No Longer Flesh Bags

I am saddened.

A friend has fallen to sinful cravings and doings. Why? His flesh got the best of him.

And the flesh gets the best of us whenever any of the following is true:
· we begin to believe fleshly desires come from our selves
· we begin to believe fleshly behaviors come from our selves
· we begin to focus upon obedience and good works, rather than upon knowing Jesus
· we begin to fight ourselves
· we stop living by the Spirit as the spirits we have become.

I have written and spoken about this before, but it bears repeating: the awful thoughts and desires, as well as the sinful behaviors of your life do not come from you, but from the flesh. And you are not the flesh.

The “flesh” (a word the NIV unfortunately translates “sinful nature”) is mortal man on his own, separate from the life of God, and bent upon living independent from Him, a condition and trait that you and I inherited from Adam. It pushes us to have an opinion different from His and to follow it, the flesh presses us to do anything apart from what He would counsel us to do, and it induces us to look anywhere but to Him for the power to live in our day. The flesh can make us look good (Paul writes about how great he looked while under its’ influence in Phil 3), and it can make us look bad (he also wrote to the Galatians about the ugly fruit of the flesh, which included sexual immorality, envy, rage, etc.). The problem isn’t only what we do, it’s that we do it without the power and life of God. So, either way, looking good or looking bad, it’s flesh.

Before we received our new selves and became spirit, before we became new creations, all we could do was flail away at life, mere flesh-bags without any life. That’s how we lived – no choice because we had nothing else.

How did that happen?

(To be continued…)

Happy Mother's Day

It's my second without my mother, who is spending this one with God. I even have moments when suggested guilt slaps at me for not calling her. And then I remember--she left for home in June, 2008.

Do you suppose they celebrate Mother's Day in heaven? Probably not, but if they do, I'll bet it's all about God in a way that makes perfect sense of it.

You know—it was He who gave mom’s radar, eyes in the back of their head, a mother’s prerogative, insight, discernment, motivational skills, fashion sense, providential giving, wisdom, the silent treatment, and loads and loads of love.

See? A lot like God.

My mother loved me tons. It was obvious and I’m thankful.

Quote of the Day

(In this quote from the final chapter, two friends are talking about a growing awareness of God and what that has meant regarding their experiences.)

"You had this incredible hunger to know God and follow him. But you also wanted to be circumstantially secure and well-liked. Those just aren't compatible with following him. We are safe because he is with us, not because our circumstances are easy, and trying to get everyone to like you only made you less a person than God made you to be. When you started following what God put in your heart, the other kingdom had to collapse. It was inevitable if not enviable. It is never easy watching people go through it."

(I have been posting quotes from Wayne Jacobsen’s and Dave Coleman’s book, “So You Don’t Want To Go To Church Anymore.” If you like what you’ve been reading here, you will find their book at your local Christian bookstore, at Amazon.com and Christianbook.com.)

Quote of the Day

(While discussing why Christians gather together, a flock of geese flies over, providing an illustrative moment.)

“. . . Jesus is always gathering his flock to himself. People from all over the world are finding their hunger for him eclipsing their hunger for anything else and that every substitute they try only adds to their restlessness. As they keep their eye on him, not only do they grow closer to him with each passing day, but they will find themselves alongside others who are headed that way too. Geese fly together like that not because they are obligated to do so, but because it lightens their load and lifts them closer to their goal.”

“That’s the gathering. It’s not when you meet, where you meet, or how you meet in meetings, but that you are gathering your heart to him. If that’s happening, you usually won’t find yourself going it alone very long. You’ll find others heading the same direction and by traveling together you’ll be able to help one another along the way.”

(I have been posting quotes from Wayne Jacobsen’s and Dave Coleman’s book, “So You Don’t Want To Go To Church Anymore.” If you like what you’ve been reading here, you will find their book at your local Christian bookstore, at Amazon.com and Christianbook.com.)

Quote of the Day

(Here's a provocative quote.)

“But there were elders and apostles and pastors (during the early days of the church), weren’t there?” “There were, but they weren’t out front leading people after their personal visions. They were behind the scenes doing exactly what you have on your heart to do—helping people to live deeply in Christ so that he can lead them! Elders won’t end up managing machinery, but equipping followers by helping them find a real relationship with the living God. That’s why he asked us to help people become his disciples and why he said that he would build his church. Let’s focus on our task and let him do his . . . Didn’t Jesus tell us that those who facilitate within this family are not those who exercise authority over others, but those who serve?” (Italics mine)

Loving--It's Not Always Convenient

Here's a little video I think is fun. Have a great weekend!

(To begin with, the video remains black for a few moments.)

Quote of the Day

". . .worship isn't having a song service or prayer time. . .It's living as a daily sacrifice in the life of Jesus, which is letting Him demonstrate His reality through you. This is the joy of living in the kingdom--watching Him work in you." (Jacobsen & Coleman, "So You Don't Want To Go To Church Anymore")

Sounds a little bit like Romans 12:1 and Colossians 1:27, doesn't it?

Quote of the Day

(I think this nails it.)

"Isn't it sad that we thought we could press people into spiritual change, instead of helping them grow to trust Father more and find Him changing them? You can't press a caterpillar into a butterfly mold and make it fly. It has to be transformed from the inside."

(I'm currently reading and enjoying this book, and am posting a quote from it each day so you can decide whether to buy it or not.)

Quote of the Day

“Religion is . . . a shame-management system, often with the best of intentions and always with the worst of results. In the end people are still addicted to shame and bounce between self-pity and self-glory, never finding freedom to simply live in Him. It makes people think God wants a cause and effect relationship with them. If they’ll be good, He’ll be good to them.” (Jacobsen and Coleman, "So You Don't Want To Go To Church Anymore")

Something Old, Something New

This little 3:19 video, with an old-timey voice-over and modern effects, will shake you up!

Quote of the Day

(Ooh. This will make you think.)

"It's valuable for the body of Christ to find one another and share His life together. Where people are doing that they don't need commitment. They'll bend over backward to be with one another. Where they aren't doing that, it does little good just to be committed to a meeting. I'm convinced that most Christian meetings give people enough of God's things to inoculate them against the reality of His presence . . . Discipline holds great value when your eye is on the treasure. But as a substitute for that treasure, obligation can be a real detriment when it gives you satisfaction just for completing a task."

Quote of the Day

“If you really want to learn how to share Jesus’ life together, it would be easier to think of that less as a meeting you attend and more as a family you love . . . Anything valuable you experience in your life together will come from your life in him.” (Jacobsen and Coleman, "So You Don't Want To Go Church Anymore." Get the book here.)

Quote of the Day

“Our biggest messes come when we try to do something for God that we’re convinced he can’t do for himself.” (Jacobsen and Coleman, "So You Don't Want To Go Church Anymore." Buy it here.)

When You Need To Say "Buh-Bye"

Just a little weekend humor--have a wonderful time!

Quote of the Day

“When we’re looking to the future, we’re not listening to Father. Anything we do to try and guarantee stability on our own terms will actually rob us of the freedom to simply follow him today. We’ll resort to our own wisdom instead of following his. The greatest freedom God can give you is to trust his ability to take care of you each day.” (Jacobsen and Coleman, "So You Don't Want To Go Church Anymore." Buy the book at: http://www.lifestream.org/waynes-books.php?bid=6)