Spirit-Natural

While preparing my BibleQuizPodcast the other day, I was thinking about Paul's admonition to the Galatians to "live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature." It seems that Paul is setting before us the choice of living naturally versus living -

Okay, this is where I got stuck, because my first inclination is to say natural as opposed to supernatural. That's fine, but I think it gives the wrong picture. Telling myself that I need to live supernaturally makes me think of walking on water, raising the dead, wearing a cape and flying faster than a speeding bullet.

Yes, I think that the supernatural manifestations of God's Spirit - such as healing the sick - should be evident among us on a regular basis. Certainly on a more regular basis than they are.

But I don't think that's what Paul was really driving at. The real point seems to be the natural versus the Spirit-natural. It's not the big, fantastic manifestations that are necessarily important. It is the regular, everyday manifestations of God's Spirit that should take over our lives.

Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. That's the real evidence of Spirit-natural living.

Saying - I can't help it; that's just the way I am - is evidence of living naturally. We are called to live above the natural, but that doesn't always mean there will be supernatural evidence - but there should be Spirit-natural evidence.

Bottom line: May I not depend on me, but may I live Spirit-naturally.