I have a confession to make: I've got a lot to learn. As much as my rabbi Jesus has taught me, shaped me and trained me, I have a lot of "old self" residue. How do I know? Coke, castles and crackers.
You see, I've learned from Jesus and many of His faithful disciples that my body is needing to be retrained. My mortal body is doomed to die because of sin (Romans 8:10), but it isn't hopelessly corrupted. It's habits, propensities and tendencies can be shaped by Jesus as surely as any other part of me can be. In fact, by the very nature of what my body is, it has to respond to all of the teaching, shaping and training that my Master is doing to my mind, spirit and soul.
The body is simply an agent of expression of what is going on within me. The parts of my body are instruments of righteousness and/or wickedness (Romans 6:13), but the righteousness or wickedness must fist reside within me. Whatever behavior my body is engaged in is a revelation about my inner self, and every revelation of this kind is very useful to the Master as He shapes me.
Lately He has been using Coke, castles and crackers. Strange but true. More than a handy alliteration for writing a blog title, these three things have shown me how much power my body still exerts over me and how easily I can yield control to my short-sighted desires.
Coke
I truly enjoy Coca-Cola Classic. Besides water, it is the one drink that I desire to drink every day. I don't drink it every day, but I desire to. McDonald's hasn't helped me much in this regard because now I can purchase an absurdly sized cup of satisfying ice-cold Coca-Cola Classic for a mere $1.09. My body has been so trained to enjoy and desire this refreshment that I have had to overcome the strong urge several times in the past week to make a quick stop at the nearest McDonald's on my way hither and yon. Just a few extra minutes and an extra $1.09. (Well, of course there's also the small matters of 600 or 700 extra calories and a concerning amount of high fructose corn syrup!) I have resisted this urge more often than I've given in to it, but I have to stop and consider: why is the urge so very strong?
Castles
I also enjoy a good strategy video game. I grew up with such games, and I am quite good at them (compared to myself, at least). There's something in the psychology of a young guy, it seems, that thrives on the kinds of challenges these games provide. They can actually convince me that I'm accomplishing something when I build (virtual) armies, fight (virtual) enemies and conquer (virtual) enemy castles. Advertisers know it, too, because on so many ads I see the same language used over and over - "build", "expand", "empire", "conquer", etc. Well, I've come a long way in my outlook about video games in general, and my Master has changed much in my mind and habits in that regard, but every once in a while I hit a roadblock. This happened lately. I found a game that has all the right ingredients to hook me. I was hooked. Yesterday, I had to delete the game from my device because I knew I was enjoying it too much for my own (or anyone else's) good. Too much time and too much thought wasted on accomplishing achievements that aren't real and don't mean anything in real life. Farewell, virtual empire. I blew it there over the course of a day or so, but the Spirit of my Master was gracious to call me back to my senses. Still, I have to stop and consider: why did that game have such a strong effect on me?
Crackers
Okay, this one's minor, but it's just as relevant to the point. I picked up some Triscuits for the family on my last grocery trip. These things are highly enjoyable and very delicious. This is why I will find myself drawn to our pantry when I think of these crackers. Every now and again I will, even if my stomach is full from a satisfying meal, feel a strong urge to have a handful of crackers. This enjoyment lasts all of ten to twenty seconds, and then I have to deal with the long term effects of the ingested calories and salt. Sometimes I do go to the pantry and destroy some delicious crackers; sometimes I don't. Either way, I have to stop and consider: why do I have such strong urges to snack even when I'm not hungry?
These are just three of the many examples I could give that illustrate the difficulty I have in keeping my body in check. There are worse things, aren't there? These things are the ones that would automatically pop to the top of your "carnal sins" list, are they? Ah, but that's not the point. As a disciple of Jesus, I'm not just learning how to avoid the big, bad and socially embarrassing sins. I'm actually learning how to align my whole self (all of its elements) under the kingdom way of life that Jesus reveals to us.
You have your examples, too, don't you? Some may be big, some may be small. It so often seems that our bodies have minds of their own. The truth is, though, that our bodies' minds are our minds. Our bodies have been trained and conditioned by the way we think and view the world. When the mind, spirit and soul within us are corrupted, our bodies will reveal them to be corrupted. When they are made new and transformed, our bodies will reveal them to be so. We cannot just blame our bodies for making things hard for us; we have to engage in the process of discipleship to Jesus so that whatever reconditioning needs to happen to our bodies can actually take place.
One of the most powerful changes in the mind that can occur in regards to dealing with Coke, castles and crackers (or whatever your examples may be) is that of time perspective. When the rabbi Jesus announces to me the very real and eternal kingdom of God that is available to me right now, I have a seismic shift in my way of viewing the world. I learn from Him that I'm an eternal being who is engaged in an eternal purpose with eternal consequences for myself and others, and this means there's only one reasonable way to view the limited time I have in this mortal phase of my life. He is teaching me in big and small things to judge their merit and value through the lens of eternal consequence. Our sinful natures thrive on immediate consequence while Jesus is instructing us to set our eyes on eternal consequence. I am learning to ask, "Will this do any real good for the eternal kingdom of God?" I am training to more and more naturally think in terms of the ultimate result of things. This is far more than wondering if an action will lead to my going to Heaven or Hell. I don't really need to think that through most of the time. No, the greater discipline is in discerning what has value for my King and others in the long term.
Coke, (virtual) castles and crackers don't pass the long view test, do they? I suppose I might enjoy them in moderation and give thanks to my Master for such enjoyments, but I'll not become dependent on them or subject to them 1 Corinthians 6:12). My body will just have to go without. My desires will just have to go unfulfilled. That's alright because I'm not the King anyway. I know the King, and I know that He's got more important things on His mind these days. I should probably get on with chasing those things instead of the temporarily enjoyable but eternally negligible ones that still tug on my mind and body every now and again. With the eternal kingdom in mind, all of life becomes a lot more focused and so much more meaningful. Thank you, Rabbi.
You see, I've learned from Jesus and many of His faithful disciples that my body is needing to be retrained. My mortal body is doomed to die because of sin (Romans 8:10), but it isn't hopelessly corrupted. It's habits, propensities and tendencies can be shaped by Jesus as surely as any other part of me can be. In fact, by the very nature of what my body is, it has to respond to all of the teaching, shaping and training that my Master is doing to my mind, spirit and soul.
The body is simply an agent of expression of what is going on within me. The parts of my body are instruments of righteousness and/or wickedness (Romans 6:13), but the righteousness or wickedness must fist reside within me. Whatever behavior my body is engaged in is a revelation about my inner self, and every revelation of this kind is very useful to the Master as He shapes me.
Lately He has been using Coke, castles and crackers. Strange but true. More than a handy alliteration for writing a blog title, these three things have shown me how much power my body still exerts over me and how easily I can yield control to my short-sighted desires.
Coke
I truly enjoy Coca-Cola Classic. Besides water, it is the one drink that I desire to drink every day. I don't drink it every day, but I desire to. McDonald's hasn't helped me much in this regard because now I can purchase an absurdly sized cup of satisfying ice-cold Coca-Cola Classic for a mere $1.09. My body has been so trained to enjoy and desire this refreshment that I have had to overcome the strong urge several times in the past week to make a quick stop at the nearest McDonald's on my way hither and yon. Just a few extra minutes and an extra $1.09. (Well, of course there's also the small matters of 600 or 700 extra calories and a concerning amount of high fructose corn syrup!) I have resisted this urge more often than I've given in to it, but I have to stop and consider: why is the urge so very strong?
Castles
I also enjoy a good strategy video game. I grew up with such games, and I am quite good at them (compared to myself, at least). There's something in the psychology of a young guy, it seems, that thrives on the kinds of challenges these games provide. They can actually convince me that I'm accomplishing something when I build (virtual) armies, fight (virtual) enemies and conquer (virtual) enemy castles. Advertisers know it, too, because on so many ads I see the same language used over and over - "build", "expand", "empire", "conquer", etc. Well, I've come a long way in my outlook about video games in general, and my Master has changed much in my mind and habits in that regard, but every once in a while I hit a roadblock. This happened lately. I found a game that has all the right ingredients to hook me. I was hooked. Yesterday, I had to delete the game from my device because I knew I was enjoying it too much for my own (or anyone else's) good. Too much time and too much thought wasted on accomplishing achievements that aren't real and don't mean anything in real life. Farewell, virtual empire. I blew it there over the course of a day or so, but the Spirit of my Master was gracious to call me back to my senses. Still, I have to stop and consider: why did that game have such a strong effect on me?
Crackers
Okay, this one's minor, but it's just as relevant to the point. I picked up some Triscuits for the family on my last grocery trip. These things are highly enjoyable and very delicious. This is why I will find myself drawn to our pantry when I think of these crackers. Every now and again I will, even if my stomach is full from a satisfying meal, feel a strong urge to have a handful of crackers. This enjoyment lasts all of ten to twenty seconds, and then I have to deal with the long term effects of the ingested calories and salt. Sometimes I do go to the pantry and destroy some delicious crackers; sometimes I don't. Either way, I have to stop and consider: why do I have such strong urges to snack even when I'm not hungry?
These are just three of the many examples I could give that illustrate the difficulty I have in keeping my body in check. There are worse things, aren't there? These things are the ones that would automatically pop to the top of your "carnal sins" list, are they? Ah, but that's not the point. As a disciple of Jesus, I'm not just learning how to avoid the big, bad and socially embarrassing sins. I'm actually learning how to align my whole self (all of its elements) under the kingdom way of life that Jesus reveals to us.
You have your examples, too, don't you? Some may be big, some may be small. It so often seems that our bodies have minds of their own. The truth is, though, that our bodies' minds are our minds. Our bodies have been trained and conditioned by the way we think and view the world. When the mind, spirit and soul within us are corrupted, our bodies will reveal them to be corrupted. When they are made new and transformed, our bodies will reveal them to be so. We cannot just blame our bodies for making things hard for us; we have to engage in the process of discipleship to Jesus so that whatever reconditioning needs to happen to our bodies can actually take place.
One of the most powerful changes in the mind that can occur in regards to dealing with Coke, castles and crackers (or whatever your examples may be) is that of time perspective. When the rabbi Jesus announces to me the very real and eternal kingdom of God that is available to me right now, I have a seismic shift in my way of viewing the world. I learn from Him that I'm an eternal being who is engaged in an eternal purpose with eternal consequences for myself and others, and this means there's only one reasonable way to view the limited time I have in this mortal phase of my life. He is teaching me in big and small things to judge their merit and value through the lens of eternal consequence. Our sinful natures thrive on immediate consequence while Jesus is instructing us to set our eyes on eternal consequence. I am learning to ask, "Will this do any real good for the eternal kingdom of God?" I am training to more and more naturally think in terms of the ultimate result of things. This is far more than wondering if an action will lead to my going to Heaven or Hell. I don't really need to think that through most of the time. No, the greater discipline is in discerning what has value for my King and others in the long term.
Coke, (virtual) castles and crackers don't pass the long view test, do they? I suppose I might enjoy them in moderation and give thanks to my Master for such enjoyments, but I'll not become dependent on them or subject to them 1 Corinthians 6:12). My body will just have to go without. My desires will just have to go unfulfilled. That's alright because I'm not the King anyway. I know the King, and I know that He's got more important things on His mind these days. I should probably get on with chasing those things instead of the temporarily enjoyable but eternally negligible ones that still tug on my mind and body every now and again. With the eternal kingdom in mind, all of life becomes a lot more focused and so much more meaningful. Thank you, Rabbi.
