"For everything created by God is good and nothing
is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude." - I Timothy 4:1

When we think of evil spirits and demonic activity, we usually have notions of physical convulsions, foaming at the mouth and sneaky people sacrificing the neighborhood cat just after midnight. When Paul warned Timothy of demonic realities he had something else in mind. He alerted Timothy to playacting piety, which is intent on fastidiousness and prudishness. Then, as now, there were a number of folk who lived life by negation. They said no to marriage (verse 3). They said no to bodies. They said no to sex, food, drink and the stuff of creation.

The point of the pleasure police was compelling enough to be believed. There are things to say ‘no' to. There are seasons to fast. There are inordinate desires that need to be checked. And yet, the wise recognize that just as often as not, we can err by saying ‘no' to the right things. The motivations for this fussiness are many. Some misunderstood ‘being spiritual' as a denial of what is common and ordinary. Others are proud, wishing to publicize their self-restraint while judging the moral sloshes around them. Still others find a false sense of security in living by self-effort rather than dependence upon God.

But God will have nothing to do with this. If we are seriously in love with Him we must be serious about receiving His love. It is a shameful sin to keep our hands in our pockets when God puts out His hands to give us His gifts. Ingratitude is an insult. So what are we to do? Open up our gifts in His presence. Unwrap the glories of creation – bedazzled autumn trees, the blanket of lily white snow, the taste of sweet potatoes (with brown sugar and marshmallows, of course) and deep-fried turkey, the hug of your child. Unpack the wonders of salvation – the love of Jesus, the blessing of the Bible, the gift of the Church, the reality of new life in the Spirit and the hope of what is still to come.

The Babylonian Talmud says, "We must all render an account to Almighty God of all the good things we beheld in life and did not enjoy." Let's give a good account of our enjoyments.