedom for the flesh but rather to serve and love one another. That’s right, love is a choice. It may not always be an easy choice at the moment, but it will always be the choice that leads to freedom and the promises of God.

Spend a few moments in silence, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal areas in your life where you may be struggling between the flesh and the Spirit.

Take two minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• In what areas might you be tempted to use your freedom for selfish gain rather than serving others? How can you shift that mindset to be focused on those in your community?
  
• What are some practical and specific actions that you can practice in order to better love those around you? Think about how you can actually “love your neighbor as yourself.”
  
• What mindset or habit are you willing to give up today in order to make room for more intentional service and love towards others?
  
• Prayer: Lord, I thank You for the freedom that You have given me. Help me to use this freedom not for selfish gain but for serving others with love. Guide me by your Holy Spirit and help me to become aware of my selfish desires, so that I may show love to others in the way that You have for me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.