Friday, November 19, 2010

November 19, 2010

"Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels." Luke 9:23-26
I am thinking about two "miracle" inventions that have happened in my lifetime. When I read this portion of Scripture I think of them.
What are they?
One is teflon. It is of course, a rugged no stick surface that is applied to the inside of cookware to prevent food substanced cooked in the coated pan. It makes clean up a breeze after you have fried some eggs or some pancakes.
The other product I was referring to is velcro. As you know, velcro is a fuzzy fiber substance that sticks to straps also made of velco. Two pieces of velcro can secure just about any piece of clothing or can work as a substitute for shoe laces.
So, you have teflon that is slippery and doesn't allow other things to attach to it and then you have the velcro which clings to other tacking surfaces to bind them together.
So, what does this have to do with fellowship? Quite a lot, actually! Christian fellowship has a teflon aspect and a velcro aspect.
Stewardship is managing your desires so that you can adhere to the right things and your self-denail so you can stay free of harmful or hurtful things. You must determine to let wrong things slide off of your life like teflon, while you cling to relationships and Godly principles like velcro.
Stewardship is also managing your wrong desires that would cause you to use other people for your own pleasures, purposes or power. Turn your wrong desires into teflon so that nothing sticks to your spirit , soul or mind. Attach your desires to God, like velcro! Let those ungodly and hurtful things bounce off your heart and mind like teflon.
Fellowship , then is defined by knowing how to use your teflon and your velcro! And doing it together within the environment of a local church. When each individual within that church commits to faithfully attach to the holy and godly and detach from the selfish and sinfull, fellowship can be very sweet!
What is sticking to your velcro? What is sliding off of your teflon? What adjustments must you make?