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Indulging the Flesh

           You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. (Galatians 5:13)

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)

                Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:40-41)

          Usually, when people discuss this verse, “indulge the flesh” refers to things like those found in the worst extremes in today’s passage from Galatians. It’s all the nasty stuff we’re not supposed to get involved with. But when Jesus spoke to Peter about the flesh being weak, it really doesn’t fit in context that He was talking about either Jesus or Peter participating in an orgy in Gethsemane.

          It is, quite probably, a subtler indulgence, a deeper weakness. Jesus would soon face arrest, trial, and crucifixion. It’s easy to see what sort of weakness He would want to avoid. Peter would witness all of that, but he would also face a trial in which he would fail three times. I don’t believe Peter denied Christ out of simple fear. I think he thought he was lying to the enemy and pulling one over on the authorities. It wasn’t until the cock crowed that he realized that he was denying Christ and that was what led to the bitter tears.

          Either way, whether because he fell to the temptation to be proud and deceitful or fell to fear, he indulged the flesh. There’s a difference between feeling an emotion and indulging and soaking in it like one does a hot tub. That difference tends to involve who is in control. If the flesh is in control, we’re abusing our freedom. This is where I fall down so often. I get afraid, or irritated, or my “internal child” decides to be a cranky baby, and days can be lost. That doesn’t mean that I sit around doing nothing. I may get tons done. I may even enjoy the doing of it. Humility and love may even be part of the reason I’m doing it, but they aren’t at the top of the list.

          We need to be vigilant, to catch when we’re indulging ourselves, whether it’s books we know we shouldn’t be reading, or food (or other substances) we shouldn’t be consuming, or pity parties we should not attend. And two things that should set off our alarms are “I deserve to _________” and “What about me?”

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