Devotion #5: The Spirit Sets Us Free

When I was a kid, I, like many other kids, hated eating my vegetables and wanted to eat nothing but sweets and desserts. It is a cliché narrative but it is a truth that holds true today with almost every kid and I am almost positive that the same holds true with you. Yet, if I ate only sweets and lived my life according to what I wanted, then what would happen? It would result in stomach aches, unhealthy eating, loss of energy, and possibly worse.  

The reason I bring this up is because we as people are inclined to want to do what we want to do. Our childhood rebellious nature holds true today with our relationship with God. We do not want to do what God commands; we want to live our life as we see fit. The problem is that the path leads only to death.  

Romans 8:5-8 says, “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. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” 

In this chapter of the book of Romans, Paul focuses on how those of us in Christ have “no condemnation,” meaning that we are free from death in our sins. Paul is telling us in these verses that if we continue to live our lives according to our wants and desires rather than what God wants for us, then we are marching towards death. It is death in our sin, but those in Jesus need to set their minds and live their lives according to the Spirit that leads to life and freedom in Christ Jesus.  

Just as children need to eat their vegetables for their physical health, we need to live according to God’s will to be spiritually healthy. The false sweetness of the flesh (our own desires) leads only to death, while the true nutrition of the Spirit leads to life and freedom.