Chewing Gum

Would you give up gum for God?

But wait, we're not under the law!

We try to pull so far away from the Mosaic law, that the attitude ends up being, "Hey! I can do such and such, the Bible doesn't say I can't!" People ask the common question of how far is too far. How much can I get away with and still be a Christian. How much can I do and still get into heaven.

First things first, we are NOT justified (saved) by ANY work that we do, it was entirely paid for by Christ AND we do not keep our salvation by ANY work that we do, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit. However, that does not mean there is nothing to obey. Jesus humbled Himself in obedience to the Father, to the point of death, on the cross. (Philippians 2:8) Did you know that He didn't have to do it, He had a choice to obey or not? I'm so glad He did obey.

This falls under the category of sanctification. That is the process of being conformed to the image of Christ. This is about your soul. Your spirit was recreated brand-new at the new birth, but your soul was not. Your soul takes a lifetime to be changed (Philippians 1:6). Some submit to this change more readily than others, and as such, we have some Christians that are matured and are walking in victory and are able to minister to others, and then we have some that the world can't really tell are saved.

This sanctification process is purely done by the Holy Spirit, we take no credit whatsoever, but we are involved in submitting to it. Submission--that is a word many people don't like to hear. It has negative connotations. We don't like being told what to do. My own five-year-old told us a few months ago that she couldn't wait to grow up, because then no one could tell her what to do. This was said very matter-of-fact, and not in a rebellious, reactive tone. It was funny to us, but we explained to her that every single one of us is under authority at all times. We don't reach a place in life where we are free from that. You may be under the authority of a husband, a boss, a pastor, the law/government of your country, and always God.

So when I ask if you would give up gum for God, I really mean, are you fully, whole-heartedly submitted to Him, to do His will, in all things, whether it is specifically spelled out in scripture or not.

So many want to question the alcohol issue. Rather than thinking of yourself, think of others. Will it ruin your witness if you have a drink? Will it cause someone around you to stumble? (Romans 14:21) Will it lead you to temptation, perhaps to overindulge, or fall in another area? You are more likely to give in to things when your senses are dulled.

What about movies? It seems we all have our standard and those that watch worse than us, we judge, those that don't watch what we watch are prudes. Our standard should be the Bible, not our own made-up rule. See Philippians 4:8 and Proverbs 13:20 fits, too. What are you filling your mind with? The mind is transformed by whatever it is filled with, good or bad. (Romans 12:2 is an example of the good.) We felt convicted a few years ago to cut way, way back on movies. We don't go around telling everyone they are sinning for watching movies. That is called legalism. If it comes up in conversation I will tell a friend what we have decided. Sometimes it makes an impact, other times not. That is between them and God, not them and me.

One question in these extra-biblical areas is dependence. Do you rely on, look to, and/or crave such and such more than God? This can apply to a lot of things, food, coffee, alcohol, music, video games, books, shopping, hanging out with certain friends, and on and on. This may sound really strange, but that's what music was for me, for a very, very long time. Music was my escape. I always reached for music when I was feeling down. I depended on it to bring peace and joy to my life. I don't so much anymore. It wasn't that I decided to use my willpower and break this in my life, I didn't make any rules for myself, but rather as I study God's Word more and more and learn His ways and learn of His character, it is easier and easier to trust Him, and I find myself less and less reaching for my music. I will put on music now simply for praise and worship, to focus on Him, no longer myself. Very occasionally I will put on some music just for fun. I don't go around telling others not to listen to music, this is just between me and God. It was my heart that was in the wrong.

I love what Mark Driscoll said once, that we have liberties, but some of us need to give up those liberties. It's not about nitpicking over whether the Bible allows it, the question really is, does God want you doing it. In order to be conformed to the image of Christ, you are going to have to shed some things. (Romans 8:29) The Bible says not to be conformed to this world. (Romans 12:2) Jesus is trying to prune you, so that you can bear more fruit. (John 15:2)

This brings me to my post the other day on John 15:5. We cannot do any of these things in our own power, it is only through Christ's power. So, I ask you again, would you give up gum for God? If He asks you to, He will give you the ability to.