Friday,
August 22, 2014
"Therefore I run in such a way,
as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I
discipline my body and make it my slave, so that after I have preached to
others, I myself will not be disqualified." (I Corinthians . 9:26-27).
Hey Gang: I have probably made
this statement somewhere along the line, in one of the previous morning
thoughts, but it bears repeating: "I love the little words of the
Bible, the if's, but's, therefores.
etc. In many cases they are trigger words to a powerful
truth. This is especially true when we study the covenants of the
Bible. There is a vast difference between a ‘conditional’ and a
‘non-conditional’ covenant and it is determined with the tiny word "if".
As I thought about the message I sent
to you recently, the Lord seemed to be tugging at my shirt tail to follow it up
on how to implement the instructions of Colossians three. Again, we turn
to the words of Paul, but this time in his letter to the Roman Church (chapter
12). Here we find that trigger word ‘therefore’, so as Pastor
Mumford would say, "Let’s take a minute and find out why it is “therefore!”
Paul begins by telling us how to be
successful in our walk with the Lord: “Therefore, I urge you, brethren,
by the mercies of God, to present your bodies (meaning your whole self –
physically, mentally and spiritually) a living and holy sacrifice,
acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship” (v.1).
Stop! Read those words again. Note that Paul is saying to walk with
the Lord you must be willing to sacrifice your all in all, holding nothing
back.
One thing we know about Paul is that
he never gives us instructions with giving us the practical application of the
principal he is sharing. Now, for practical application; “And do
not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your
mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and
acceptable and perfect” (Colossians 3:2).
I recently talked with a young man who
was up to his armpits with alligators. His marriage was not going well,
he had been laid off from his job, house payment due, car payment due, etc.
etc. In the course of the conversation he made this statement, "Is
it enough to make one seek religion?" I suggested maybe that was the
problem, what he really needed was not religion, but Jesus as Lord of his
life.
His problem? He was conformed to this
world and not willing to present his body and mind as a holy sacrifice,
acceptable to God. He was willing to give up the mundane things, but not
willing to be transformed by the renewing of his mind. That is kind of
like finding out you have several cancerous tumors in your body and telling the
surgeon, take this one and that one but leave the others
alone.
Sooooo, my young friends, notice the
key to implementing this principle: “... present your bodies a living
and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God”. Think about that!
He will accept nothing less. What price are you willing to pay? Are
you ready to sacrifice your all? Remember the price that Jesus paid for
your salvation – He paid it all!
Blessings,
Gramps
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