What spirit are we of? By Tal Haroni
“But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” – Romans 8:9
What are the thoughts of the flesh? They’re the ones that focus on ourselves, trying to fulfill our own needs and desires. These thoughts leave no room for God or others. It’s all about being self-centered, even to the point of trying to save and justify ourselves. But thoughts of the Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, bring life. To act from the Spirit of Christ, we need to know Christ and the grace He gives us.
This week in our discipleship program, we discussed loving through knowing Jesus and being united with Him (Ephesians 5:31-32). We focused on seeking Yeshua’s heart for others, sowing love and generosity with tears, and hoping these seeds will bear good fruit for God’s kingdom and our lives.
We are reading Luke together, and in Luke 9, Jesus reminds His disciples of the spirit from which we are to act.
In fact, the whole chapter focuses on Jesus’ identity, and towards the end, He speaks about our identity. Once we understand who Jesus is, we can understand our own identity and the spirit we are meant to embody.
“But He turned and rebuked them [and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.”] And they went to another village.” – Luke 9:55-56
Often in life, things don’t happen the way we would like them to. People act according to their understanding of Yeshua. When we know who the Son is, recognize His character, and grow in His identity, we can share the same spirit as He does. I believe that knowing Him, loving Him, and leaning on Him gives us a better understanding of both His identity and our own.
Yeshua invites us to extend grace to others, to refrain from judgment, and to avoid falling into religious and legalistic traps. Let’s strive to consider how He would respond to situations and the spirit from which we act.
God the Father said from the cloud, “This is My beloved Son; listen to Him.” (Luke 9:35) In other Gospels, “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” Despite how much Jesus has suffered because of us, enduring our envy, our schemes, and our legalistic tendencies, He continues to love us and care for us. As we reflect Him, striving to be transformed into His image each day, we should be eager to demonstrate His grace and love, rather than seeking people who only follow our rules.
“So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.” – James 1:19
Yeshua invites us to draw nearer to Him and reflect His goodness to others, radiating kindness and hope to all.
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