Orange Juice

What does Orange Juice have to do with anything Lindsay? Well, let me tell you. 

This morning I woke up craving Orange Juice, which happens quite regularly for me. About a year ago I decided that to best serve God in the first and third world would not only be to be in my best spiritual shape, but also in my best physical shape. I'm not going to write about exercise and eating right however, I am going to talk about how when we make a choice to give up something for the more of God, it becomes a natural desire and craving and vice versa. If we keep choosing something else besides the Lord, besides abiding, then we won't miss or long for it like we once did.

Let me explain this in further detail through OJ and Soda.

I used to crave Diet Coke on the regular... I just loved it. I remember driving through McDonalds sometimes just to get a Diet Coke! So crazy. Once I made an active choice to cut out Diet Coke & replace it with healthier drinks I found myself not missing Diet Coke as much. I did for a while, but eventually the routine and memory of Diet Coke disappeared and I had a new thirst and craving for water and especially Orange Juice. I made a choice to drink water. I made a choice to drink OJ and I found that I felt better after drinking those drinks than I did when I would drink Diet Coke. That made the continual choice of water/OJ easy.

But then... you have those days where you get an old urge, an old craving. You want the flippin Diet Coke! But you know it isn't good for you and it doesn't make you feel as good as water and OJ. I found myself during these hard times, choosing to chug water or OJ instead of getting in my car and driving through McDonalds for a Diet Coke. It was a choice. I made it because I used my mind and through the hard times of choice my body started to walk in alignment with the choice I made in my mind. It started craving water, started craving Orange Juice, and now I don't even care for Diet Coke. But it took an active choice and perseverance.

Ok cool Linds, again... what does this have to do with Jesus? Well If you haven't made the parallel yet, this is a total revelation I had when drinking Orange Juice this morning. How often I watch people chose the Diet Coke, chose the world and forget the goodness that Jesus brings, the goodness that water and OJ is to them. They grow accustom to the Diet Coke and it becomes a habit they are blind to. Is that you? Are you letting the world slip in? Are you slowing down in the run? Put down the Diet Coke, actively chose the Water or the Orange Juice. I am not talking about sin. I am talking about following Jesus. I am talking about choosing the world and not Christ. Choosing to settle and not abandon. I am talking about slowing down and not pressing on.

I am praying that the Lord illuminates to us through Holy Spirit where we have compromised. Where we have chosen second best instead of Him. May He be our first choice. Our first priority. Our first love. May we remember the love poured out on Calvary and joyfully lay down our Diet Coke, joyfully lay down our worldly desires, and radically chose Him, radically pour out everything, and radically follow Him with everything we have. My advice: chug the Orange Juice, it's so good and no matter how I feel, it tastes the same and has the same affect on my body. Same with Christ. No matter how I feel, He is good. No matter what, when I chose to put Him first, I will have a good affect in my life but more importantly, the world.

"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:1-2)