January 17

“…Abide in the Holy Spirit and you will not gratify the lust of the flesh.” These words in Galatians 5:16 are almost a gauntlet God has tossed down before unrepentant man, for man, apart from God, wants nothing less than to abandon the pursuit of self-gratification.

Whether it is relational or professional success, personal wealth, political power, or any of the myriad other goals that drive us, we desire above all else to be gratified in our endeavors. Whether it is the inner satisfaction that comes with achieving that which we desire or whether it is the power over others that we can exercise when we have attained it, we long to fulfill the lust of the flesh.

What we neglect to grasp in our relentless pursuit of all the things we think we need to satisfy our inner longings is that when we have achieved them, they have an expiration date! Who among us has not attained a long-sought-after goal only to find ourselves still aching within! Who among us has not gone from one conquest to another thinking this one would satisfy but ultimately abandoning it for another?

The only prescription for getting off the treadmill of pursuit and disappointment is the one recommended by the Healer of our mind and soul and body. Jesus, when we have received Him as Savior and Lord, sends us the Holy Spirit to abide within. The lordship of the eternal God within our heart, the temple of our being, assures that our longings will be tempered by His perspective—and the joy it gives will last eternally.