Of the flesh
And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:1
In the past you may have likely heard the word “carnal” defined by words like sensual, erotic lustful and lascivious. However, looking at this word in today’s scripture it simply means of this physical world. Paul is telling the Corinthian church that instead of seeing life from a spiritual perspective, they are still living by what they see and feel in the natural physical world. That is why they still have things like envy, strife and divisions in their lives and in the church. He emphasizes to them that they are living like baby believers instead of growing in their faith as he had expected and been praying for them to do.
This speaks to me because I totally get it. It is so easy to go through life focused on what is going on around me. If I didn’t purposefully set time aside each day to talk to God and consider His ways and His plans, I would so be caught up in my own thoughts and feelings. As it is now, I often find myself hurt or offended because of what someone else has said or done. It can be so easy to be knocked off course when I am moved by the circumstances around me.
Yet the church in Corinth was fighting over things such as who was more spiritual based on who they were learning from. After hearing what Paul has to say about it, your spiritual strength has nothing to do with who you are listening to, it has to do with who gives the increase. All the pastors and teachers we read and listen to are only watering the seed of God’s word that is planted in our heart. It is the Holy Spirit that gives the increase of strength and grows our faith. These feelings of envy, strife and divisions are really signs in our lives that this is an area that we need to grow through these feelings into a mature child of God. To stay stagnant holding on to hurts and offenses simply means you are not growing but are still behaving as a baby.
The solution is in cultivating your relationship with your Heavenly Father through His Spirit that lives inside you. There are many ways you can do this. Prayer is probably the most effective way to press into God. Just by spending time talking to Him and asking Him to show you things. Ask Him what scripture you will need for today. Open up the Word of God and spend some time getting to know Him better by what He has already promised. Praying in the Sprit and meditating His Word will also bring you much insight and grow your walk of faith. Mostly, making a concentrated effort to connect with Him each day will impact your walk with Him in a positive way that will lead you to love more like He loves.
Today I want to encourage you to examine your spiritual walk. Are you looking at life from an eternal perspective, or do you see things as if this world is the only factor to consider? Set some time aside today to talk this over with the Holy Spirit’s wisdom and guidance. Make a plan to grow your relationship with your Father in heaven and gain an eternal perspective in every area of your life. Put away the childish hurt feelings from offenses and grow up in the love of God.
Today’s scripture reading: 1 Corinthians 3:1-4
1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.
2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able;
3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?
4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?
The Daily Dose 