Bible Verse:
The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
1 Corinthians 2:15-16 (ESV)
Devotional:
Read 1 Corinthians 2:14-3:3. Paul mentions three types of people in this passage.
In 2:14, he describes the “Natural” man who does not accept the things of God. In other words, this person is not a believer in Christ.
In 2:15-16, we find the description of the “Spiritual” man who has the mind of Christ. This is a person who is in good fellowship with the Father through a close walk with Jesus.
The third person Paul addresses is of great interest. The “Carnal”, or “Fleshly” man is described as an infant in Christ. This person is a believer in Christ, his eternal security is set as a result, but he is obviously not experiencing the benefit of being closely connected to the Father.
Which of these three most resemble each other?
Which of these three best describes me?
I believe that the vast majority of Christians are struggling as “Carnal” men and women. This happens over time from not meeting daily with the Lord, an absence of prayer, lack of fellowship, and rare times of confession. This is not how we were designed to live. God has given us His Spirit to live in us and to guide us through our lives as we seek to reflect the image of Christ. We have access to the Spirit of the Almighty Creator, who with a word set the universe into motion and breathed life into the nostrils of man. Why do we not take advantage of this incredible gift, but instead often choose to trudge through life on our own very limited power?
Take a few minutes to sit in silence before the Lord and then confess your sins to Him. The prayer below is an example of what you can pray in order to again more resemble who you truly are… a Spirit-filled believer in Christ.
Prayer:
Lord, by faith I ask You to fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that I may live my life in close fellowship with You like the spiritual man, rather than in frustration and confusion like the carnal man of this passage.
Written by Ken Fifer, our outreach minister. Ken and Amy have attended Northwest for 6 months. They have two children: Megan (7) and Samuel (5).
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1 comment:
Until I went to Celebrate Recovery, I seemed to be hopping back and forth between the spiritual man and the fleshy man. At times, I felt so led by the SPirit. Then there would be times where my flesh would kick in and my pride wanted to take over. I wanted to be self-reliant and in charge. Celebrate recovery helped me see where and how my flesh kicked in so that I could begin to discover the process of dying to self and living in the Spirit. It is such a great place - a room full of grace and acceptance. For me, it has led to much more spiritual growth than anything else I have experienced. My prayer is that Northwest Bible will become a church full of people who are seeking the Lord, walking in community, living in the Spirit and loving a lost and broken world....finding joy in serving and loving even when it requires sacrifice - something that can only be done in the Spirit.
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