A Little of This and That

What balance?

All of carnality is a misuse of what God provides for our good. The difference is the motivation.

Thus we may rejoice with God over His abundance, or we can forget God while we misuse His provision.
 
What balance?

All of carnality is a misuse of what God provides for our good. The difference is the motivation.

Thus we may rejoice with God over His abundance, or we can forget God while we misuse His provision.
Your response hits on the point I was hoping to get some
discussion on. So, what you just posted is alluding to balance.

I am implying that I must balance the seen and unseen.
I can't be all spiritual because I am still in the flesh and
I can't be all flesh because I am in His Spirit.

To be all flesh is to embrace sin but to be all spirit is to be
dismayed at the world's sinfulness. So, I must balance what
is seen and what is not seen. How do we best do this?
 
The point I am hoping to make is that if I am disillusioned
to think as a monk apparently thinks and disconnect from
the world to be more whole I only deprive myself of the wholeness.
Being all clean makes me less efficient and makes me look like a
hypocrite or just plain silly.

It is kind of like a mechanic who wears a suit and gloves to work.
Although he wants to be clean, and perhaps will be, he is also less
effective at work. We will get some dirt on us while we are here, that's
just the way it is. So, how do we best balance what is flesh and what is
spirit in order to be both effective and not filthy.

Prayer and reading Scripture is a given but there is also an cognitive element in
my spiritual walk that helps me to stabilize myself in life on earth.
 
1 There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven—
2 A time to give birth and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
3 A time to kill and a time to heal;
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
4 A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance.
5 A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.
6 A time to search and a time to give up as lost;
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
7 A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;
A time to be silent and a time to speak.
8 A time to love and a time to hate;
A time for war and a time for peace.
9  What profit is there to the worker from that in which he toils? 10 I have seen the task which God has given the sons of men with which to occupy themselves.
God Set Eternity in the Heart of Man
11 He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.
12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime;
Ecclesiastes 3:1-12 (NASB)

But when _we_ decide the times and circumstances, it becomes folly.

So we can rejoice with out brothers at a feast, or we can stuff ourselves full. Both ways we eat, but one joins us to each other while the other focuses satisfying our craving.

A heart commited to the Lord will look for fellowship before the Lord. A heart commited to the Lord will look for ways to serve others in His name.

Our commitment to Him is always at test. Our ability to rejoice in servanthood is always at test. We never in this life get to the point where we have 'made it'.
 
1 There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven—
2 A time to give birth and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
3 A time to kill and a time to heal;
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
4 A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance.
5 A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.
6 A time to search and a time to give up as lost;
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
7 A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;
A time to be silent and a time to speak.
8 A time to love and a time to hate;
A time for war and a time for peace.
9  What profit is there to the worker from that in which he toils? 10 I have seen the task which God has given the sons of men with which to occupy themselves.
God Set Eternity in the Heart of Man
11 He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.
12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime;
Ecclesiastes 3:1-12 (NASB)

But when _we_ decide the times and circumstances, it becomes folly.

So we can rejoice with out brothers at a feast, or we can stuff ourselves full. Both ways we eat, but one joins us to each other while the other focuses satisfying our craving.

A heart commited to the Lord will look for fellowship before the Lord. A heart commited to the Lord will look for ways to serve others in His name.

Our commitment to Him is always at test. Our ability to rejoice in servanthood is always at test. We never in this life get to the point where we have 'made it'.
I think this is a great answer for those who can live this. If we could accept
this in its entirety then we would never grieve, have falling outs, be dismayed, etc.
But we do because we are still human. Jesus didn't just forgive our sins, he
forgave our humanness with it. He gives us fullness, completeness, and hope, as you
know. What I am saying, and you are touching on it, is that if we are of a sound mind
and can still reason within our own brains, then we have the capacity to decide balance
in our lives. We cannot be all clean as we are not "all clean" (John 13:10).
 
For me it comes down to "What does it mean to live in the Spirit?" As Christians, God lives in us. We have a new life, but currently remain in this fleshly body.

To be carnally minded is to be minded on the flesh, it's wants, desires and pleasures. Is that what we really want in this life?
Rom 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. (KJV)

This subject brings up a host of questions in my mind that every Christian should answer. I've found my own answers in God's word.

What does it mean to be spiritually minded?
What law is Paul referring to here in Rom 8:7?
How is our life different today than before coming to God?

and many other questions.
 
For me it comes down to "What does it mean to live in the Spirit?" As Christians, God lives in us. We have a new life, but currently remain in this fleshly body.

To be carnally minded is to be minded on the flesh, it's wants, desires and pleasures. Is that what we really want in this life?
Rom 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. (KJV)

This subject brings up a host of questions in my mind that every Christian should answer. I've found my own answers in God's word.

What does it mean to be spiritually minded?
What law is Paul referring to here in Rom 8:7?
How is our life different today than before coming to God?

and many other questions.
I really did misuse the term carnal with the OP. I should have said the flesh. Carnality is to be
an enemy to God. Be that as it may, spiritually minded is having our minds continually on
the things of God and righteousness. Carnality will not abide by obedience by its own nature.
Our lives are made complete and whole by our participation in salvation.

With all of this said, I would assert, separately from the aforementioned that we also must
participate in the world but not be of the world. So, how does that present itself both beyond our
control and in our control and how can I mediate it in my life?

For example, I might not take my kids to a public pool because I am a good Christian and a
good Christian would never let my kids swim unisex. Or I may not want my kids to play with other
kids in the neighborhood for fear that they may be exposed to the world.

I grew up like this and it made me very judgmental as a result. I was homeschooled, my time with
and around other kids was limited, there was absolutely no drinking or smoking around us, we weren't
allowed to participate in competitive sports, etc. We were good Christians but as a result of this puritan
upbringing I didn't know how to conduct myself in the world when I got my first job and it went down
hill quickly.
 
Here, allow me to stop tripping over myself. This Scripture points to what I am saying:

14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them
because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
15 I am not asking You to take them out of the world, but to keep them away from the evil one.
16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. (John 17:14-16, NASB)

What does this look like to you in application?
 
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Think of the blue as our spirit and the brown as flesh.
 
For me it is about learning to act in love and faith. God gives us this grace through his Spirit.

Living in the world gives us many opportunities to learn love, faith, mercy, kindness, etc. IMHO we must constantly seek God's guidance and help in discerning the wisest course. Over protecting a child is unwise because children as they age need more and more opportunities to make their own decisions. Acting in love and faith is a personal experience as we trust God to guide our actions and decisions.

For me, I strive to immerse myself in God's word and pray through out the day. With God in my life, I know I will stumble less as I apply what he teaches me.

cp
 
For me it is about learning to act in love and faith. God gives us this grace through his Spirit.

Living in the world gives us many opportunities to learn love, faith, mercy, kindness, etc. IMHO we must constantly seek God's guidance and help in discerning the wisest course. Over protecting a child is unwise because children as they age need more and more opportunities to make their own decisions. Acting in love and faith is a personal experience as we trust God to guide our actions and decisions.

For me, I strive to immerse myself in God's word and pray through out the day. With God in my life, I know I will stumble less as I apply what he teaches me.

cp
All of this combined defines a personal walk and a guidance by Christ in my life?
 
What balance?

All of carnality is a misuse of what God provides for our good. The difference is the motivation.

Thus we may rejoice with God over His abundance, or we can forget God while we misuse His provision.

DIng....Ding....Ding.....we have a winner!

A spiritual Christian is a mature Christian, and a carnal Christian is one who does not have a clue as to what spirituality is really all about.

There can be NO balance!!!!!

Just watch the new NOAH movie with Russell Crow and you will see right in front of your eyes the difference between Carnal and Spiritual.

Try it.......see if you can tell what is from the Bible and what is from the mind of the person who wrote the script for the movie!!!!
 
DIng....Ding....Ding.....we have a winner!

A spiritual Christian is a mature Christian, and a carnal Christian is one who does not have a clue as to what spirituality is really all about.

There can be NO balance!!!!!

Just watch the new NOAH movie with Russell Crow and you will see right in front of your eyes the difference between Carnal and Spiritual.

Try it.......see if you can tell what is from the Bible and what is from the mind of the person who wrote the script for the movie!!!!
Some people just go looking for a fight. I encourage the reader to see the whole
thread before firing up their shredder.
 
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