June 22, 2018
By dying to sin, we
have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit.
Romans 7:6
Surrendering means we
no longer focus on what we prefer for ourselves, but on what pleases Him.
I remember a simple science lesson from 3rd
Grade, and the principle that it taught has been with me for years. We made “oceans in a bottle”. In those days, soda was served in bottles,
and we took an empty one, filling it half-way full with oil, water, and some
blue food coloring, then sealing it up.
After sealed, we could shake the bottle, and the whole container would
become blue. Eventually one will
separate from the other, and the oil will settle below the water – and if I am
remembering correctly, the blue food coloring would stay with the oil. All summer long, I enjoyed tipping the
bottle sideways for hours making the ocean move back & forth, and the beauty of the sea inside. (Maybe that’s where my love for the ocean
started!)
It was a simple science principle. Oil & water don’t mix. You can try to make them merge, but
eventually they separate. One cannot
exist with the other.
That’s what Paul says happens when we surrender our lives to
Jesus. Like any decision to surrender,
the surrendering person gives up all rights, no longer trying to pursue their
preferences, but following those of the power they surrendered to. Just like the blue food coloring, it will
settle out of the mixture into the oil, away from the water. The blue color surrenders to the oil, letting
it dictate where it will go.
By giving our lives to Jesus, we allow the Oil of the Holy
Spirit to take us where it wants to go.
We no longer follow sin & its temptations, we instead follow the
Spirit. Our focus is no longer on a list
of dos and don’ts, instead we simply
follow the Spirit. All of the ways of
sin (the water), no longer have control over us. Instead, we are controlled by the Spirit, and
in following the Spirit, we are able to do
and not do what God had designed us to be in the first place.
I don’t recall the exact recipe of that ocean in a bottle. But I do
recall the principle. Oil and water
don’t mix. That’s not just true
physically, it matches spiritually too.
Surrender to the oil, and let it separate me from sin. Then watch what happens in your life! You will discover an amazing adventure that
pleases your heavenly Father!
No comments:
Post a Comment