Today's Devotional

September 17, 2004

Subject:  The Christian Vaccine 

Romans 8:7 - "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be."

Know how the flu vaccine works?  Well each year they find out from people with respiratory illnesses, which strains of the influenza virus will be more prevalent that year and they grow three strains of that virus in a lab.  They then kill the virus to make the vaccine which most of us end up getting.  Once the vaccine is injected into a human being, the immune system reacts by producing antibodies programmed to attack the dead virus.  If the person is then exposed to the flu, his or her immune system will recognize the virus and destroy it, preventing disease.  

When I heard this the other day, I immediately thought, wow, that's how some believers are.  There must be a Christian vaccine that works much the same way.  While we know that Christianity is infectious, much like a virus, evidently some people have been "vaccinated" with the dead version of it.  Therefore, when "real" Christianity shows up in the body, vaccinated Christians systems have been programmed to destroy it to prevent them from catching the real thing.  When the conversation in the body turns to God and His will for our country, the vaccinated Christian wants to talk about the separation of church and state.   When the body talks about abortion, the vaccinated Christian wants to talk about the philosophical viewpoint of a woman's right to choose.  When the body talks about accountability the vaccinated Christian talks about "judging not lest ye be judged."  The vaccinated Christian is programmed to fight the "real" Christian virus, because his/hers is dead.  This is the carnal mind that Paul referred to in the passage above.  It is a mind that is set in opposition to the spiritual things of God.  

Perhaps the Christian vaccine is mixed and administered by Satan himself, for he knows that if he can keep you living with the dead "virus" then you can never be effectively used by God. 

Today you can take the flu shots to keep from getting the flu, but don't take the Christian vaccine against "real" Christianity.  That's a contagious virus that you want to get "full-blown." 

Carlen