Happy Friday

Spies

There was a virtual reality television show where six men and six women were chosen to go through training to see which one would be hired as a spy. When they first came to “The Farm” for their training they were given new clothes to wear and told to take everything of theirs off and put on the new clothes. This was to be their new identity.

When we come to Jesus Christ we are to get rid of the old and are given a new identity also:

Ephesians 4:22-24 (ISV)
22 Regarding your former way of life, you were taught to strip off your old man, which is being ruined by its deceptive desires, 23 to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to clothe yourselves with the new man, which was created according to the likeness of God in righteousness and true holiness.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (WNT)
17 So that if any one is in Christ, he is a new creature: the old state of things has passed away; a new state of things has come into existence.

Some of the people on the television program thought they could keep some of the stuff that was theirs. They may not have even thought about some stuff like a class ring. Someone did keep a little book with phone numbers in it. If they were actually spies then the enemy could get these things and do some damage to them or to others. Even if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior we may still have some bad habits. Sometimes we may not realize we have them but we may try to hide our bad habits. This doesn’t work. God can see all of these. Become a new creature through the power of the Holy Spirit and leave your old sins behind.

These spies are trained to be just like the people around them. They are to blend in with everyone else so they will not be found out. Some Christians live like this also. They may live an ordinary life but never tell anyone about Jesus. Paul wrote that we are not to be like this:

Romans 12:2 (CEV)
2 Don’t be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him.

What is good and pleasing to God? We are to do what Jesus commanded us to do. That includes loving God with all that is in us, loving our neighbors and going to make disciples.

So we need to be like spies in the sense that we need to get rid of the old and become new creatures. WE don’t need to live like spies in that we are to be in the world but not of it. WE are to be different creatures who bring others to Jesus Christ.

By dean W. Masters

Daily Smile:

An elderly rabbi, having just retired from his duties in the temple, finally decides to fulfill his lifelong fantasy to taste pork.

He goes to a hotel in the Catskills in the off-season (not his usual one, mind you), enters the empty dining hall and sits down at a table far in the corner. The waiter arrives, and the rabbi orders roast suckling pig.

As the rabbi is waiting, struggling with his conscience, a family from his congregation walks in! They immediately see the rabbi and, since no one should eat alone, they join him. Shocked, the rabbi begins to sweat.

At last, the waiter arrives with a huge domed platter. He lifts the lid to reveal nothing else but roast suckling pig with a big apple in its mouth.

"This place is amazing!" cries the rabbi. "You order a baked apple, and look what you get!"

Editor's Note:
     This reminded me of a story of a pastor that skipped Sunday Service to go 100s of miles away to play a round of golf...
     On the first hole, the pastor gets a hole in one... The second hole the pastor gets a hole in one...
     Angel pokes GOD and ask HIM, "why did you do that... Two consecutive Holes in One has got to be the Greatest thing that could happen to him"... 
    "I Know," GOD Said, "but who is he going to tell???" 

Have A Great Friday...