Sitting at the airport getting ready to fly out to Springfield, MO; the Assembly of God capital of the world. Planning on spending a couple days on the various college campuses and speaking with/recruiting students to come and work in NYC. (Also plan on stopping by HQs to see my newest boss over Interculural ministries.) And since they make you arrive an eternity in advance just to sit and wait, I figured I should get some dinner. Of course, the only option at the local airport was McDonald's.
For those of you who may not know, I hate McDonald's. It never tastes as good as it sounds, always cost more than it should, and always make you feel like a lard after eating it (even if it is a mere psuedo-ice-cream cone). Yet, forced to eat at this cesspool, I was forced to make the decision between all the lesser evils. I could get a semi-fattening, limp lettuce salad, or I could get a cheesy, mayo soaked, slab of frozen, dried out meat on a bun, and cover it with my favorite condiment, ketchup. Inside my heart cry out for the salad, but I ignored this voice of wisdom and went with the burger. Now, I feel like a fat, unhealthy slob, covered with guilt and living in fear that I have spent my calorie limit for the day, knowing that I still have 5-hours of travel before me.
Now, some of you may be wondering what my McDonald's experience has to do with Sanctification (the process of becoming like Jesus)?
Sanctification: Choose Life over Burgers
I Cor. 6:11, "But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."
When Jesus sets us free from our past, He washes away our sin (regeneration), gives us a new standing with God (justification), and then sends the Spirit to take up residency inside of us to enable our lives to live for Him (sanctification). While all of this is instant, the work of sanctification is one that continues on until we die and reach perfection in our new bodies in heaven. In the meanwhile, those of us who are Christians are forced to live life led by the Spirit, and choosing to submit to His will and desires.
Romans 8:13, "For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live."
The dilemma I faced at McDonald's is a very week/poor example of this daily battle we face each and every moment of the day. Life and Death are before us constantly, and the Spirit of God is calling us out to us, illuminating our heart and mind to the truth of God, revealing the foreseen consequences of our sin, and is praying that we make the right decision. He desires for us to choose Life so that we might walk in greater fellowship with Him, worship Him more intimately, and enable us to be greater witness for Him in this dark and dying world. In short, He is wanting to make us more like Jesus; but the choice is up to us to obey or reject. And when we reject the Holy Spirit and His wisdom, the result is much worse than an expanding waistline; it's eternal death.
May we all so "no" to the flesh, and "yes" to the Spirit so that we, and the world around us, may live!
Deut. 30:19, "This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live..."
Learn more:
UNashamed: Doctrines Class
Tuesdays @ 8pm
FHCC Campus (6708 Ingram)
www.fhcchurch.com
For those of you who may not know, I hate McDonald's. It never tastes as good as it sounds, always cost more than it should, and always make you feel like a lard after eating it (even if it is a mere psuedo-ice-cream cone). Yet, forced to eat at this cesspool, I was forced to make the decision between all the lesser evils. I could get a semi-fattening, limp lettuce salad, or I could get a cheesy, mayo soaked, slab of frozen, dried out meat on a bun, and cover it with my favorite condiment, ketchup. Inside my heart cry out for the salad, but I ignored this voice of wisdom and went with the burger. Now, I feel like a fat, unhealthy slob, covered with guilt and living in fear that I have spent my calorie limit for the day, knowing that I still have 5-hours of travel before me.
Now, some of you may be wondering what my McDonald's experience has to do with Sanctification (the process of becoming like Jesus)?
Sanctification: Choose Life over Burgers
I Cor. 6:11, "But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."
When Jesus sets us free from our past, He washes away our sin (regeneration), gives us a new standing with God (justification), and then sends the Spirit to take up residency inside of us to enable our lives to live for Him (sanctification). While all of this is instant, the work of sanctification is one that continues on until we die and reach perfection in our new bodies in heaven. In the meanwhile, those of us who are Christians are forced to live life led by the Spirit, and choosing to submit to His will and desires.
Romans 8:13, "For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live."
The dilemma I faced at McDonald's is a very week/poor example of this daily battle we face each and every moment of the day. Life and Death are before us constantly, and the Spirit of God is calling us out to us, illuminating our heart and mind to the truth of God, revealing the foreseen consequences of our sin, and is praying that we make the right decision. He desires for us to choose Life so that we might walk in greater fellowship with Him, worship Him more intimately, and enable us to be greater witness for Him in this dark and dying world. In short, He is wanting to make us more like Jesus; but the choice is up to us to obey or reject. And when we reject the Holy Spirit and His wisdom, the result is much worse than an expanding waistline; it's eternal death.
May we all so "no" to the flesh, and "yes" to the Spirit so that we, and the world around us, may live!
Deut. 30:19, "This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live..."
Learn more:
UNashamed: Doctrines Class
Tuesdays @ 8pm
FHCC Campus (6708 Ingram)
www.fhcchurch.com
