GALATIANS 5:16-18
"I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law."
This is a surprising thought--that the Spirit lusts. On one hand, we find the flesh and its love of sinful deceptions lusting against the Spirit. On the other, the Spirit lusts against the flesh.
While we can understand lust as applying to sin, how might it also apply to the Spirit's touch in the life of believers?
At the heart of lust is the concept of desire. When we sinfully lust after someone or something, we desire to have them as our own, even when such ownership is against God's will. This is what we see here as lust for the flesh against the Spirit. Sinful lusts stand against God's perfect desire for our lives.
On the other side, the Spirit also lusts; that is, has desires for ownership over your life. This lust is in direct opposition to the lust of the flesh. However, this is not a sinful lust. We've been bought with a price and now belong to Christ, so his desire is only for what is rightfully his. In fact, you could call this a holy and righteous lust.
I am glad my Lord lusts after my life, calling me daily to belong fully to him and to resist sinful lusts in my life. As discussed in the previous lesson, we eagerly wait the time when sinful lusts are defeated and God's desires for us are fully fulfilled.
LORD JESUS
Lord, I thank you for the lust of your Spirit in my life, calling me daily back to you. Amen.
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