Orange Thought's

While driving home last night I reaching into my cooler and pulled out an orange. I had just finished with my workout and was looking forward to a juicy pick-me-up. I'm not sure if it was the workout or if it's orange season but WOW I'd never tasted anything so sweet! All to soon I was down to the last slice. As I savored the end of it, I realized that a small piece had gotten lodged in my teeth. "Crumb! I keep forgetting to put floss picks in the truck!" My tongue quickly got to loosening the piece of orange, but to no avail. The more I tried, the more it got stuck. In despair, I left off getting it out and continued my way home. My teeth however had different plans. They sent up a throbbing drum beat to my head and my tongue was quickly called back to action. It pulled and pressed and pushed, my tongue was getting tired. There was a refreshing pause and then back to work it went. After a while of this I finally was able to push it out with the help of my finger. Awwww, instant relief!
This whole episode got me thinking, as I'm sure you are also scratching your head wondering if I've lost it. If I'm so persistent in getting a piece of fruit from between my teeth can't I use that same persistence to get sin from my life. Just as the orange was pleasurable for a while, it ended up causing my mouth pain. Sin in the same way, is pleasurable for a season but in the end brings only death.

"But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." James 1:14-15

Just as my physical body concentrated all it's efforts and thoughts on get that orange out. My spiritual body should also be warring against the evil that is inside me.

"But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin." Romans 7:23-25

Even though my flesh will always be fighting for the upper hand, I know that.....

"The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him." Psalm 28:7

"I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth." Psalms 121:1-2