1 Corinthians 2:2
For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.
Philippians 1:21
For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Gratify-to please, satisfy, indulge
Instant-immediate, imperative, urgent
If you read my letter last month, you know that I am trying to make choices that are healthy for my body and it’s pretty hard! More importantly than my physical health, I want to pour even more energy into my spiritual health. Not just gaining more and more knowledge of God and the Bible, but actually putting into practice that knowledge and obeying God. And since this goes against my natural flesh, it’s really hard! I think you would agree. Any form of discipline and obedience only comes from saying no to what looks and feels good now so that you can say yes to what is good later. As with anything, whether it’s God, money, or food, what we want is ‘immediate gratification’. We want instant pleasure, progress, or results. Nobody likes that phrase because in some way we are all guilty of it. Again, it’s part of our flesh. Waiting for anything, no matter how small or big, is always hard. We don’t like to admit it but there are parts of us that remain childish and many times you can see this play out when we have to wait. Waiting means that you don’t get immediate gratification. If I pull up to Wal-Mart and get the first parking spot closest to the entrance, I am immediately happy. Why? Because there is no waiting. If I find a checkout line that does not have a line, and the cashier is actually waiting for me to get there, I am immediately happy. Why? Because who wants to wait?
I think technology is a blessing and curse for our culture and with every passing generation. Yes we can accomplish much and with greater speed, but I think at the same time we feed our flesh the idea that we can get everything instantly. It’s the ‘microwave’ thinking. Instead of calling someone, we text or email because it’s faster and convenient. I am guilty of this. I’m not saying it’s wrong or a sin, but certain things are becoming a norm instead of the exception. This idea of instant is okay in some situations, but many times we don’t know how to keep it separate from people and God. There is no instant with people and definitely not with God, but we become so accustomed to this idea, that when we have to do any kind of waiting, we don’t wait well. You see this with children. Children naturally do not wait well. We are born with the ‘microwave’ instinct, but we are not supposed to live with it. But if we don’t first learn how to wait well, how do we raise a younger generation to do that? Waiting doesn’t mean not getting what you want; it means trusting God’s timing with what we desire or seek. Without waiting, my faith would not grow, my process of thinking would not mature, there would be no time to seek godly counsel, and the most importantly, there would be no fervent prayer. Cultivating prayer takes time.
So how does eating healthy and waiting on God connect? We have to change our thinking, our mind set. Saying no or being told no does not mean we are being denied what we deserve. We haven’t done anything in our own merit to deserve or claim rights to anything in the first place. There isn’t one talent, possession, idea, or person that you get to claim as yours without first acknowledging that it’s completely a blessing from God. So let’s make sure we get this truth right before we start huffing and puffing about what we deserve and have a right to. Some of us may be more generous, more kind, more resourceful with our possessions, better spouses, better workers, but we don’t earn our rights through what we do. Those were lost in the Garden. We are better workers, spouses, etc. because of God. What we do have is a Holy God that absolutely sees our selfishness, our self-centeredness, our thoughts, our sins and still loves us so much that He decides we are worth saving. We are worth dying for and giving new life to. We have a God that knows we don’t deserve anything or shouldn’t be given any rights, but He decided on the Cross we were a people that He couldn’t help but save. So when God says no, I need to wait. I need to learn to say no with God. And following Jesus’ example, I also learn to say no to that which is not best. Holiness and instant gratification cannot co-exist. That old saying ‘Good things come to those who wait’ basically implies that you need to cultivate patience. Who I wait on is the question. Waiting on people to come through for me will leave me sorely disappointed and discouraged. The Lord however, will always come through with exactly what I need- not always what I want. While I’m waiting on God, He cultivates trust, hope, faith, and wisdom. God knows what He’s doing and there is a reason He is not a God of instant gratification. Not even Jesus escaped this truth. There was nothing instant about His life, His torture on the cross, or His death. He waited on God’s timing and plan for all good things to come together. We are reaping those good things.
I want to say yes to God and no to anything that opposes His will including my wants and desires. He wants to bless me and use me and grow me but that only happens when I submit to Him. Part of loving God isn’t just spending time with Him but it’s spending His time wisely. Discipline is cultivated and learned. It starts by recognizing what is good for me in the long run, not just what feels good right now (or tastes good!) God wants only what is good for me according to His will. Sometimes that means He gives what I ask and sometimes it means I wait. I only want what is good for my body, but sometimes that means I have to say no to certain foods and yes to other ones. Is it really suffering when I have to wait or when I’m told no? Do I not see the good and the sovereignty behind the waiting? If it’s instant gratification that I seek, then I reject holiness. But if I choose Christ, then I choose a rich and holy life.
For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.
Philippians 1:21
For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Gratify-to please, satisfy, indulge
Instant-immediate, imperative, urgent
If you read my letter last month, you know that I am trying to make choices that are healthy for my body and it’s pretty hard! More importantly than my physical health, I want to pour even more energy into my spiritual health. Not just gaining more and more knowledge of God and the Bible, but actually putting into practice that knowledge and obeying God. And since this goes against my natural flesh, it’s really hard! I think you would agree. Any form of discipline and obedience only comes from saying no to what looks and feels good now so that you can say yes to what is good later. As with anything, whether it’s God, money, or food, what we want is ‘immediate gratification’. We want instant pleasure, progress, or results. Nobody likes that phrase because in some way we are all guilty of it. Again, it’s part of our flesh. Waiting for anything, no matter how small or big, is always hard. We don’t like to admit it but there are parts of us that remain childish and many times you can see this play out when we have to wait. Waiting means that you don’t get immediate gratification. If I pull up to Wal-Mart and get the first parking spot closest to the entrance, I am immediately happy. Why? Because there is no waiting. If I find a checkout line that does not have a line, and the cashier is actually waiting for me to get there, I am immediately happy. Why? Because who wants to wait?
I think technology is a blessing and curse for our culture and with every passing generation. Yes we can accomplish much and with greater speed, but I think at the same time we feed our flesh the idea that we can get everything instantly. It’s the ‘microwave’ thinking. Instead of calling someone, we text or email because it’s faster and convenient. I am guilty of this. I’m not saying it’s wrong or a sin, but certain things are becoming a norm instead of the exception. This idea of instant is okay in some situations, but many times we don’t know how to keep it separate from people and God. There is no instant with people and definitely not with God, but we become so accustomed to this idea, that when we have to do any kind of waiting, we don’t wait well. You see this with children. Children naturally do not wait well. We are born with the ‘microwave’ instinct, but we are not supposed to live with it. But if we don’t first learn how to wait well, how do we raise a younger generation to do that? Waiting doesn’t mean not getting what you want; it means trusting God’s timing with what we desire or seek. Without waiting, my faith would not grow, my process of thinking would not mature, there would be no time to seek godly counsel, and the most importantly, there would be no fervent prayer. Cultivating prayer takes time.
So how does eating healthy and waiting on God connect? We have to change our thinking, our mind set. Saying no or being told no does not mean we are being denied what we deserve. We haven’t done anything in our own merit to deserve or claim rights to anything in the first place. There isn’t one talent, possession, idea, or person that you get to claim as yours without first acknowledging that it’s completely a blessing from God. So let’s make sure we get this truth right before we start huffing and puffing about what we deserve and have a right to. Some of us may be more generous, more kind, more resourceful with our possessions, better spouses, better workers, but we don’t earn our rights through what we do. Those were lost in the Garden. We are better workers, spouses, etc. because of God. What we do have is a Holy God that absolutely sees our selfishness, our self-centeredness, our thoughts, our sins and still loves us so much that He decides we are worth saving. We are worth dying for and giving new life to. We have a God that knows we don’t deserve anything or shouldn’t be given any rights, but He decided on the Cross we were a people that He couldn’t help but save. So when God says no, I need to wait. I need to learn to say no with God. And following Jesus’ example, I also learn to say no to that which is not best. Holiness and instant gratification cannot co-exist. That old saying ‘Good things come to those who wait’ basically implies that you need to cultivate patience. Who I wait on is the question. Waiting on people to come through for me will leave me sorely disappointed and discouraged. The Lord however, will always come through with exactly what I need- not always what I want. While I’m waiting on God, He cultivates trust, hope, faith, and wisdom. God knows what He’s doing and there is a reason He is not a God of instant gratification. Not even Jesus escaped this truth. There was nothing instant about His life, His torture on the cross, or His death. He waited on God’s timing and plan for all good things to come together. We are reaping those good things.
I want to say yes to God and no to anything that opposes His will including my wants and desires. He wants to bless me and use me and grow me but that only happens when I submit to Him. Part of loving God isn’t just spending time with Him but it’s spending His time wisely. Discipline is cultivated and learned. It starts by recognizing what is good for me in the long run, not just what feels good right now (or tastes good!) God wants only what is good for me according to His will. Sometimes that means He gives what I ask and sometimes it means I wait. I only want what is good for my body, but sometimes that means I have to say no to certain foods and yes to other ones. Is it really suffering when I have to wait or when I’m told no? Do I not see the good and the sovereignty behind the waiting? If it’s instant gratification that I seek, then I reject holiness. But if I choose Christ, then I choose a rich and holy life.
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men,
instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly,
righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope
righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope
and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,
who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and
to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
Titus 2: 11-14
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