“So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you” (Romans 8:8-9).
Jan was quiet as she listened to fellow teachers speaking with each other in the faculty lounge of the local high school. It was three weeks into her new position as the junior high history teacher, and she felt very much how young she was and new in her career compared to many of the other teachers. The math teacher, a devout believer, was discussing creation verses evolution with the science teacher, a professed atheist. While the discussion was professional and gracious on the part of the believer, the words and attitudes of the atheist were cruel, crude, and cutting. It knotted Jan’s stomach, and she couldn’t wait until her room was available and she could get back to it and out of that lounge. Later that day, after school dismissal, the math teacher poked his head in Jan’s door and said, “I know you love the Lord, Jan. Don’t let today upset you. You’ll come to understand that Harv is a man in the flesh and really needs the Lord. I hope that you know there are seven or eight of us on faculty who love the Lord. It makes all the difference in the world if one is in the flesh or Spirit.” With that he was gone, and Jan thought of his words. He was so correct.
For today: What a privilege we believers have. We have the Spirit of God dwelling in us. What a blessing!