Second Nature

But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets.  No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit.  And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.

When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths.  1 Corinthians 2:10-13

When I was growing up, there was a cartoon where a character had a visual depiction of the inner battle within himself on his shoulders.  On the right shoulder would be an angel that would represent the good and righteous thing to do.  Then on the left shoulder would be a devil that would represent the bad, self-indulgent, and selfish side of their nature.  As soon as a quandary of a situation comes up, the two characters would pop up on the shoulders of the individual and whisper their thoughts on what the individual should do.  More times than not, the angelic side would win out, but every so often, the devilish side would rule the day.  Now I will be the first to admit that usually when the bad side won, it was a circumstance where I might make the same decision.  It’s usually when someone had wronged the person and the person that wronged them was now in a similar position and needed their help.  There was that ‘payback’ or ‘revenge’ reaction that felt almost gratifying to me.  But then I would feel that good angel on the right-side tugging at me saying something like:

Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,

“I will take revenge;
    I will pay them back,”
    says the Lord.

Instead,

“If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
    If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
    burning coals of shame on their heads.”  Romans 12:19-20

I knew this, and my heart immediately pulled toward mercy and compassion.

Why is that?  Shouldn’t we all want to be that left side that seizes on the opportunity to land the decisive blow to our enemies and relishes the agony and pain they will feel as we once felt at their hands?  This is where I stop, and God starts.  I think of how God restored me when I had nothing, and even when someone may have had it in for me, God always looked out for and protected me.  Thus, my feelings of love, mercy, and grace have become almost like second nature.

The inner struggle within is a good indication that God’s spirit dwells within you.  Some of you may have heard of Dave Ramsey, who is a speaks to a lot of churches on being fiscally responsible.  I have heard him numerous times, and he spoke this past week about giving to others in a way that touched my inner spirit much like Paul noted at the end of today’s verses.  We all do not receive the same message the same way.  Some receive God’s truths by song or worship, and others receive it in meditation on God’s word.  If you are like me, you receive it by word, action, or deed.  No matter how God’s truth is revealed to you is not the point.  The key is we can recognize and acknowledge it.  I lost my father almost fifteen years ago.  The best words I ever received about losing a loved one is that the void that person leaves in your life never really goes away.  You just learn how to better manage it over time.  Now my point here is not to say we need to manage how God’s spirit shows up in our life or heart at all.  It is to say we must always acknowledge He is there within us!  Once we acknowledge His presence, it will begin to impact all our decisions from that point forward until it becomes part of our normal routine.

The spirit of God’s intention is for us to act on His will.  Not our own.  Yes, there are times we will give in to our own sinful ways.  But much like acknowledging God’s spirit that dwells within us, we must not be naïve about the presence of our own vices.  That is where we must manage it by embracing the spirit of God.  Let us show awareness of both the world’s and God’s spirit and have discernment to help reveal God’s spiritual truths.  How will you become more aware of God’s spirit that dwells within you?  What disciplines can you utilize to stay connected to His spirit?  My prayer is that we practice staying in tune with God’s spirit such that it becomes second nature.  Amen.