Oct 19
Killing the flesh and feeding the Spirit is critical to living a life in line with God’s calling on our lives. Camilo Buchanan shares that taking up our cross involves surrendering our desires and putting our priorities in the correct order.
Scripture References
20.Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
The Death of Abraham
1.Abraham had taken another wife, whose name was Keturah. 2.She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. 3.Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan; the descendants of Dedan were the Ashurites, the Letushites and the Leummites. 4.The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanok, Abida and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah.
5.Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac. 6.But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east.
7.Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. 8.Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people. 9.His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, 10.the field Abraham had bought from the Hittites.25:10 Or the descendants of Heth There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. 11.After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi.
Ishmael’s Sons
12.This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son Ishmael, whom Sarah’s slave, Hagar the Egyptian, bore to Abraham.
13.These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, listed in the order of their birth:
Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael,
Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,
14.Mishma, Dumah, Massa,
15.Hadad, Tema, Jetur,
Naphish and Kedemah.
16.These were the sons of Ishmael, and these are the names of the twelve tribal rulers according to their settlements and camps.
17.Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. He breathed his last and died, and he was gathered to his people. 18.His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt, as you go toward Ashur. And they lived in hostility toward25:18 Or lived to the east of all the tribes related to them.
Jacob and Esau
19.This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son Isaac.
Abraham became the father of Isaac, 20.and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram25:20 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia and sister of Laban the Aramean.
21.Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 22.The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.
23.The Lord said to her,
“Two nations are in your womb,
and two peoples from within you will be separated;
one people will be stronger than the other,
and the older will serve the younger.”
24.When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. 25.The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau.25:25 Esau may mean hairy. 26.After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob.25:26 Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he deceives. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them.
27.The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. 28.Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
29.Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. 30.He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.25:30 Edom means red.)
31.Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”
32.“Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”
33.But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.
34.Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left.
So Esau despised his birthright.
34.Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
16.So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17.For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever5:17 Or you do not do what you want. 18.But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.19.The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20.idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21.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.22.But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23.gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24.Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25.Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26.Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
8.Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
Camilo Buchanan
Camilo Buchanan is a speaker, writer, podcaster, and leads the Young Adult ministry at Passion City Church. He holds a Bachelors degree from Georgia State University, a masters degree from Dallas Theological Seminary and is currently pursuing his Doctorate from Southeastern University. He enjoys spending his time pouring into students and leaders, writing content, working on real estate, traveling, and eating with friends & family, alongside his wife, Emily, and their puppy, Rummi.