“Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.” – Galatians 6:8
For those who are believers of Jesus and have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit living inside us to guide and direct us, our souls will harvest everlasting life. Praise God for that!
What struck me in this verse is the phrase “those who live to please the Spirit.”
It left me wondering, can we live with the Spirit and not please the Spirit?
Ephesians 4:30 tells us “Do not grieve the Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
The very fact we’re told not to grieve the Spirit, tells me that it’s possible for me to grieve the Spirit.
To afflict with sorrow.
To cause grief or offend.
To break heart.
And if we are not living to please the Spirit, then we are living to please the flesh….
It is the nature of humanity that draws us towards satisfying our flesh. On the lookout for what we wrongfully assume is pleasurable and fulfilling. While in some instances what we try to satisfy ourselves with is just outright sin… other things or people we turn to for satisfaction may in itself be good, but not to the degree that we might consume it. Or to the place of value that it/they have in our lives.
Maybe it’s a good friend that we rush to blurt out our frustrations and thoughts to, instead of going to God. Maybe we are seeking after fashion, a certain body image, food, or drinks to help us feel better about ourselves more than we’re seeking to hear what God says of us.
We’re immersed in a society that isn’t in relationship with Jesus and looking to please the Spirit, so it’s understandable that it’s often a fight not to just slip into the ways of those around us or what just seems to be ‘easier’.
But make no mistake, we are living to please something…and unfortunately there aren’t many options. It seems as though it’s either our flesh or His Spirit. And it also would seem that after all God’s done for me, if He’s taken up residence inside of me by way of His Holy Spirit…and I make my life about living for my own desires, it would stand to reason that I could grieve Him – not at all what I want or what He deserves.
So as our week comes to a close and the weekend approaches, let’s take an honest look at our lives and not only see what we’ve been living for, but how we can stay focused on pleasing His gracious, patient, loving, Spirit that lives within those who love Him.
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