Thank You, Father, for a great start to my morning. Some extra time set apart for me and You makes all the difference! May it become a habit.

Romans 6:12-14 (<<click here to read the passage)

This is going back a ways, but in the mid-80s, Wendy’s had an ad campaign for their chicken sandwiches in which the key phrase was “parts is parts”.

A gentleman at the counter of a hamburger joint saw another customer walk away with a sandwich and the dialogue went as follows:

Customer:  “Excuse me but what was that in there?”
Employee: “It’s chicken!”
Customer:  “Chicken?”
Another customer: “Processed chicken.”
Customer:  “Processed?”
Employee: “That’s like when they take a lot of chickens and assemble their respective parts.”
Customer:  “What parts?”
He asks someone else, and they say, “Different parts.”
Employee: “Parts is parts.”

Wendy’s sandwiches were (and still are) made of whole chicken breasts, not processed parts.

I do like their spicy chicken sandwiches, but this post isn’t a promo for them. My focus is on “parts”.

Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. v13a NLT

We have all kinds of parts that we can allow to become instruments of evil – our eyes can perceive things in twisted ways, our hands can perform wicked deeds, our feet can transport us to tempting destinations, our ears can listen to perverse and wicked verbiage, and our tongues can cut people far more damagingly than sticks and stones ever would.

Other parts can be in check, but if just one part becomes an instrument of evil the damage is done…parts is parts.

Instead, give yourselves completely [every single one of your parts] to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. v13b NLT (emphasis mine)

Honestly, it’s much easier said than done…right? But here’s the thing – and I’ve said it repeatedly – we cannot do this on our own. In order to succeed in this great endeavor, we must strive to work alongside Jesus!

He said in Matthew 11:29-30,

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me [following Me as My disciple], for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest (renewal, blessed quiet) for your souls. For My yoke is easy [to bear] and My burden is light.” AMP

Only in Him can we be victorious…and it doesn’t just happen. It takes a conscientious effort on our part. It takes discipline. It takes consistency. Every bit of that until it is embedded in our hearts and minds. And the best thing is we’ll never go it alone, for the Holy Spirit is with us all along the way! Lord Jesus, help us!

Dec 14th, 2022, Wed, 5:00 pm