Why is it that when we’re on a diet, high calorie foods we didn’t eat even before the diet, suddenly starts calling our name? And don’t go to a circus! The smell of funnel cake, popcorn, and hot dogs will seriously drive you crazy! Can I get an amen?
And what is it about a banana split – which I’ve never even liked – that becomes a powerful craving the day I commit to losing a few pounds? Ah-ha! Paul warned us about that too. He understood when he said,
“I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.” Romans 7:15 NLT
We were ALL born with a nature to do wrong…with a propensity to sin. We can’t help it. It’s in our DNA. Just like my brown eyes came from my mama’s side of the family, and my short stubby finger came from my dad’s side, my sin nature came to me the same way – handed down through the ages all the way back to the first humans on earth. I don’t like it. I tried to pretend that sin nature wasn’t there. We all do, at least at first. Even worse, we try to justify it. It’s ok to do whatever we have a hankering for because we were born that way. Like being addicted to sugar, and eating a banana split anyway after I promised not to. You’ll notice the more we think about that wrong thing we want to do, the more likely we are to do it…again!
Or worse still, we still try to justify it. “Banana is a fruit. Nothing wrong with fruit. God specifically said for us to eat it”, I reason! It’s the other ingredients in a banana split, which gets me in trouble. Doing whatever we crave, just because we were born with that propensity, is not ok. So, how do we overcome those specific propensities that tempt us?
We remember. Like Dufus, a circus elephant I’ll tell you about tomorrow, we have to learn to live in the freedom that Christ has already given us.
A freedom from sin…not a freedom to sin. A freedom to do what is right because we have the power to overcome it. Like right now, I’m free from drooling over that bowl full of ice cream, chocolate fudge syrup, cherries, nuts, whipped cream, and even a banana thrown in the somewhere.
Until tomorrow,
Your Traveling Partner,
Brenda
In this verse, Jesus gives a clear and simple command – “Now go.” You may be familiar with the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:19-20, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always even to the end of the age (NLT).” It’s time we take this command seriously and obey. Although these verses are often used to reference foreign missions, we must not forget that every day we live on a mission field that is ready for harvest – NOW. Today, pray that God would open our eyes to the needs of those around us. Ask Him to create an urgency within us to see our family, friends, and neighbors receive God’s free gift of salvation.
Remember the fascinating story about Moses on the mountain, raising his hands while God’s people fought against the Amalekites? Do you recall how Aaron and Hur climbed up the hill with Moses, supporting his hands when he wearied of lifting them high? I’ve always loved that narrative as a demonstration of friendship’s tremendous value.