My rainy day cigarette.

I don't smoke, well, I don't smoke often.

I have a pipe that I love to smoke but that is mostly for the relaxation, brought on by the ritual that must take place to get a proper pipe smoke. Cigarettes are much less classy, but I still would give in from time to time.

One time I borrowed a cig off of a friend, not to smoke, but to keep in my car for a bad day.

I thought, "Hey if I have a bad day it would be nice to have an emergency smoke."

At the moment that thought went through my mind I felt a voice say, "Is that really where you should go if you have a bad day?"

I think Jesus was asking me a question, one he knew I should be able to answer, but would not want to.
I was essentially thinking, "If I have a bad day I should get a cig buzz so it all goes away." When I knew the actual truth, "If I have a bad I need to rest in Jesus."

I had put that cigarette in my center console KNOWING I was doing something wrong. Saying "Jesus this cigarette can do more for me than you can" when I didn't actually believe that at all.

I would never put my actual faith in a cigarette, but I would put my reliance on one.

Jesus would not have that.

THE VERY NEXT DAY I was sitting on the patio of a restaurant with some guys from my church, and then walks by a lady who asks, "Any of you have a cigarette?"

All I could think was, "Yeah the one I just put in my console."
All I could hear was, "Give her that stupid cigarette and grow up."
All I could feel was, "God you won't have just half of me will you?"

Even as I write this the song "You won't relent" by Jesus Culture is playing. Oddly enough.

I said to the lady, "I do." So I got it and gave it to her.

It reminded me of the book A Tale of Two Cities, a character from the book named Sydney Carton is a lazy alcoholic, who changes. In a beautiful scene, he is finally choosing more from life than drinking, and he ceremoniously pours out his drink in a fire. He is giving up drinking.

He is giving up his reliance on alcohol.

He is giving up his functional savior. I made a functional savior of that cigarette. God would not have that.

Everyday people choose a "functional savior" that is not God. We put our reliance on a item, on creation, forgoing the Creator.

Saviors I have chosen - Myself (bad), basketball (fades away), World of Warcraft (Just nerdy), girls (hurt), cigarette (how many will it take?), alcohol (Ruins lives), and most stunningly church (In itself it can't save you).

Jesus is our savior, and most importantly he wants to be our functional savior.

Nobody would ever believe any of the things I just listed could actually give you life, or sustain your soul, but there are millions who do that in practice everyday.

God won't have just half of you, not because he is some tyrant, but because he knows that the best way to do life is by believing in the one he sent, his son, the Christ. Trusting in him in every functional area of your life - from minute to minute, good day to bad day.