Life Marinade
March 2, 2008
Bible Reading: For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. ~Romans 8:5 (NKJV)
Bonus Reading: Romans 8:6-14
Lent…the diet for our lives in Jesus. A time of examen and seeking the Holy Ghost’s refilling. The season we ask Him to show us even more clearly where we need to shed a few unwanted spiritual pounds. That being said, let’s consider the following, adapted from Stephen Graves & Thomas Addington in Deep Focus:
If you’re someone watching your weight, you’ve probably heard people say, “You are what you eat.” If you’re as careful about your spiritual diet, the phrase “You are what you think” serves the same purpose. In Romans 8:5, St. Paul makes it clear that our minds are the primary influencer of how we live out our faith. To increase the likelihood we’ll behave in a spiritual manner, we must saturate our minds in spiritual things.
Christie and I have a world-class marinade for steak. When we put an already delectable cut in that special sauce, the meat absorbs through its pores the flavors and juices it’s submerged in. When it’s cooked…and we take a bite, the flavor of the marinade has penetrated the flavor of the meat. What a wonderful product…and what a great picture of our minds.
St. Paul is teaching us, by the Spirit’s prompting, that our mind acts as a dry sponge. It sits and it soaks. If we subject it to continuous gossip, complaining, immoral television, and unhealthy music, those flavors will sink into us—and we have that savor about us. If we allow ourselves to be influenced by such negative things, we hamper our ability to hear the Holy Spirit speak to our hearts, please the Father, and live in victory over the World around us. How can we expect to rise above the World and be the Salt and Light Jesus wants, if we remain mired in its tastes?
If, on the other hand, we spend our time and focus on Godly pursuits—paying attention to what we read, watch, listen to, laugh at—worshipping and fellowshipping with God’s people as often as possible, we change what our life marinade, taking the thought life advice in Philippians 4:8:
whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
Contemplative Prayer: “Holy Spirit, please show me what I soak in—how to monitor what I read, see, and watch, and where my thoughts—and lips—lead me.”
Think about it: “Therefore my anxious thoughts make me answer, because of the turmoil within me. I have heard the rebuke that reproaches me, and the spirit of my understanding causes me to answer. ~Job 20:2-3 (NKJV)
All love in the Beloved,
Chip+
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