It’s been a while since I’ve written a blog. A lot has happened as well–it feels like a lifetime of things have happened! This year has really turned out strange, hasn’t it?
Here in Burundi, life has just plugged along and never stopped even with Covid 19 coming into our borders. An election has occurred, and so far it seems to be a nonviolent one for the most part. I personally battled with a month illness of fever and congestion with a dose of amoebas and parasites thrown in! A lot of uncontrollable variables have changed our lives this year.
With all these issues occurring, it has me thinking about the ways that we live. The Bible speaks strongly about two ways that we live–by the Spirit of God, or by the flesh. One way is with us ruling our lives, the other is with God ruling.
The positives about us ruling our lives is that we feel in control, and as humans, we really like that. We can gratify our desires, pursue our passions. But the Bible doesn’t see the fleshly way of living as a good thing. In Romans 6, the author explains that we were never under our own control–but were instead ruled by sin, even enslaved by sin and death. A little later in chapter 8, the author says the mind governed by the flesh is death. It is hostile to God and cannot please God. Galatians 5 goes on to say the acts of the flesh are: sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions and factions, envy, drunkenness, orgies and the like. Not a really desirable list of things…
By contrast, when we become believers in Jesus and His payment for sin (on our behalf), Romans 6 says we can consider ourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. We die to sin as we identify with the death of Jesus! We are even raised to life as Jesus also was raised to life. 2 Corinthians 5: 17 says if we are in Christ, the new creation has come–the old has gone, the new is here.
What is this newness in Christ Jesus? It’s the newness of having the Spirit of God govern us–a Spirit that brings life and peace, Romans 8 states. It goes on to say we are made children of God and heirs of an incredible inheritance. We are helped by the Spirit as we pray and communicate with God. 1 Corinthians 2 says we can understand what God has freely given us because of the Spirit within us. Galatians 5 says we can display love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness and self control. Those are things I’d prefer to display!
So, if you’ve chosen to trust in the work of Jesus to free you from a life of miserable slavery to sin and things that lead to death, you have a new identity in Christ-one of life and peace. It’s your job to deny yourself of living for selfish ambition and the other negative things you used to walk in.
Instead let’s consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus (Romans 6). Alive to live by the Spirit, and keep in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5). No matter what is going on around us, or even battling within us, we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength (Philippians 4:13).
What a glorious prospect! Of course, a transformation by the Spirit of God takes place in us, as Romans 12 leads us into. We are transformed by renewing our mind with the truths the Spirit leads us into through the Word of God.
May I just cheer you on this year to keep in step with the Spirit through the uncertain, uncontrollable days ahead. And you can cheer me on too.
Burundi Joy 