Carnal or Spiritual?

Residents of Belcoo in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, were unimpressed by some of the preparations made for a meeting of G-8 political leaders in their little town. A severe economic downturn had their region and others like it struggling financially, so in order to give the best possible impression to the visiting dignitaries, many shopfronts in Belcoo were covered with large stickers and posters.

One empty shop was made to look like a thriving office supply store. A former butcher’s store was altered to appear as though it boasted a packed meat counter and business was booming. The truth was, the town was in bad shape.

The suggestion that all was well in Northern Ireland at that time was mere pretense.* In the Bible, God shows us things as they really are.

Reality might not always be pleasant, but God would evidently have us embrace a difficult reality rather than an attractive falsehood.

Naturally, the sinful mind is attracted to the low and the sinful, but God is honest enough to tell us that to be carnally minded —interested in earthly, impure things— is death. Many who profess faith in God are indistinguishable from those who are lost. Eternal life is given to those who are spiritually minded.

Paul says that surrendering your mind to the Holy Spirit brings life and peace. As attractive as the world can be, there is no spiritual future in having your life centered on the secular. Filling the mind with low, earthly things unfits a person for heaven and renders a disciple of Jesus unsuitable for the companionship of the redeemed. Rather than being an empty Christian with a pleasing veneer, God’s promise is to fill us with His presence and make His children genuine believers in Jesus.

The Holy Spirit’s work in a person’s life is to make the person spiritually minded. If you allow Him to do so, God will change your heart and mind.

He will give you a desire for that which God loves and make you a member of the family of heaven.