June 30, 2006
(Part four): Conclusion
In the breaking of our “bondage to things”, let us keep in mind that there is only so much room in the human heart. We are, after all, finite beings. Just as we have only so much time, so much energy, and so much in the way of physical resources (in of ourselves) with which we may face each day, we have only so much affection to give, passion to drive us, and focus for living.
Wherein we spend these resources on that which will at best have only small and temporary returns, we sacrifice the interest we could have earned in eternal benefits. Materialism tethers us to the material realm and while we might be able to look up and see brief glimpses of the starry sky of divine life that ever arches over us, we cannot truly fly in the freedom of hope and peace that Christ gives to those who belong to Him.
This chaining has never been the purpose for which God created us and is simply the result of humanity’s broken relationship with the Lord. In fact, the purpose of the Law as given by God was so that we might both elude the snares of fleshly, shallow, and temporal attitudes as well as avoid our setting such snares for each another. We have, however, a tremendous propensity for acquiescing to the call of social pressure not to mention our bent to serve biologically induced impulses. Though these things result in our inability to satisfactorily keep the Law of a holy God, He’s given us His Son so that by grace through faith we are given not only a way of escape from the eternal consequence of such selfishness (see Romans 5:2) but also the means to escape its power by surrendering to the influence of the Holy Spirit living in us.
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, Whom He has given us” (Romans 5:1-5 NIV).
Our responsibility then is to actively participate in His shaping of our character by making choices and working to develop habits that feed His spiritual life within us while simultaneously allowing our self-serving instincts to “starve to death” as we ignore them in favor of godly alternatives.
Are we to say then that “enjoying life” is an evil thing? By no means! Enjoying life is a very good thing. Let’s simply say that for good things in life to be experienced meaningfully, they must be celebrated in their appropriate, God-given contexts. Our passion and pleasure are great opportunities to experience God at work and to bring Him glory, but only if they are serving us according to God’s will for our lives and not mastering us, jerking us out from under His authority.
Take chocolate for instance. Chocolate isn’t evil. But he is an unwise man who eats chocolate to the exclusion of all other foods (particularly healthy ones). He is an evil man who, in his passionate pursuit of chocolate, will steal, lie, hurt, or withhold blessings from others. And he is a very sad man who, in his greedy preoccupation over chocolate, realizes only too late that his house, family, and maybe his hope for eternity have been lost to him while he indulged in his cravings.
Does this scenario seem silly? Maybe. After all, who is so in bondage to chocolate that he could be so unwise, evil, or sad? I am honestly not aware of anyone who is sacrificing eternal life and spiritual health for the sake of chocolate. But I DO know folks who are bound to other things that will in the end prove just as fleeting and unsatisfying. It is just as silly to turn away from Jesus for the sake of money, power, success, and fame as it is for someone to do it for chocolate.
In addition, then, to the admonition from last week to practice the discipline of tithing (of time, energy, and material resources), make it a practice to postpone personal pleasure for the sake of godly priorities.
“For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you but if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He Who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit Who dwells in you. So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh – for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Romans 8:6-14 NAS).
Let’s not choose the countless little deaths we die each time we choose to walk our own way and not Christ’s. Let us learn the art of making choices each day that exalt the lordship of Jesus and put in perspective the less important priorities that rise up and seek to entangle us at the expense of our experiencing the joy of Christ. If some of these lesser things don’t get done, so what? They’re not going to matter much to us at the end of life anyway. And if we’re not living up to all the expectations of the world, why worry? Living up to our Savior’s expectations is more than enough.
“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator” (Colossians 3:5-10 NIV).
(Thom Mollohan and his family have ministered in southern Ohio the past eleven years. He is the pastor of Pathway Community Church, which meets on Sunday mornings at the Ariel Theatre. He may be reached for comments or questions by email at pastorthom@pathwaygallipolis.com).
