Shopping On Black Friday

I have a confession to make.

Last week for the first time in my life, I went shopping on Black Friday. Neither Martha nor I can ever remember that happening before. Actually, my wife hasn’t shopped on many Black Fridays either.

We both went last week but it really wasn’t much shopping–more of an outing than any kind of shopping.

We went to a couple of stores and saw several people we knew. We were amazed. The traffic wasn’t bad and the crowds weren’t large. It was late in the afternoon. Maybe the real shoppers had shopped out by then.

After we returned home, I read news accounts of people fighting over prepaid cell phones and jostling for position and fighting over sales.

The most insightful quip I read came from a person who spoke about Black Friday. He said something like this: the people fighting for stuff on Black Friday are the same people who observed Thursday as a day of giving thanks for all the stuff they already have.

It made me think of Paul’s words about the flesh warring against the Spirit and the Spirit warring against the flesh.

It happens all the time. Our old, selfish nature wars against the work of God’s Spirit within us. Paul recognized the struggle. He spoke of how he often did what he hated and other times didn’t do what he wanted.

How do we win the victory over our sinful nature?

Paul gave us the answer: “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). To walk by the Spirit is to allow God to possess and control your life. For me, this has to be a daily surrender to Christ. If you would like to read more about this daily surrender, click here.

By walking each day in His Spirit, we find the solution to the problem of the two natures. By seeking Him daily and allowing God to have our lives, we find the help we need for our struggle with sin.

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2 Responses

  1. As a baseball player you give great advice to getting in the game and getting a hit or walk to first base. One certainly cannot get to home unless one gets in the game and on base. However, it is closer to the beginning than it is to the end; it takes a team to get home with much individual effort.

    And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the Light of His Glory and Grace.

    Yep, turn your eyes upon Jesus is the message to the Body/ Bride I reckon. It will get you in the game, to first base… and beyond to where those two or more gathered together in His Name Grow in His Glory and Grace on earth as it is in Heaven!

    Blessings.

  2. So did you get any good deals? ;). I think that guy nailed it. We give thanks and speak of contentment to just go out and grab for more. All the while we treat others as our competition instead of neighbors.

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