These days it is quite acceptable to overindulge in cigarettes or alcohol, and people will not give you a second glance… but if tell them you dont drink, or that you have been sober for 10 years… they look at you funny…
I am never sure what goes on in the head behind the eyes as it glazes over, trying to process the fact (or maybe they are just thinking, “great! We have a designated driver!”)
I also wonder if Star Wars Yoda’s speech was inspired by biblical teaching styles of the New Testament… “drink too much, you must not!”
Peter gets a bit testy in 1 Peter 4 when he literally tells the church to shape up
“… For you have already spent enough time doing what unbelievers love to do—living in debauchery, sensuality, partying, drunkenness, wild drinking parties, and the worship of demons…” (1peter 4:3 – just by the way, the aramaic for ‘demons’ is translated by the greeks as ‘idolatries’ or idol worship…)
As I sit here, I wonder what new idols I have created to bow down in front of? Because anything that is not part of God’s purpose for my life, and the life of my family, has the potential to steal my time… which is a bit of an epiphany for me… because although they have power, its a very negatively directed power. What are they good for?
They make your time disappear,
They use up your resources,
They make you doubt yourself,
They make you sad,
They make you tired,
They embarrass you…
…and they make you lie to yourself and others…
… can’t think how I keep stepping into these traps?!
Peter, however, does provide the very simple answer:
“So live the rest of your earthly life no longer concerned with human desires but consumed with what brings pleasure to God…” (v2)
He looks at it from a soldiers perspective, to always be prepared and ready…. which was another epiphany… being a soldier isn’t about the training, its about the mindset. It is about being ready and carrying your tools and the knowledge in a way that it is close to hand.
When I grew up, a pocket knife was to be found in every young boy’s pocket. It is still in mine, and hardly a day goes by that it is not used. And hardly a day goes by that it doesn’t get a quick sharpen on my wet stone before I leave the house. Because trying to use a blunt knife can be more dangerous than not having a knife at all. Its my Every Day Carry
Which got me thinking, which verses of the bible is in my EDC, what verse or part of the bible do I walk out with every morning? Do I carry the Word of God as my pocket knife? Do I have my purpose in my back pocket like I do my credit cards. Do I have a handful of empathy like the coins I keep for the street people?
I realized that I am not as prepared for my day as I should be, and that is why I still lose my cool, why I still get angry and frustrated, and still see problems through the world’s eyes instead of through Christ’s eyes.
1 Since Christ, though innocent, suffered in his flesh for you, now you also must be a prepared soldier, having the same mind-set, for whoever has died in his body is done with sin.
2 So live the rest of your earthly life no longer concerned with human desires but consumed with what brings pleasure to God.
3 For you have already spent enough time doing what unbelievers love to do—living in debauchery, sensuality, partying, drunkenness, wild drinking parties, and the worship of demons.
4 They marvel that you no longer rush to join them in the excesses of their corrupt lifestyles, and so they vilify you.
5 But one day they will have to give an account to the one who is destined to judge the living and the dead.
6 This is the reason the gospel was preached to the martyrs before they gave their lives. Even though they were judged by human standards, now they live in spirit by God’s standards.
1 Peter 4:1-6
