We had an interesting study at our Wednesday night service. We talked about contamination of the spirit. It is one of those things that you know can happen but you don’t really think about it in depth until someone comes along and stops your thoughts and wakes you up. So we talked briefly about what kind of things contaminate the spirit. If you contaminate your body you contaminate your spirit. I find it interesting that we don’t tend to want to admit that. There are many things that contaminate our bodies. Drinking, smoking, drugs, eating foods that aren’t good for us, drinking soda and sugary beverages and then we see the emergence of habits that create poor situations. Gambling, watching shows on TV that question Christian morals and values, sitting on the computer rather than some form of exercise, hatred, jealousy, envy, discontentment, etc. There are so many things we could look at. Some are mild and some more severe, to be sure. What are you contaminating your spirit with?
Contamination doesn’t affect just your body or your spirit. It affects all the people you come in contact with. You alone in the Body of Christ are not alone. The things you battle every day effect the rest of the Body you come in contact with. You may not see it that way but it does. Perhaps you feel alone in your daily battles. Feeling alone is a powerful emotion, however, if you are part of the body of Christ and allow heartache and loneliness to dominate your thoughts, then you are contaminating yourself, which, as part of the Body of Christ, contaminates the rest of the body. You have rendered yourself damaged or perhaps even useless at this point. If your finger gets gangrene, it can’t be used like it used to be used. The body continues on with its regular processes and daily rituals but perhaps just not as well as it did before. It may be a small thing that you have a problem with and you think it doesn’t affect anyone but you. However, in the long run, someone has seen you as an example or has looked at you and you weren’t even conscious that they were and you have inadvertently effected their view of you and the Body of Christ. So, as a contaminated member of the \body of Christ you have withdrawn your talents and abilities or at least limited them. It may be as small as someone saw you outside of church and that is their impression now of you and your church family.
We talked about being imitators of God. How truly important that is. Take a look in Colossians 3:1-14. These verses are describing the things that will contaminate the spirit and then at the end of the verses it says what to put on to protect you and make yourself stronger. “…and have put on the new self, which is renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator…..Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against each other.”
For the much more difficult habits we all have that affect our physical beings, and then in turn also our spirits, we return once again to the art of submission. True relinquishing of our old selves to our new selves. Romans 8:9-12 It is amazing what Christ did for us. It would seem easy for us to switch our lives from old to new. It’s not that hard to live the old way, is it? Realizing that it is a battle everyday to live a righteous life. Joining life on the good side. No one ever said it was supposed to be easy, but I will tell you this. The faster you learn to give it all to Him, the easier you will sleep at night and the easier it will be to overcome your trials. “….but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master…” What a wonderful thought.
Are you going to make the Body stronger? What battle will you choose to fight?
No comments:
Post a Comment