S126P5 – Yielded to Him: in spirit
Rom. 8:5-8
Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
They were bosom buddies who did most things together and spent the first week of every year on an annual hunting trip. After over a decade of trips, they could see the trajectory of their growth together from boys to men. One year, the trip would be different. The elder statesman of the group would miss the hunt because he had a baby on the way. He told his brothers that, although he could not go with them, he would be with them in spirit. It was a statement that spoke of the kind of connection these men had. Out of one another’s physical presence, they could still feel as if they were together. This spiritual bond was intentional and shared, and it kept them together even when apart.
Of all the connections we have with our Lord, our spiritual connection is the most critical. No one reading these words here has encountered Jesus Christ in the flesh. We have not touched his hand or gazed upon his face. We have not seen his footsteps in the dirt. We follow him based on a relationship born of a spiritual connection, and it requires that we submit our spirits to his. The spirit of a person differs from the body in that the spirit does not change from this life to the next. It is not exchanged for a different form but lasts in its current state. Where these bodies transform on that day, these spirits transcend now and then. Yielding our bodies is yielding the here and now. Yielding our spirits is yielding our forever.
People can connect on different levels. A physical connection is the most basic and can be accomplished by something so inadvertent as bumping a stranger with a shopping cart. Emotional connections are more involved and certainly intentional. Spiritual connections are the closest we can get, which makes them an object of care. The Lord wants us to be joined in spirit to him and by extension to the Church. It is a connection of privilege reserved only for the worthy because its implications are real and serious. Father, teach us what it means to be joined in spirit, and give us the discernment and care to keep our spirits separate from that which is unholy.