The Flesh

Too often, I hear the Word twisted to make it more palatable for someone’s unique sin-sick circumstance. Just tell the Truth with an equal measure of Grace, instead of saying that it includes everyone’s sin but yours. What? My sin is in there, and so is yours, I’ve seen it! So, get this… the Bible challenges us to pursue a better direction for our health, safety, and as scary as it sounds, our witness. Yep, we are all witnesses to something!

Read on, it just get’s better, it’s the Word…

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

                                                                                                                                              2 Timothy 3:16-17

I love this scripture, but….

“For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”

                                                                                                                                              2 Timothy 4: 3

“The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.”

                                                                                                                                                Romans 8: 6

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”

                                                                                                                                                Mark 14: 38

I have had to deal with my flesh my whole life! And since this is not a forum for the carnal life, I will go light on myself and only speak about the lighter side. If you read any of my previous stories or messages you will already know enough about my life to know that I haven’t sought perfection for most of it.

One of my favorite scriptures, as I see it being applicable to most bad decisions is that “the flesh is weak”. For me it can be ice cream and craft beer. I like them both as I will drink the beer then eat the ice cream, and then I will look at my gut and think, “What are you thinking, that doesn’t cause weight loss!”

Then, for some odd reason I will repeat it the next night. The flesh is weak!

I know some of you puritans are dismayed, but some of you rednecks are thinking I may be on to something…Moose Tracks or Rocky Roads?

I will tell you that I don’t see the consumption of either ice cream or beer as a sin, unless they own you. I’m part of a ministry that works with the homeless and I get to see excesses nearly every day.

And it’s sad.

And some of you may go to a church where the Pastor is fifty pounds over weight and in my opinion that is equally sad. I see my body as a temple for the Holy Spirit. There is nothing more annoying to me than hearing some fat-boy preach about everyone else’s sin. Somehow, we as Christians, have accepted obesity, cause we just like to eat. Bull hockey! We should strive to live a healthier lifestyle.

For anyone I haven’t annoyed yet, I am today, six pounds over-weight and I bench pressed over twice my weight last week. Time for some Rocky Roads and a beer!    

I wrote this for you guys that wonder if you could ever be worthy. Well, if worthiness was a requirement for Christians, we could never make it. We aren’t now and never will be! Jesus is who makes us worthy to God. He knows our weakness and propensity for sin.

So, we go through Him, our Advocate. He loves the lost! So, visit a church and tell the fat-boy you understand his sin. Ha!

THOUGHTS OF THE HUNTER KIND:

We are a weak people and God created us that way, so that, I believe He could be our strength. He is my strength as I struggle with all kinds of crap! But it all is made perfect in an instant when I unload it on Jesus, and He washes me clean in His blood to make me presentable to my Father. Thanks Dad, I love you with all my heart.

P.S. Please forgive the fat-boy preacher remark, maybe they were born that way. I’ve heard other people use that excuse too.

PRAYER:

Lord, please be patient with me, as You’re the One who got me started down this path and bless those who are just figuring out that You will take them just as they are, warts and all. In Jesus’s name, Amen.