Romans 8:5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

For myself, I like to simplify definitions. It just makes things easier to understand.

Flesh is selfish. Spirit is selfless.

For some that is an oversimplification. That is fine, I have no objection to how others relate to the Word.

When it comes to love there are multiple ways of thinking of love. Some say there are five kinds of love and others say nine. I am not here to argue that point.

I will say that God’s love is perfect and faithful and unchangeable. Call it what you may, that is who God is to me. 

As an example, family love is a familiar type of love and is as different as there are parenting styles and even within consistent parenting siblings do not always adopt the love the parents have expressed towards the children.

I came from a family of six, four siblings, three boys, one girl. The two older boys lacked compassion for the youngest boy and the sister. My sister and I are the only professing Christians. We have that bond that is from a larger family, the family of God.

Sshe is not evangelical, I tend to be more so. That is fine, we are all called to be different parts of the body of Christ. We respect one another. Our brothers did not.

They were our family, like it or not. That is just a different definition of family.

Genesis 3:9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”

In the beginning God came looking for man.

Adam had eaten of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Adam’s eyes were opened to original sin, disobedience. Adam tried to hide from God. While Adam felt shame God gave Adam a covering for his shame but did not offer him forgiveness. Adam was cast out of the garden before he could partake of the tree of life.

The time for the tree of life to be made available to mankind to find forgiveness did not come until Jesus died on the cross as atonement for all of mankind’s sins.

God never stopped looking for man.

Man stopped looking for God.

It did not occur to me that accepting this gracious free gift of salvation was my opportunity to forgive myself for the sins I had committed. That changed over time. Perhaps it changed when I realized that God was seeking me every day and I was hiding like Adam did because I was still ashamed, naked and afraid.

God remained faithful. His steadfast love won me over and if I didn’t find it in myself to forgive myself, then I was never going to enjoy the fullness of this relationship that was available to me.

We cannot hide from God so stop trying.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.