DEAR FRIENDS,
I have started smoking. I have really wanted to get into this business for a while and now here I am with a smoker that I received for my birthday. Now, my relationship with BBQ can go to new heights. There are many aspects of smoking meat that are exciting and cool, but one aspect that I didn’t realize is the length of time it takes. The average time for brisket is about 16 hours which means waking up in the middle of the night to wrap the brisket and help preserve moisture in the meat. While tiring and time-consuming, the process is incredibly fun and delicious.
There is no instant smoked meat. Just like there are no instant mature Christians. The process by which a believer grows in maturity is time-consuming and takes work. Our culture of instant gratification wants everything to happen on our timetable, but that is often not the case. Like everything else, the process of having our minds renewed is a process.
Scripture reminds us in First Peter 1:13-15, “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation.” Peter in this passage is reminding the people of the goal of sanctification (holiness) and the process of sanctification. Our sanctification cannot and will not happen overnight.
It starts with “girding up the loins of our mind.” Peter uses this phrase to indicate the personal discipline to control our thinking and prepare it for effective use in understanding the experiences of life. Since it is through Biblical truth that we can properly filter all of life, it is essential then that we be disciplined in our intake and study of Scripture (1 Tim. 3:15). This process of gaining Biblical truth is an everyday process that grows as we continue forward in Christ. Our maturity grows as our deep understanding of His Word grows.
Peter also mentions that we should “be sober.” This phrase carries with it the idea of self-control in all areas and circumstances of life. In other words, understand who you are in Christ and strive to live within that identity. This word sober communicates the idea of being settled, not easily shaken or distracted. This step is only achievable when the first step is taken. Without the Spirit and biblical truth as our guide, you and I are at the mercy of our flesh and lack all sobriety towards our desires.
Lastly, the believer who is seeking maturity consistently recognizes and focuses on the grace of God as the means for all spiritual growth. The grace of God must be the foundational aspect of our daily life. We must be humble in our great need for it, humble in our reliance on Christ for it, and humble in the blessings and fruit it produces in our lives. The robust flavor of smoke in brisket is made possible through the wood pellets creating the smoke. No pellets, no smoke. Likewise, no grace in our lives leaves us with no spiritual foundation for the Spirit to work in our lives.
Sincerely,
Pastor Derek Whitman