The Fast & The Furious
We all probably know someone who lives 'fast and furious' - either a family member or friend. They seem to be kind of oblivious to the risks they are taking. What they may fail to recognize today is that the enemy of their soul is about to 'strut his stuff' because all this 'fast and furious' living is about to cave in on them! That makes the enemy of our soul very, very happy! He gets his 'glory walk' on and struts around like a little peacock just relishing every moment of every 'crash and burn'. Do you ever feel like the enemy of your soul is just strutting his stuff when it comes to the choices you have made? It seems like he has repeatedly dealt blow after blow in 2020, until each of us are left low and beaten down. It could be we find ourselves experiencing this "beaten down" state simply because of the subtle, but consistent, compromises we have made. Either way, God hasn't left the throne. The enemy of our soul may be 'gloating' a little right now, but God's not done!
She played fast and loose with life, she never considered tomorrow, and now she's crashed royally, with no one to hold her hand: "Look at my pain, O God! And how the enemy cruelly struts." (Lamentations 1:9)
I believe all scripture is given "by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16). So, if God took the time to leave us these words to consider this morning, we should take the time to consider how they might apply to our lives. I would like to consider the condition of soul that leads to one being 'in pain' and feeling life has left them wrung out. She played fast and loose with life - it kind of says it all. All of us are subject to this same condition of "soulish" enjoyment of life. We give into our whims and fancies, only to find ourselves totally unfulfilled and the cost of our fast living too much for us to keep up with. Don't miss it - she played FAST. The old idiom, "Haste makes waste," comes to mind here. Whenever we don't take time to really consider our choices, we frequently regret the outcome! Fast is not always best - there is something to be said about 'pondering' our choices - that moment or two of pondering may just make the difference between a crash and burn moment and a positive outcome!
The condition of mind that many live by is never considering tomorrow - living for the moment. When one is living fast and loose, there is nothing more alluring than the pleasure of today - completely missing tomorrow's demands. Take for example the choices we make to ignore the few extra pounds we see on the scale today. Eat as we like and those few will soon amount to many more in the tomorrows which come! It is often our lack of "forethought" which gets us into so much doggone trouble. Our mind plays a tremendous part in the activities of today - for all action is based on thought - but when we are living 'fast and furious' lives, we rarely consider the long range effect of whatever it is we are thinking about doing! She has crashed royally because of her choices. There is a tremendous cost to inattentive living rarely considered in the moment. If you have ever experienced the "crash" of your computer, getting that 'blue screen' of doom, you know the sudden panic at having "lost everything"! The spirit of man is what gives us the unique animation and capability of deep, interpersonal relationship with others (especially God). When the spirit crashes, it is like our "hard drive" has crashed! The very thing which animates us, drawing richness from the throne of God, is interrupted in its ability to "make the connection".
The condition of heart exhibited by those living way to 'fast and furious' is that there is no connection to others. She has no one to hold her hand - a place we could find ourselves in quite easily if we are living without purpose and thought. We lack the very thing we need to help in life's darkest moments! Compromise has a cost far greater than the moment of soulish enjoyment we experience. Mind, spirit and heart all bear the effect. A disconnected spirit leads to a truly empty heart. If we have been living way to 'fast' and with a little bit of 'fury', it is time to slow down. God's able to regenerate us even when we "crash" and "burn"! We just need to submit to the touch of his hands. Respond with a new animation of spirit, the total submission of your mind, and a new-found determination to consider carefully the steps you take. In turn, his hands remain close, bearing us up until we are "fully regenerated" into purposeful and restored condition! Fast and furious may be okay for a while, but life has a way of beating us down without us even noticing just how much it has. I am not about to give the enemy of my soul a chance to strut his stuff because I am living that way. How about you? Just askin!
She played fast and loose with life, she never considered tomorrow, and now she's crashed royally, with no one to hold her hand: "Look at my pain, O God! And how the enemy cruelly struts." (Lamentations 1:9)
I believe all scripture is given "by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16). So, if God took the time to leave us these words to consider this morning, we should take the time to consider how they might apply to our lives. I would like to consider the condition of soul that leads to one being 'in pain' and feeling life has left them wrung out. She played fast and loose with life - it kind of says it all. All of us are subject to this same condition of "soulish" enjoyment of life. We give into our whims and fancies, only to find ourselves totally unfulfilled and the cost of our fast living too much for us to keep up with. Don't miss it - she played FAST. The old idiom, "Haste makes waste," comes to mind here. Whenever we don't take time to really consider our choices, we frequently regret the outcome! Fast is not always best - there is something to be said about 'pondering' our choices - that moment or two of pondering may just make the difference between a crash and burn moment and a positive outcome!
The condition of mind that many live by is never considering tomorrow - living for the moment. When one is living fast and loose, there is nothing more alluring than the pleasure of today - completely missing tomorrow's demands. Take for example the choices we make to ignore the few extra pounds we see on the scale today. Eat as we like and those few will soon amount to many more in the tomorrows which come! It is often our lack of "forethought" which gets us into so much doggone trouble. Our mind plays a tremendous part in the activities of today - for all action is based on thought - but when we are living 'fast and furious' lives, we rarely consider the long range effect of whatever it is we are thinking about doing! She has crashed royally because of her choices. There is a tremendous cost to inattentive living rarely considered in the moment. If you have ever experienced the "crash" of your computer, getting that 'blue screen' of doom, you know the sudden panic at having "lost everything"! The spirit of man is what gives us the unique animation and capability of deep, interpersonal relationship with others (especially God). When the spirit crashes, it is like our "hard drive" has crashed! The very thing which animates us, drawing richness from the throne of God, is interrupted in its ability to "make the connection".
The condition of heart exhibited by those living way to 'fast and furious' is that there is no connection to others. She has no one to hold her hand - a place we could find ourselves in quite easily if we are living without purpose and thought. We lack the very thing we need to help in life's darkest moments! Compromise has a cost far greater than the moment of soulish enjoyment we experience. Mind, spirit and heart all bear the effect. A disconnected spirit leads to a truly empty heart. If we have been living way to 'fast' and with a little bit of 'fury', it is time to slow down. God's able to regenerate us even when we "crash" and "burn"! We just need to submit to the touch of his hands. Respond with a new animation of spirit, the total submission of your mind, and a new-found determination to consider carefully the steps you take. In turn, his hands remain close, bearing us up until we are "fully regenerated" into purposeful and restored condition! Fast and furious may be okay for a while, but life has a way of beating us down without us even noticing just how much it has. I am not about to give the enemy of my soul a chance to strut his stuff because I am living that way. How about you? Just askin!
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