Spiritual life v. Flesh

Reading St Paul’s letter to the Galatians this morning really made me stop to consider what it is to be human. Paul speaks about “gratify the desires of the flesh”, which we often consider to be based on physical desires; but as we read Paul goes much further. He actually lists a whole plethora of human emotions, and desires which seem to make up everything we are as humans.
Is Paul right? Or does he go too far?

Well he gives to us a solution; accepting the Holy Spirit, and living by the guidance that the Spirit gives to us on a daily basis. For it is by the Sprits love that we gain strength, and that strength will then allow us to deal with the temptations of this life. We do not have to live boring lives, we just need to think of everyone else, and try our best to live life loving everyone else. Lets face it that’s a challenge in itself.

Of course there is love in the flesh, the love we share with a spouse, which is the love that takes us to a whole different place. It is not a forbidden love but one of great intimacy to be shared and cared for. But we can so often miss-understand that intimacy and want to find it with others in the form of sexual relations. But it isn’t there, what we find is nothing, we may think it great at the time but it is a barren field yields nothing of life’s true wonders. The wonders we can only discover in love.

Read for yourself St Paul’s words to the Galatians:

Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law. Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another. Galatians (5:16 – end)