The following is a story from a travel book, My Story to Travel around Europe, written by Rev. Woong-min Kim, the Hawaii
District Superintendent of The UMC.
I was impatient for over speed when I was driving a camping car in Europe. I drove faster than any other camping cars on the
freeway, so I often ran off the line. Especially when there were three lanes available on the road, I wasn’t brave enough to drive
in the fast traffic lane but loved to stand in the middle. On the way back from Spain to France, without any guilty feeling, I was
driving in the middle. One driver in a sedan sounded the horn and tried to tell me something by his finger. I figured it out as
follows: “You belong here, not there!” He was telling me that “Why are you blocking others by standing in the middle where you
don’t belong?” I admitted my fault and pulled my car over to the right lane (the slow traffic lane). After that moment, I made up
my mind to drive as slow as other drivers of trucks and camping cars. When I did it, it made me feel good and easy. My wife
sitting next to me said, “Look at that! How easy and comfortable you could be when you humble yourself!” I learned a life lesson
even when I was driving. (p.212)
In today’s text, the Apostle Paul is clear about the distinction between a life in the Spirit and a life of the flesh. He urges
believers of Christ to have a life in the Spirit by following the Spirit’s lead. Anyone who believes Jesus Christ and is saved must
pursue a life in the Spirit. Then what would a life in the Spirit look like?
According to Paul, a life in the Spirit is to say “No” to the earthly desire. In other words, a life in the Spirit is to kill the desire of
the flesh. Let me rephrase it this way: A life in the Spirit is to put our own desires down. Then what do we have to put down to
live a life in the Spirit?
First, a life in the Spirit is to put down the sinful desires, so called, the old habits. 1 Corinthians 6:19 tells that those who are
saved in Jesus Christ are the temple of the Holy Spirit. We should make ourselves as holy as God for we are his temple. The sinful
nature such as sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry, must be pushed away from the holy
vessel (Col 3:5) The evil habits such as drunkenness, drugs and porno addictions have no place to stay in us.
Many Christians hope that their lives are led by the Spirit, but they can’t achieve their goal. It is because they can’t overcome
the sinful nature. Even though their heart is hot, they don’t separate themselves from the old habits. Therefore, they get
frustrated and cry out in anguish after many tries. You know what I mean by it? So many Christians live in heartbreaking and
distressing because of it.
Dear brothers and sisters, if you want a life in the Spirit, right now make a decision to put the old habits down. Definitely it
requires of you to come up with a precise decision. Why don’t you cry out to yourself: “I am a new creation in Jesus Christ? The
old self of me is dead. Behold! I’ve become completely anew in Jesus Christ! I am a victor who is not defeated by the old self
anymore!” (1 Cor 5:17)
Second, a life in the Spirit is to overcome the temptation to be rich. As you know, not many people enjoy their lives led b the
Spirit because they are still under the lure of wealth. Even so many Christians do the same. Am I correct? The Apostle Paul who
is well aware of this deadly temptation warns us: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for
money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many grieves.” (1 Tim 6:10)
In Matthew 19:16-19, there was a man who came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal
life?” “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only one who is good. If you want to enter life, obey
the commandments.” “Which ones?” the man inquired. Jesus replied, “‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do
not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,' and 'love your neighbor as yourself.’” “All these I have kept,” the young
man said. “What do I still lack?” Jesus looked at him with admiration and answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your
possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard
this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus taught his followers, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust
destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not
destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Third, a life in the Spirit is to overcome the temptation to get contented with the realities of life. Many Christians decide to have
a new life after they believed in Jesus. However, their resolution doesn’t last long. To live a new life is not easy. It requires of
them to endlessly make an effort. Everyday they are pushed to renew their heart. So it is easy for them to get tired and
tempted to rest. Brothers and sisters, how about us?
In Genesis 11:10-26, there is a genealogy of Shem. It starts as it is: “This is the account of Shem. Two years after the flood,
when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arphaxad. . .” The genealogy continued in the same format until with
the ninth offspring. However, with the tenth, we can find something different: “After Terah had lived 70 years, he became the
father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.” Unlike the previous ones, all names of the three sons of Terah were introduced. It indicates
that there was a significant happening during that generation. That happening was so significant that it should be marked in the
genealogy. Then what was it? We can find a hint of it from the following verses:
Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together
they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there. Terah lived 205
years, and he died in Haran. (Gen 11:31, 32)
The family left their settlement after they were motivated by something. They left Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. We
have a little of knowledge of what it was. God called out the family of Terah from Ur of Chaldeans. He brought up them out of
the city where the family had survived by making idols for so long. He invited them to take a new faith journey to worship only
one God. Terah responded to the call. After he made up his mind, he brought up the family out of the city. He told the family
that “From now on, we will give up idols and worship God alone.”
However, Terah got off in the middle of the journey. “Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Haran.” (Gen 11:32) The family
sheltered in Haran on the way to Canaan, but couldn’t leave there. Well. We don’t know the exact reason for the family to
settle down in Haran. In my personal observation, it was because the heart of Terah for Canaan gradually faded away as he
stayed there day after day. We oftentimes lose the first heart, when time passes or as the circumstances change. I believe, it
was the same for Terah. His heart for God and for Canaan was gradually fading away as the years of his staying in Haran added
up. Perhaps he fell into love with the city. For your reference, Haran is a Province in the southeast of Turkey and it is a very
ancient city which was a major Mesopotamian commercial, cultural and religious center. When Terah stayed in Haran, he no
longer wanted to suffer himself and his family from the unending journey. Who knows that everyday he might have said to
himself, “I will leave Haran tomorrow. Definitely I will continue the journey for Canaan next day.” But as days passed, he gained
more ages and finally was buried in Haran. He gave up the pilgrimage in the middle. His life reminds us of what Jesus said, “No
one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62) Dear brothers and
sisters, if we fail today, we will fail tomorrow as well. However, if we succeed today, we will succeed tomorrow as well.
Tomorrow depends upon what we do today.
Personally I love the Apostle Paul’s view of life and want to keep it in my heart to the last moment of my life from this world. By
the way, the following is his view of life:
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ
Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is
behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward
in Christ Jesus. (Phil 3:12-14)
Fourth, a life in the Spirit is to put down the desire to be recognized. It is true that we can’t possess a life in the Spirit unless we
give up the desire to be recognized. Jesus told his followers, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my
sake will find it.” (Matt 10:39) We are asked to give recognition to others rather than being recognized. We cannot lift others up
unless we make ourselves down.
Have you ever heard about Missionary Yong-Kyu Lee to Mongol? He was born in 1967 and finished his bachelor and master
degrees at Seoul University (1986-1996). He majored in the History and Middle Eastern Studies, Graduate School of Arts and
Science, at Harvard University (1996-2004). During his Harvard days, he made a mind to be a missionary to Mongol. After the
graduation, he got a teaching job at Mongol International University and got promoted to the vice-president of the School in
2006. Meanwhile, he started Irye Church and spread the good news to the Mongolians.
While he was teaching and spreading the gospel to the Mongolians, a pastor and a few elders from Korea came to visit the
University. By chance, Yong-Kyu Lee met them on the way out of the school for the day. And one elder asked him, “Is it true
that you graduated from Harvard?” “Yes” he replied. The elder told him again, “Well, then I don’t understand why you are
teaching at this kind of a school.”
He was uncomfortable and unpleasant to hear “at this kind of a school” from the mouth of the elder. He pondered how an elder
could lack of his understanding about dedication and mission. When he came home and prayed to God. In return, God told him, “
I don’t judge you by where you belong. Who you are and with what attitude you stand before me, that truly matters to me.”
(Yong-Kyu Lee, Put Down, p, 169)
The Apostle Paul understood the teachings of Jesus better than any other and revealed his view of life as follows: “I have been
crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who
loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal 2:20) He claimed that he no longer existed. He gave up being recognized.
We have to put down. We have to put the sinful desires down. We cannot become what we hope to be unless we put them
down. A life that is undecided has no merit. This is what God says to us, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I
wish you were either one or the other!” (Rev 3:15)
Dear brothers and sisters, do you want to have a life in the Spirit? Then, everyday make an effort to put down. Put the old
habits down. Give up the desire to be rich. Give up the desire to get contented with the realities of life. Give up the desire to
get recognized. Remember that a life in the Spirit is to say “No” to the earthly nature and “Yes” to the Holy Spirit. Let us put
down the old habits that we should give up. Amen?
