Reasons to Rehearse the Gospel Daily — Reason 26: Mortifying the Flesh with Fullness

June 26th. Day 26 of walking through “Reasons to Rehearse the Gospel Daily” — Part 1 of “A Gospel Primer for Christians” by Milton Vincent.

Today’s reason — Mortifying the Flesh with Fullness.

Another amazing reason in today’s reading — another reason that resonates deeply!

Vincent starts his explanation with this...

“Though saved, I am daily beset by a sinful flesh {Galatians 5:19-21} that always craves those things that are contrary to the Spirit. {Galatians 5:17} These fleshly lusts are vicious enemies, constantly waging war against the good of my soul. {1 Peter 2:11} Yet they promise me fullness, and their promises are so deliciously sweet that I often find myself giving into them as if they were friends that have my best interest at heart.”

He continues by saying...

“On the most basic of levels, I desire fullness, and fleshly lusts seduce me by attaching themselves to this basic desire. They exploit the empty spaces in me, and they promise that fullness will be mine if I give in to their demands. When my souls sits empty and is aching for something to fill it, such deceptive promises are extremely difficult to resist.”

Vincent goes on to say...

“Consequently, the key to mortifying fleshly lusts is to eliminate the emptiness within me and replace it with fullness; and I accomplish this by feasting on the gospel. Indeed, it is in the gospel that I experience a God who glorifies Himself by filling me with His fullness. He is the One, Paul says, ‘who fills all in all.’ {Ephesians 1:22-23} He is the One who ‘fill[s] all things‘ with the gifts He gives. {Ephesians 4:7-10} And He lavishes gospel blessings upon me with the goal that I ‘be filled up to all the fullness of God.’ {Ephesians 3:14-19} This is the God of the gospel, a God who is satisfied with nothing less than my experience of fullness in Him! The first command God spoke in the Garden was, ‘eat freely.’ {Genesis 2:16} And with similar insistence He says to me now, ‘be filled.’” {Ephesians 5:18}

He continues...

“What happens to my appetites for sin when I am filled with the fullness of God in Christ? Jesus provides this answer: ‘He who continually comes to Me will never hunger or thirst again.’ {John 6:35} Indeed, as I perpetually feast on Christ and all of His blessings found in the gospel, I find that my hunger for sin diminishes and the lies of lust simply lose their appeal. Hence, to the degree that I am full, I am free. Eyes do not rove, nor do fleshly lusts rule, when the heart is fat with the love of Jesus!”

And the author concludes by saying...

“Preaching the gospel to myself each day keeps before me the startling advocacy of God for my fullness, and it also serves as a means by which I feast anew on the fullness of provision that God has given me in Christ. ‘Eat[ing] freely’ of such provision keeps me occupied with God’s blessings and also leaves me with a profoundly enjoyable sense of satisfaction in Jesus. And nothing so mortifies the fleshly lusts like satisfaction in Him.”