The Mountain is You(r flesh)

6/26 devotional

I am 23 years old. That means I do not know much. I have plenty of wisdom to acquire and life experiences ahead of me. But that means that I have been stuck with myself for over two decades. Which means I have had the fortune of being stuck inside my own mind and body for a bit now. And there are parts of myself I don’t want anyone to see. I know that there are even parts of me that are hidden from myself. But I know God sees all of it. All of my flesh.

The New Testament uses the language of ‘the flesh’ to describe these fallen aspects of ourselves.

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:19-21

John Mark Comer spoke at Biola a few months ago for our annual Missions Conference. He spoke about something I wish I had heard spoken about when I was a teenager: over-realized eschatology.

He put simply that song lyrics that describe our freedom in Christ, while true, may not always align with our experience. This is because when we discover our depravity, by the kindness of the Holy Spirit, we are likely at the very beginning of our spiritual formation journey. There is a large gap between where we are, and our new life in Christ. We need more than just the right information to ‘seek the things that are above.’

We are given a new life in Christ, but it seems like our flesh gets in the way a lot. (Or maybe that is just me and you happen to be quite saintly, I don’t know your vibe!)

As we grow in our sanctification, which is a fancy word for the process of growing in greater conformity to the character of Christ, we become more aware of our flesh.

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.

Galatians 5:19-20

I often find myself disgusted, repulsed and deeply frustrated by the impulses of my flesh. But then I remember the kind reality that no temptation has overtaken me that is not common to man. Everyone is wrestling with their own flesh in their own ways, taking one step forward, two steps back, all that jazz.

But no matter how much I mess up, and indulge in the works of the flesh, the Lord is faithful. He is still constructing me and renovating my heart. On my forearm, I have a tattoo of a house to remind myself of my favorite C.S. Lewis quote,

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.” -Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis

As the Lord reconstructs me, tears down the drywall and replumbs the plumbing (this analogy is getting weird fast) I need to trust that my house is just as jacked up as everybody else’s. Even if I try my hardest to hide and shield my issues. Just like mold or termites, the darkest parts of ourselves are often hidden deep beneath the surface or in places we want to look. Our spiritual pursuits can not somehow be kept from being tainted by our flesh.

The tat!

While I often desire the Lord’s reconstruction of my heart to resemble the chaos of Chip Gaines’ demo day,

Renovate!!!!!

It usually looks more like this,

Credit: Shutterstock