Elder Moses of Optina on living in the world

Our works are called sowing, and this too is twofold—some unto the inner man and some unto the outer man; and the differing fruits of the two are evident. "For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting" (Galatians 6:8). The sowing and reaping unto the outer man in this life has three aspects—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life (I John 2:16). Unless the inner man meditates upon the law of God and is nourished thereby, unless he is strengthened by reading and by prayer, he is conquered by the outer man, and he serves his master. Hence there are manifested works pleasing to the flesh but hateful to God, such as pride, avarice, gluttony, the fulfillment of all kinds of lusts, idle talk, laughter, amusements, drunkenness, malice, duplicity, lying, envy slothfulness and others. These are the fruits of the sowing unto the flesh, and that is why flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God (I Corinthians 15:50). But when the soul meditates upon the law of God and the body is subjected to the wisdom of the soul, then the following works are seen: love for God and neighbor, peaceableness, meekness, simplicity, kindliness, mercifulness toward all, modesty, temperance, chastity, guilelessness, and the rest, and these works are the fruits of the Holy Spirit and are called the sowing unto the Spirit.

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