Under Spiritual Control

I’ve had a rather challenging and fulfilling seven days this past week. Several tests crossed my path, one of which I was looking forward to. Sunday evening I visited a sister congregation of God’s people in a neighboring city on an invite to speak. It was my first time away from home, so to speak, as I had never taught or preached outside my home congregation before. I’m afraid I spoke too long, but I guess that’s better than running out of material in ten minutes; not good at all. My lack of experience does not yet allow me to judge amount of material and its equivalency to length of time to present it, but I was close. It seems my organizational skills came up a little short in several areas throughout the entire week and to my amazement, it didn’t upset me that circumstances derailed my planned schedules. My wife was scheduled for eye surgery on Friday and a pre-op appointment on Tuesday. We had been down this road before and figured about one hour at the most and we’d be on our way home. Three and one half hours later would have been a closer estimate. On surgery day, past experiences for this type of outpatient activity have averaged four hours, but not this time. A personnel shortage in the surgical suite pushed everything back four hours making for a long day of waiting. The waiting game can bring out the best and the worst in some people. Some become boisterous, just talking aloud hoping someone will hear their complaint and help them. Some voiced their displeasure to the office receptionist, who has no control over the situation. Some simply take the delay in stride, settling in for the duration having come prepared with a book to read. Waiting also opens the door to personal cell phone conversations and a couple of, full, life histories of people sharing stories; way too much information. Needless to say, all my buttons had been pushed several times during the week, yet I maintained outward control. I give myself a B+.
While sitting in the reception area of her doctor’s office, a woman witnessed another rolling an elderly man in a wheelchair into the room. As the man’s assistant went to the receptionist’s desk, he sat there alone and silent. The woman felt compassion to start a conversation with the man, but was intercepted by a little boy who slid down from his mother’s lap and walked over to the wheelchair. Placing his little hand on the man’s, he said, “I know how you feel. My mom makes me ride in the stroller too!”
There was a brother in the church who couldn’t sing a lick and always sang at the top of his lungs. A few members complained asking him if he could sing a little softer. However, the brother continued to sing as loud as he could until a few members went and to the preacher and voiced a complaint. The preacher suggested to the brother that maybe he should sing a little softer. The man asked, “Why should I sing softer?” The preacher said, “Because five or six members told me you can’t sing in key.” “That’s nothing”, replied the man, “fifty or so members have told me you can’t preach.”
[Romans 8: 5-8] In the letter to the Romans, chapters 7 & 8, Paul speaks of the distinct characteristics of the carnal mind and the spiritual mind. When the body controls the mind there is a selfish sinful attitude, but when the mind controls the body there is life and peace. The sinful mind is hostile to God and it cannot please God. The sinful mind is poison to ones self, hostile toward others and not pleasing to our fellow man. Unconditional love for one another pleases God. (1 Timothy 2: 1-4) Love and live.