Christians | brady, mark a.

Diet fads and beliefs seem to come and go. One day you should not eat meat, and the next day, you should drink a glass of red wine. (As in one!) They tell you not to eat eggs, then a few years later, they tell you it’s okay. I guess it had something to do with the yoke being bad for someone who suffered from high cholesterol. In my humble opinion, the yoke is the best part! I love eating an egg sunny side up.

In recent days, I have heard some Christians talking about Jesus and how, when He walked the Earth, He was both God and man. They go on to believe that is how He was able to know things and to perform miracles. The part that bothers me with this kind of thinking is when they believe that we cannot do what Jesus did. I feel this is wrong.

Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion. Phi. 2:7 (MSG)

Thinking as they do, I call them “High Cholesterol Christians.” They seem to miss the fact that Jesus was able to know things unseen and perform miracles because of the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Trinity is like one egg, but the egg has three parts.

The shell, the white, and the yoke. With the Trinity, you have God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, yet they are one.

Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit. He demonstrated that is how we should walk this Earth as well. He became a man, a man filled with the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit gives us power and supernatural gifts as He sees fit.

²¹One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened, ²²and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.” Luke 3:21-22 (NLT)

Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, Luke 4:1

Then Jesus himself in Acts 1:8 said, “But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth.” (AMPC)

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. John 14:12 (NLT)

We must accept the whole Trinity of God. We should walk with confidence because Jesus said we could. And if you have not been filled with the Holy Spirit, ask God to fill you. Don’t be afraid of what perhaps you have not been taught. Use the faith you have that brought you to God in the beginning. When you sense the Holy Spirit stirring inside, you will be moved to say things for God that you have never said before. You will be bold in asking someone if you can pray for them. When in what used to be uncomfortable situations, you will have the power from God to handle them. You will know what to say and what to do. As a Christian, eat the whole egg. It’s good for ya.

The other day, I had to fast for twelve hours and then have blood drawn for an upcoming doctor’s appointment. Needless to say, I was hungry by the time I finished getting the lab work done. Fortunately, there is a fast-food establishment that serves breakfast right next door to the lab.

When I walked in, I saw a middle-aged lady bent over the front counter, filling out a report. I started checking out the menu. When she saw me, she apologized. I smiled and told her it wasn’t necessary as I was still pondering what to get. I finally decided, and after taking my order, she asked for my name.

I got my drink and stood near the counter to receive my food. Then, I picked out a place to sit. Several times, when I looked into the kitchen, I would notice her looking at me. I am certainly not used to having women look at me. However, last week, I had a beautiful woman at the health club smile at me. I smiled back and then looked around to see if her warm expression was meant for someone else.

When the morning sun rose above a nearby building, its light flooded the dining area and illuminated my face. I’m sure I looked radiant and angelic and just needed a wind machine to blow my hair back! This undoubtedly added to her infatuation with me!

After I finished my breakfast, I cleaned up my space and used their public bathroom. As I was exiting the door, I heard, “Goodbye, Mark.” Nervously, I looked back and saw her at the counter. I said, “Goodbye. Have a nice day.” She probably did after encountering me. LOL

Here is what I think was really going on in the above true story. The woman appeared to have had a rough life so far. I imagine she had been in and out of several relationships with men. Hoping they would satisfy the longing in her heart for God, but she probably didn’t know that is Who she was actually desperately seeking. The woman was not really attracted to me, but to the love of God she sensed about me. She no doubt felt His presence and His peace. We are reps for God everywhere we go. That is why we need to be open to other’s needs and recognize situations where someone is seeking God. Then, we can share with them and introduce them to Him.

If with heart and soul you’re doing good, do you think you can be stopped? Even if you suffer for it, you’re still better off. Don’t give the opposition a second thought. Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy. Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none of it will stick. They’ll end up realizing that they’re the ones who need a bath. It’s better to suffer for doing good, if that’s what God wants, than to be punished for doing bad. That’s what Christ did definitively: suffered because of others’ sins, the Righteous One for the unrighteous ones. He went through it all—was put to death and then made alive—to bring us to God. 1 Peter 3:15-18 (MSG)