STARVING THE FLESH

Several months ago, my wife Marilyn and I decided it was time to modify our lifestyle. We went on the South Beach diet. Over a period of time, the excess pounds went away. But, we’ve lost weight on diets before, only to go back to eating and putting the pounds back on.

This time, we’ve learned a discipline of three things: we weigh regularly so the pounds don’t creep back, adjust by cutting back when needed and keeping track of carbohydrates. If a food is high in carbs, we either don’t eat it, or take a small portion. We watch sugar intake—no sweet drinks—and I used to insist that my tea would ooze out of the pitcher like syrup!

But, this message isn’t about that kind of weight loss—it’s about the spiritual disciplines needed to live the transformed life; not about high impact aerobics, but high-impact spirituality. It’s about starving the fleshly, sinful appetites, so as not to become spiritually flabby. What kinds of disciplines are needed for that?

These are suggested in Paul’s thirteenth chapter of his letter to the Romans, verses eight through fourteen:

8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.
9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.
12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in
lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.
14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

That will be our formula for starving the flesh and nourishing the spirit within, which we will set on the table before you, God willing, this week.