Verse of the Day - Romans 13:14

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. ~ Romans 13:14 (ESV)

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You know the old Boy Scout model, "Be prepared"? Well, we like to be a prepared bunch, don't we? Provisions, provisions, provisions. We often live in a proverbial bomb shelter, stocked full of whatever we may need -- just in case of emergency.

When I travel, for example. If I'll be gone a week, I end up packing for two weeks. See, because, what if I want to wear that outfit with those shoes and this purse...? I want to be prepared for my whims and feelings, so I overload my suitcase with WAY more than I really need. Which is fine, unless the airline thinks my suitcase will cause the transporter a hernia, and charge $25 for excess load and slap a glaring green "HEAVY" tag to my bag...

We like to plan for every avenue, every instance, every event. But in life, that isn't always a good thing. When we make provisions for sinful things in our lives, we just leave the door open to commit sin. That should be a big "duh" to us, but we still do it, don't we?

~ If we know that food is a problem for us and that eating right is the direction we should go, why do we stock provisions in our kitchen like chips, soda, and cookies?

~ If we know that pornography is a problem for us, why do we stock provisions by getting that massive cable TV package with 14 premium channels, which often carry programs which lean toward soft porn?

~ If we know that reading our Bible is important but we're always tempted to do something else instead, why do we stock provisions in our living room or at our bedside -- five magazines, three novels, and a remote control for the flat-panel TV?

And we're often quick to rationalize that these things aren't even just for us! The kids like snacks. The wife likes her TV. What if friends come over and want to read a magazine?

The point is that we just CAN'T make provisions for the things we know are bad for us, those things which tempt us to sin. Don't leave doors open for those areas in your life -- shut the door and lock it! And instead, replace those fleshly provisions with the mind of Christ. Allow Him the control when making decisions at the grocery store, the TV, or in time management. Don't give yourself an "out" in spiritual matters by stockpiling tempting provisions; instead, give "into" Jesus, by letting Him transform your thinking with a renewed mind (Romans 12:2), and choosing the provisions that promote spiritual health, instead of spiritual decay.

In a real bomb shelter, there is only so much room and when trying to sustain life, you won't be filling it with Twinkies and Ho-Ho's, because that won't keep you alive for long. You have to think smart and store only the provisions that promote health, for your survival.

One of the biggest mistakes we can make is to underestimate our weaknesses for yielding to temptation. That's why we can't fill up the bomb shelter of our lives with provisions that do nothing for us but lead us into sin. We just can't put them on the shelf, in case of whatever lame emergency we want to trick ourselves into believing we might need them for.

So, in the bomb shelter of your spiritual life, what provisions are you storing -- whole-grain bread, or Twinkies?

Love,
Joelene