“For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” (Romans 8:5, NASB95)

What are the “things of the flesh”? What are the “things of the spirit”? I believe that once you realise what this passage is telling you, it will transform your life and help you form a closer relationship to our saviour Jesus and our God Yahweh. In fact, I think it will enhance your relationships with the people around you. It will increase your satisfaction with your own experience of this mortal life, not to mention your eternal happiness.

Later in Romans, Paul tells us that “…the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:17, NASB95) I think this short passage presents a duality that represents what Paul calls “things of the flesh”, (eating and drinking) and “things of the spirit”, (righteousness, peace and joy). If you think about it, it almost seems obvious, the things of the flesh are material things like eating, drinking, having sex, owning a fast car, a big TV. The things of the spirit are those transcendent experiences in life that allow us to enjoy those material things in the first place: love, joy, justice, integrity, morality, beauty, truth.

Which of these leads to a happier life? Well ask yourself: could you enjoy the material things without the spiritual things? I don’t think you could. Imagine for example you’re in a loveless relationship. Your partner angrily throws a plate of food on the table in front of you. That food would leave a bad taste in your mouth. Nobody could really enjoy a meal without love in their life. We all know that love is the secret ingredient to any meal worth eating. But what about the opposite? Can you experience joy when you are hungry? Love when you are poor? Act with Integrity while you are suffering? Absolutely. It is the spiritual things that make this life truly worth living.

These facts stand in stark contrast to atheistic moral frameworks. Hedonism for example, tells us that merely experiencing the most pleasure and the least pain is the key to a fulfilled life. The hedonistic lifestyle leads to overconsumption of food, alcohol, sex, and ultimately leads to people pursuing material things to satisfy the cravings for the “things of the flesh”. We are falsely taught in school and society that getting a good job so you can buy a car, a house, brand name clothes, and go on many holidays… that’s the secret to a fulfilled life! But nothing could be further from the truth. Here’s what Jesus preached: "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:36-37, NASB95)

On your death bed, do you want to look back and say, “I’m glad I ate as much as possible?”, or “I’m glad I loved as much as possible?”. I realise there’s a lot more than just this to Jesus’ and Paul’s words, so don’t think I’m reducing them to simply “How to have the best mortal life for yourself”. Although I would argue that living in line with the spirit and following Jesus’ commands will lead to just that.

To sum up, I would encourage you to pursue spiritual things as described in the Bible. The material things you have will make you feel a lot better, and the material things you don’t won’t bother you anywhere near as much if you have your mind set on the things of the spirit. If Jesus is the Lord of your life, and you pursue spiritual things, you are going to start seeing things in a whole new way. I would encourage you to read Romans 8 for yourself, and explore the Bible teaching on spiritual concepts such as the fruits of the spirit from Galatians 5:18-26.

It’s up to you. Let the pleasures of this life rule your stomach, or let the peace of Christ rule in your heart.