Reciprocity is our word for today. One dictionary defines word: to give correspondingly. If you lived in Old Testament times, you might have related reciprocity in judicial terms like, “an eye for an eye.” If you are a student of New Testament, you might associate reciprocity with spiritual principle—“…whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap.” If you view world through physics, you might relate it to Newton’s third law of motion—to every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. If you…I think you get point.

I am, like you, philosophical by nature. And one philosophy I review often is this. I am today what I planted yesterday. So if I don’t like what I’ve become, then I need to change seeds I’m planting today. In relating this concept to reciprocity, I want to say this. What I plant in lives of others is what I’ll receive in return. Let me illustrate, please. If I pass you on street with a smile and favorable greeting, more then likely, you will reciprocate with a similar greeting; however if I smack you, I can expect a surprise greeting.

I want to carry this thought a little further. If reciprocity and sowing and reaping are valid principles, is it any wonder why so many American youth are so quick to resort to violence when things don’t go their way. Cal Thomas writes, “Why should young people take life seriously when their overworked, aborting, day-care, euthanasia culture does not? Life is so cheap, relationships are so meaningless—children get message. When you mix ingredients for cake, you get cake. When you mix volatile ingredients of corrupted culture, vulgar entertainment and broken, loveless families, you get child killers.” Well, maybe we should read last part of Cal’s words as hyperbole (not every unloved child grows up to be a killer); nevertheless, we do reap what we sow into lives of our children.

These things are possible through God only… Have you ever stopped and wondered why your behavior sometimes falls short of what Bible requires? I have. Yes, even ministers of Gospel fall short. Trying as I may to serve God with all my heart still, at times, I find myself wrecked and distraught from having been caught off guard and slammed by a side of me that’s certainly not godly. Further I must admit that, afterwards, I am puzzled at how such a base nature could still possibly reside inside me—a man “sold out to God.” Some time ago I began looking at this reality and decided it was time to analyze it to get victory over it. There were several things I discovered during this search that I want to share with you.

First, I rediscovered that all life forms grow or die based upon their food and water source. Knowing that Bible declares a believer reborn by conversion, I began to meditate upon scriptures that dealt with feeding and nurturing my “rebirth” in Jesus Christ. The New Testament is filled with scriptures that speak about “born again” spirit of man. When I called upon name of Jesus many years ago, Holy Spirit birthed me into Body of Christ. God did a supernatural work inside me that was unseen to my physical eyes, but very evident to my new “spiritual eyes” that He gave me. As a matter of fact, Holy Spirit recreated my spirit that had been inoperative from my birth because of my sin. As a Christian I’m not only physical and needing to make contact with my physical environment to live, but now I am also spiritual and needing to fellowship with God to stay spiritually alive. Whereas before conversion I was preoccupied solely with my physical needs, now I must nurture my spiritual desires in Jesus too. If I neglect either one, I pay price. For example, if I neglect my spiritual need which is basically my time alone with Jesus, I suffer spiritual defeat. On other hand, if I feed my spirit at least as often as I feed my physical body, I suffer fewer humiliating defeats at hands of enemy.

Secondly, I discovered that base nature in me still tried to oppose my desire to live in victory. The Bible talks about “old man” of sin still being present within man when he becomes a believer. The reality is such that every time I advance forward in victory over sin, at any moment I can forfeit my advance by giving in to petty cries from my old nature. Some days I find myself doing nothing but wasting time and pampering my woes. For example, if I don’t bring my thoughts into focus, they will soon become completely self-centered and brazen. The best remedy I’ve found to reclaim my thoughts and place them into proper focus is to begin a blatant, unexpected boasting of who God is and how He loves people through me. I immediately get my thoughts off myself and onto God where they need to be. If I find myself down-in-the-dumps because of some negative circumstance, I try to find somebody to lift up with a word of praise or appreciation. These simple things are like miracle cures. I have found that all my problems and successes begin with my attitude of mind. Knowing this, I make a habit daily of feeding my mind with power scriptures. With these scriptures, I think on them. I pray them out loud throughout day (I feed my body at least three times a day so I try to feed my spirit at least that many times for equal attention). I memorize them. I write them as topics for devotional studies. I teach them and I believe them. Thinking on Word of God, all these years, has NEVER failed me.

Faith Fellowship Church…PO Box 1586…Broken Arrow, OK 74013…Pastor Terry Dashner