Found Faithful

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving holiday. I sure did. Both of the kids/ spouses spent Wednesday evening with us. We had a great time together. Dale fixed a traditional Thanksgiving meal with a big, fat turkey, dressing and the whole nine yards! Each of us shared special words of gratitude, I read Scripture, and we prayed together. And then we ate! It was a real feast.



STAND BACK!



It’s always been my job to carve the turkey. In the photograph you’ll see that I’m about to get to work. Which brings me to “the knife.” We have this electric knife we got as a wedding gift—35 years ago. I know, I know. I look much too young to have been married 35 years! Even when new, this knife was an ordinary appliance—nothing high tech or high end.

But… it got the job done. And still does.

My electric knife doesn’t get many “Wows!” But it sure can make the turkey look good.

And as I cleaned it up to put it away, I thought, “I want to be like that knife.” Not the latest and greatest—and the packaging is starting to look a little rough. But I want to continue to be faithful, useful in serving the Lord. I realize I’m not describing established fact; I’m describing my aspirations. My problem is that my ego wants to get in the way.

But I certainly aspire to be useful. The resurrected Christ said to the church in Smyrna, “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10). That’s how long my knife is going to be faithful. That’s how long I want to be faithful.

Zombie Bees



Real-Life Zombie Bee



Here’s an effective (though somewhat creepy) way to illustrate the need for spiritual discipline and the need to renew your mind. In 2008, scientists spotted what they called “zombie bees.” These bees showed strange behaviors, like flying at night (almost unheard of in healthy bees), moving erratically and then dying.

Investigators found that the bees were victims of a parasitic fly that invaded the bees’ minds and induced their hosts to make a “flight of the living dead.” The article notes other examples of parasites that not only feed on its host, but also alter the host’s behavior in a way that benefits the parasite. The technical phrase is “host manipulation.”

Is this just a creepy extension of our fascination with zombies? The article seems to suggest that humans might be the victims of host manipulation as well, giving rise to the question, “Who’s in charge inside your head?” Of course the jury may still be out on how “host manipulation” works on a physical level, but it’s sure a powerful reality in the spiritual realm.

So, who’s in charge inside your head? Well, as fallen people, we are highly susceptible to the leadership of the Evil one. After all, it’s only natural. But we don’t want to be bound by natural limitations. We want more. That’s why God offers new life through our faith in Christ.

Paul challenges us, “Whatever we do, it is because Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for everyone, we also believe that we have all died to the old life we used to live” (2C5:14, NLT). What’s the explanation for all of your erratic, self-destructive behavior? You may be under the control of the wrong host!

How do you limit the influence of our fallen world and leverage the influence of the risen Christ? Exercise spiritual discipline. Engage in personal prayer; join in Bible study with other believers; gather for worship each week; give yourself in service to others.

Paul’s language was, put off the old self, put on the new self and [Steve’s language] fly right!

For Christ,

SLK