Daily Devotional – 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.”

Where’s your mind most of the time? Where was it today most of the day? Now, I hope it’s on things of the Lord, on a moment away from the battles the world likes to bring to our front door and on things Jesus would like our minds to dwell on. Him, and Him crucified for our sins.

But let’s take a look at a hypothetical situation. Let’s say you’re a truck driver and you start your drive every day on the north side of Los Angeles and you end it up on the south side of L.A. Your job is to navigate L.A. Traffic with a Big Rig.

According to the Bible verse there are two ways to live our lives and face that traffic – in the flesh and in the Spirit.  I bet you hope I’m going to say that living the traffic in the spirit allows you to fly over it, completely unhindered by any of it. You wish.

First, let’s look at the easy one, in the flesh. That’s where to look at the traffic boiling around you, everyone of those drivers determined to get in front of the slow-moving truck, every one of them looking at you as the enemy, every one of them wishing you’d stayed in bed, or worse, wishing you death by a thousand cuts. But what they feel is nothing compared to what you’re experiencing trying to thread your way through the eye of the traffic needle. Cars on your left, maybe cars on your right. Oh, a fender bender just ahead. You stop. You hear the air squeal from your brakes, you look at your watch. Some good guy’s giving you space to get around the accident. You take it, but a car sees a way around too and guns it just ahead of you. Come within inches of your front bumper. You slam on the brakes. You curse him. I mean really curse him. Okay, you ease forward. Look at your watch again as you come parallel with the accident. Sitting in your high perch you look ahead. The only thing this river of cars is missing is the salmon leaping and writhing as they head upstream.

The other way to look at it is the spiritual way. The way that starts by you knowing that God has you there for a purpose. But what purpose could that be. You’re in the cab of a big rig, you’ve got to get across town. And the traffic is at best a hindrance. Every one of those people down their who hate you for getting in their way needs Jesus. So, every one of them who even looks remotely like they’re cursing you, you pray for them. “Lord, don’t know his name but you do. Bring them face to face with their need for Jesus today.” For the fender-bender, although you can’t stop to help – you’re be a greater problem than a solution with the big rig stopped in traffic, you can pray for those involved with that, too. Your reason is to bring intercessory prayer. You’re there to love those people down there. Unless, of course, it’s you who gets hit, then you’re there to being love to a very difficult situation.

So, how are you going to face your today spiritually? How many intercessory prayers are you going to pray? How many times will be you Jesus in a tough situation? How many times will you be patient, or face a trial with Joy?

I hope it’s many times. Go get ‘em, Tiger.