{"id":25095,"date":"2019-02-25T03:30:56","date_gmt":"2019-02-25T11:30:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/?p=25095"},"modified":"2019-02-22T14:21:41","modified_gmt":"2019-02-22T22:21:41","slug":"february-25-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/2019\/02\/25\/february-25-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"February 25, 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201c… and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves.\u201d\u00a0<\/em>Jude 1:10<\/p>\n

Animal Instincts\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><\/h2>\n

A baby giraffe was recently born in a zoo. He was six feet tall, and oh-so-cute. At birth, he plopped onto the ground, and after a couple of minutes, he stood on wobbly legs and knobby knees to nurse. He\u2019ll be the darling of the zoo visitors for some time to come, just like all animal babies are.<\/p>\n

What did that baby know at his birth? As far as I can tell, he knew he had to stand up, and he knew he had to nurse. Those things were instinctual. He will eventually know how to eat the leaves on trees, how to drink water out of a basin, how to mate.<\/p>\n

The Bible calls wild animals \u201cbrute beasts.\u201d Wild animals must either be left alone in the wild, or they must be caged so they don\u2019t hurt anyone. As much as we love to watch brute beasts from a safe distance\u2014and maybe wish we could cuddle the cute ones\u2014it isn\u2019t flattering to be called one.<\/p>\n

Why are they wild? They live by instinct. I think we all know some children who we call \u201cwild,\u201d and, though certainly not always, it is often because they are allowed to live by instinct\u2014without external or internal controls.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a lifelong battle for us to develop internal controls and not live by instinct, or what the Bible calls \u201cflesh.\u201d Isn\u2019t it easier and more natural-feeling to sit on the couch than to pull weeds? Wouldn\u2019t we rather do what we\u2019ve always done\u2014gratify our desires, blurt out the words, eat the sugar, stay in bed a little longer, take a second look at something we shouldn\u2019t, listen to gossip, and indulge a complaining spirit? Isn\u2019t it easier to not forgive, to hold the grudge, to keep our money for ourselves, to turn away from another\u2019s needs?<\/p>\n

Oh, that our natural bent would be toward living a God-pleasing, holy life! Genesis 4:7 says, \u201c\u2026And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it<\/strong>.\u201d\u00a0<\/em>And Romans 6:12 is very to-the-point: \u201cTherefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

Do not allow it <\/strong>to rule. You\u00a0<\/strong>rule it. This is the battle. Choose to live God-pleasing and holy (1 Peter 1:15-16) instead of living by instinct like a brute beast. We don\u2019t have to obey the instinct to sin, for \u201cyou are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/em>(Romans 8:9).<\/p>\n

\u201cGod\u2014You who will not dwell in an unholy place\u2014develop in us a hunger and thirst that can only be quenched by Your presence. Though You have made us flesh, our desire is to live by Your Spirit who dwells in us. In Jesus\u2019 mighty Name, Amen.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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