From Bad To Worse

“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!” (Psalm 1:1).

In this psalm, the writer contrasts the destinies of those who follow the path of blessedness and those who choose the path of wickedness. In the verse listed above, he begins by noting some associations that a blessed person avoids. I want to focus in this article on the progressive nature of temptation and sin.

 Many Bible students have noted a negative progression in this verse. “The sequence “walk—stand—sit” envisions a progression from relatively casual association with the wicked to complete identification with them” (NET Bible Notes, 2nd ed.). “The great lesson to be learned from the whole is, sin is progressive; one evil propensity or act leads to another. He who acts by bad counsel may soon do evil deeds; and he who abandons himself to evil doings may end his life in total apostasy from God” (Adam Clarke).

 Sometimes temptation grabs us by the throat and knocks us to the ground. But I would affirm that is not the norm. Usually, the temptation to participate in sinful behavior is a gradual thing. Rare is the adulterous affair that begins by waking up and deciding to run off with another person that same day. It usually begins with a casual glance and smile or a sympathetic shoulder to lean on when things aren’t going well. One thing leads to another and, suddenly you are in a place you never thought you would be.

Someone once said, “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay." Beware of the progressive nature of temptation and sin! “But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death” (James 1:14-15).

God loves you!

Mike

The Loneliest Road

“U.S. Route 50 (US 50) is a transcontinental highway in the United States, stretching from West Sacramento, California, in the west to Ocean City, Maryland, on the east coast. The Nevada portion crosses the center of the state and was named "The Loneliest Road in America" by Life magazine in July 1986. The name was intended as a pejorative, but Nevada officials seized it as a marketing slogan. The name originates from large desolate areas traversed by the route, with few or no signs of civilization…US 50 crosses the central portion of Nevada, entering the west side of the state near Lake Tahoe and exiting the east side near Great Basin National Park. The route crosses mostly desolate terrain in its journey across the state; US 50 passes through several large desert valleys and basins. The highway crosses 17 named mountain passes that break up the Nevada desert. To crest some of the passes along US 50 requires navigating steep 8% grades and hairpin turns through pine forests to reach elevations of over 7,000 feet” (wikipedia.org).

Spiritually speaking, the loneliest road for the believer is the one travelled without the fellowship of other believers. Some Christians seem to think they can make their way in life with little or no interaction with other Christians. That’s odd because the Bible nowhere encourages such thinking. For example, consider the “one another” passages. Here are just a handful: “Love one another” (John 13:34-35). “Be devoted to one another” (Romans 12:10). “Serve one another” (Galatians 5:13). “Show tolerance for one another” (Ephesians 4:2). “Comfort one another” (1 Thessalonians 4:18). More verses could be cited but these make the point. We can’t fulfill these passages alone. We were meant to be together on the road of life.

The Christian life doesn’t have to be a lonely road. In fact, God didn’t design it to be that way. We need each other. We need to be together on a regular basis. We weren’t built to travel alone.

God loves you!

Mike

Change

“John Killinger relates the story of the novel The Strange Life of Ivan Osokin by Russian writer P. D. Ouspensky, published in 1937. It was the story of a man who wished to amend his mistakes by living his life over again. “If only I could get back all the chances which life offered me and which I threw away,” he cried. “If only I could do things differently.”

“Ivan goes to a magician who reluctantly complies with his wishes, but warns that nothing will be different. And as Ivan Osokin watches, as in a screenplay, the repetition of his strange life — helplessly reliving the bitter failure of his school days, the sweetness of early love, the reckless experiments of his particular temperament — he observed “those chain of events when everything happened as if by clockwork, as in a machine the movement of one wheel makes another wheel move.” He did the same absurd things, down to the smallest details.

“In desperation, Ivan pleads, “What am I to do then?” The magician responds: “Remember one thing. If you go back as blind as you are now, you will do the same things over again, and a repetition of all that happened before is inevitable.” Then the magician adds this insight: “In order to change anything, you must first change yourself”” (preaching.com).

But changing ourselves is difficult, isn’t it? We all become entrenched in our own particular habits and routines. And if our particular habits and routines involve sin, then the problem is compounded. We can work at changing our circumstances and try to develop better habits. But those efforts, while important, will ultimately fail until we change our hearts. True, lasting change begins within. The heart is the source of our actions. “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23). Jesus told the Pharisees that “...the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart” (Matthew 12:34). Changing behavior starts with changing hearts. Are you willing to allow God to create a clean heart in you (Psalm 51:1)?

God loves you!

Mike

Lifebelts

“In the vast, unforgiving waters of the Pacific, Signalman Third Class Elgin Staples clung to life — held afloat by a single rubber life belt as the USS Astoria sank beneath him during the Battle of Savo Island in 1942. For 12 hours, he drifted among the wreckage, one of the few survivors of a night that claimed over 1,000 sailors.

“Back home in Akron, Ohio, his mother Vera Staples worked long shifts at the Firestone plant, inspecting life belts for the war effort. She poured her love and worry into every piece of equipment and every letter she sent to her son. She tracked Elgin’s ship in the papers, praying for his safety.

“When Elgin returned home, he brought with him the life belt that saved him—tattered, faded, but still intact. As he handed it to his mother, he said softly, “This belt kept me alive.” Vera examined it closely… and then gasped. Her hands trembled. Her eyes filled. “My God… that’s my inspection number. I inspected this belt.” In a world torn by war, it was a mother’s hands that unknowingly reached across an ocean to save her son” (borrowed).

This incredible story is a great reminder of how our actions in the present may make a big difference in the life of someone in the future. It’s easy to think that what we are doing in life isn’t very important. It’s the same hum-drum, boring thing every day. But your steady life of faithfulness might just be the lifebelt that someone else will need in desperate circumstances. When the ship of life begins to take on water for a relative or friend, your example of endurance may give them hope.

Please know that your day-to-day efforts of being faithful to God make a difference. “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve” (Colossians 3:23-24). No effort at living faithfully is ever wasted.

God loves you!

Mike