"Crucify the flesh"....I know..."been there-done that." Yea, Ok, whatever.
I think what really gets me about this phrase in the Holy Scriptures, is I hear people often saying things like: "Well, Frank isn't goin' to the bar like he used to", or "Jimmy gave up smokin' (what was he smoking?...I will leave that up to your own imagination), and other things that relate to "stuff we do on the outside that we think are displeasing to God".
Now, I do say I totally respect that and am Ok with that....but here is what I have noticed since becoming a Christian. I think the one of our strengths as a Christian is our attitude when "the heat is on". In other words, when I see another Christian brother or sister (I still think that is a little "corny" to refer to others in that way), demonstrate Christ-like qualities in momentary "flare-ups" in everyday life, it speaks "volumes" to my own heart and gives me encouragement to do the right things daily, including those "outside sins" that everyone seems to see.
Years ago I was into weight-lifting, amateur competitions with "squat-thrusts", and for a while I confess I had this "Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown" attitude. Anyway, a buddy of mine were going to the mall to GNC, because at that time they had this product called: "Ripped Fuel" that had some "good stuff" in it, and made us feel more "macho" and all that.
Well, there were these extremely nice ladies who had tables at the mall passing out pamphlets etc. on "Do you know Jesus" and things related to that. Now, what was very attractive to the whole situation was they were offering free brownies if you stopped by, receive a pamphlet, and listen to a 2 minute "sermonette" on how to know Jesus. My buddy and I were hungry...well, we had the "sweet tooth" thing going on, so we stopped.
As we began to listen to what they wanted to share with us, there were basically 3 things that came up in the conversation. The first was; Do you smoke?, the second;Do you drink?, and the third;Do you engage in immorality? Kind of like the adage, "I smoke, drink, and chew, and go with girls that do" philosophy.
So, we "confessed " to all 3 questions, and they proceeded to tell us how Jesus can change our lives for the better if we turn to Him and let Him show us a different way of life.
My buddy and I were cool with all that, these ladies were really nice, and told them we would give it some thought (I think we were doing one of those 'white lie' things)....and then we got our brownies!
As we were leaving to go to GNC, my buddy made an interesting observation. He said; "Why is it when it comes to the "Do you know Jesus" thing, they always point to alcohol, ciggs, and girls. I mean, I understand some of that, but did you see those nice ladies? I don't think any of them weighed less than 400 lbs, and man they were scarfin' down those brownies. I wonder, what would it be like if they substituted the question when a person arrives at their table: " Are you addicted to sugar?, Have you abused your body with a lot of extra weight?, Are you feelin' high one minute...and low a little later?"
I guess it is all on our perception...anyway, here is a Gleaning from Galatians 5:22-24, and what I have learned is this: when I practice the Fruit of the Spirit, "the crucifying of the flesh" can be accomplished...in whatever way we perceive it:
" But the fruit of the Holy Spirit, in other words, the work of His Presence beginning to surface in our daily lives, will produce "flavors" that are vital to others as well as to yourself. First, there is 1)Love; both for God Himself and a deep affection for others,then 2) Joy; a gladness inside of you that is not dependent on any circumstances...good or bad!, 3) Peace; a serenity within yourself that is not wavered by the daily affairs of life, 4) Patience; a willingness to "stick it out" both with yourself and with others, having a compassion to see things through, 5) Kindness; showing others how Christ Jesus treats you, 6) Good(ness); doing things that help and benefit others, supporting others in daily situations they might be facing, 7) Faithfulness; being loyal to others...and to yourself. Directing your energies from within that are real, like a knowing "you are there for them"...without necessarily having to say it, 8) Gentleness; having a humility and a meekness about you that is not threatening to others, rather, causing others to be aware you are no different than they are, and being a source of encouragement to make choices in daily life that will help...and not hurt them, 9) Self-Control; being strong enough to say in the midst of Darkness; "I'm not going that way...I trust the Holy Spirit to show me a way outta' here!"
When these qualities are exercised, and that being made available to us through the magnificent power of the Holy Spirit, then there is no Law that can even begin to compete in such an undertaking...of our lives being changed...to glorify Him!
And here is the main ingredient: because we belong to Christ Jesus, and He has already provided for us a type of lifestyle that has been described in the previous verses, we are now able to overtake and rule our lives both in thought and action...by and through the power of the Holy Spirit. Crucifying our "flesh", that is to say all our appetites, our desires, and human nature itself, can be put to death and we can begin to live a life totally created by Christ Jesus Himself, and fueled by the power of His Holy Spirit!"
There is an adage, and I am not sure of its origin, but it reminds me of the work Christ Jesus had done in my life: "Dance like no one is watching, love life like you have not been hurt, sing like no one is listening, and live...like it is heaven on earth!"
I think what really gets me about this phrase in the Holy Scriptures, is I hear people often saying things like: "Well, Frank isn't goin' to the bar like he used to", or "Jimmy gave up smokin' (what was he smoking?...I will leave that up to your own imagination), and other things that relate to "stuff we do on the outside that we think are displeasing to God".
Now, I do say I totally respect that and am Ok with that....but here is what I have noticed since becoming a Christian. I think the one of our strengths as a Christian is our attitude when "the heat is on". In other words, when I see another Christian brother or sister (I still think that is a little "corny" to refer to others in that way), demonstrate Christ-like qualities in momentary "flare-ups" in everyday life, it speaks "volumes" to my own heart and gives me encouragement to do the right things daily, including those "outside sins" that everyone seems to see.
Years ago I was into weight-lifting, amateur competitions with "squat-thrusts", and for a while I confess I had this "Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown" attitude. Anyway, a buddy of mine were going to the mall to GNC, because at that time they had this product called: "Ripped Fuel" that had some "good stuff" in it, and made us feel more "macho" and all that.
Well, there were these extremely nice ladies who had tables at the mall passing out pamphlets etc. on "Do you know Jesus" and things related to that. Now, what was very attractive to the whole situation was they were offering free brownies if you stopped by, receive a pamphlet, and listen to a 2 minute "sermonette" on how to know Jesus. My buddy and I were hungry...well, we had the "sweet tooth" thing going on, so we stopped.
As we began to listen to what they wanted to share with us, there were basically 3 things that came up in the conversation. The first was; Do you smoke?, the second;Do you drink?, and the third;Do you engage in immorality? Kind of like the adage, "I smoke, drink, and chew, and go with girls that do" philosophy.
So, we "confessed " to all 3 questions, and they proceeded to tell us how Jesus can change our lives for the better if we turn to Him and let Him show us a different way of life.
My buddy and I were cool with all that, these ladies were really nice, and told them we would give it some thought (I think we were doing one of those 'white lie' things)....and then we got our brownies!
As we were leaving to go to GNC, my buddy made an interesting observation. He said; "Why is it when it comes to the "Do you know Jesus" thing, they always point to alcohol, ciggs, and girls. I mean, I understand some of that, but did you see those nice ladies? I don't think any of them weighed less than 400 lbs, and man they were scarfin' down those brownies. I wonder, what would it be like if they substituted the question when a person arrives at their table: " Are you addicted to sugar?, Have you abused your body with a lot of extra weight?, Are you feelin' high one minute...and low a little later?"
I guess it is all on our perception...anyway, here is a Gleaning from Galatians 5:22-24, and what I have learned is this: when I practice the Fruit of the Spirit, "the crucifying of the flesh" can be accomplished...in whatever way we perceive it:
" But the fruit of the Holy Spirit, in other words, the work of His Presence beginning to surface in our daily lives, will produce "flavors" that are vital to others as well as to yourself. First, there is 1)Love; both for God Himself and a deep affection for others,then 2) Joy; a gladness inside of you that is not dependent on any circumstances...good or bad!, 3) Peace; a serenity within yourself that is not wavered by the daily affairs of life, 4) Patience; a willingness to "stick it out" both with yourself and with others, having a compassion to see things through, 5) Kindness; showing others how Christ Jesus treats you, 6) Good(ness); doing things that help and benefit others, supporting others in daily situations they might be facing, 7) Faithfulness; being loyal to others...and to yourself. Directing your energies from within that are real, like a knowing "you are there for them"...without necessarily having to say it, 8) Gentleness; having a humility and a meekness about you that is not threatening to others, rather, causing others to be aware you are no different than they are, and being a source of encouragement to make choices in daily life that will help...and not hurt them, 9) Self-Control; being strong enough to say in the midst of Darkness; "I'm not going that way...I trust the Holy Spirit to show me a way outta' here!"
When these qualities are exercised, and that being made available to us through the magnificent power of the Holy Spirit, then there is no Law that can even begin to compete in such an undertaking...of our lives being changed...to glorify Him!
And here is the main ingredient: because we belong to Christ Jesus, and He has already provided for us a type of lifestyle that has been described in the previous verses, we are now able to overtake and rule our lives both in thought and action...by and through the power of the Holy Spirit. Crucifying our "flesh", that is to say all our appetites, our desires, and human nature itself, can be put to death and we can begin to live a life totally created by Christ Jesus Himself, and fueled by the power of His Holy Spirit!"
There is an adage, and I am not sure of its origin, but it reminds me of the work Christ Jesus had done in my life: "Dance like no one is watching, love life like you have not been hurt, sing like no one is listening, and live...like it is heaven on earth!"
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