People of Light
A Light to All Nations – Part V
Scripture Reading: Isaiah 42:6-17
Key Verse: Isaiah 42:6
“I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles.”
If our light is going to shine bright to those around us, then we must win the battle over the cravings of our flesh.
The “flesh”, as referred to in the Bible, are desires within us that we want to satisfy. God gave us cravings so that we would do things that we need such as eat, sleep, romance, and others. The cravings themselves are not always evil, but sometimes satisfying them can be. Sin happens when we overdo it or go outside of God’s desires. Food can tempt us to be overindulgent and become gluttonous. Sexual desire can tempt us as well.
The God that created us, knowing all the above, tells us what we must do to live a righteous life and shine bright for Him:
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:24)
This means that we must decide that satisfying the craving of our flesh will not control our lives. When we can satisfy our flesh without being sinful, we can do so. But when we determine that what our flesh is craving would be sinful, then we deny our flesh and obey the Spirit of Jesus in us. Galatians 5:16 (NLT) makes this clear:
So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.
How can we be good representatives of God’s Kingdom by constantly caving into the cravings of our flesh, selfishly living out our lives?
This whole month of devotionals has been about the lifestyles of the People of Light. Though we enjoy great privileges and look forward to amazing rewards in our eternity, in this life we must be willing to suffer. Anytime we deny our flesh what it is craving, that is a sacrifice that Christ-followers must be willing to make. The Apostle Peter wrote:
Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. (1 Peter 4:1-2)
When our flesh tempts us, remember that as a follower of Jesus, we suffer the loss of some things our flesh wants. Our attitude is that since Jesus suffered for me, I will suffer for Him!
We are living out our faith in a very dark world. Let’s shine bright for God’s Kingdom!
Father, grant me a discerning mind that I might choose what is best in this world. Please check my spirit when my flesh tempts to sin. In Jesus’s Name I pray, amen.