Two Roads, Not Three

Many husbands and wives admit that they've been unable to make their marriage succeed. But Christ, living through them, is not only able to make marriage work, but work beautifully.

1. "In the Spirit" meant teaching Sunday School and helping little old ladies cross the street.
2. "After the flesh" meant lusting after the opposite sex, or other various worldly attractions.
3. "My way" is our third option. This involves my work-a-day world-eating, sleeping, playing with the kids, watching ball games, etc.-all of which we consider neither sinful or spiritual

The problem is, the Bible says nothing about a third way. And the Bible's definitions are quite different than the ones above. "In the Spirit" means trusting in the spirit of Christ (the Holy Spirit) to express his obedient, active-loving life through us. "After the flesh" means trusting in our own strength, talent, resources, skills, patterns for living, street smarts, and whatever else we come up with to carry us through the day (see Philippians 3:3-9). Walking in the spirit takes place during the moments when we are living in open communication with the Father and allowing His desires to flow through us and into our everyday mundane activities...including interacting with your mate.