1055 - Belonging to Jesus - Galatians 5:24

Do you ever think of yourself as belonging to Jesus?   "Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." Galatians 5:24 NASB   Often, when I memorize a passage of scripture, I often stop there in my study. I confess that until recently, I haven't thought much about this verse. Now, I'm working to memorize it.   A friend once told me that to decide means to cut or cut away. She said "decide" is like "homocide. You kill all the other options." This verse says much the same thing. If I choose the Spirit I must crucify my flesh. I have such a hard time with this. I eat too many sweets and I can always come up with a better idea than working out. These are areas where my flesh and it's passions and desires aren't crucified.   Does that mean I don't belong to Christ Jesus? I don't think so. I have in so many other areas. We're all works in progress. This side of heaven, there is always some degree of error. I'm grateful for that. Verses 25 and 26 seem to also be speaking to this same issue.   Today, thank God for the victories you have already won. If you've been a Christian more than a day, there are areas of your life where you have crucified the flesh. Thank God for those. Focus on the gain. The gap will always be with us. Ask God to help you close the gap between where you are and where you want to be.   Then, take part in a community where you can help and be helped. Check out https://community.followerofone.org. This is an online community where we concentrate on helping one another move one notch closer to Jesus. Community is the habit that can strengthen all of us. Why not join us there. Remember, what we do because we follow Jesus matters forever.