Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. --Psalm 1:1Sin is enticing, Boys. You see her across the room pursing her ruby red lips. You can't help but notice her. She grabs your attention and makes you lose your train of thought. While you are stammering, trying to remember what you were saying, Sin looks straight at you and smiles. When she does, she takes your breath away. You want to stop what you are doing, leave the people you were with, and go say hello. It's all innocent, at first. Sin offers you a taste, and you turn your head. She teases you. "I won't bite," she says. You look back, and there she is, more desirable than before. You look up, hoping to find courage to walk away, but suddenly everyone around you is encouraging you to stay with her. Television ads feature close-up pictures of her. Internet ads urge you to remain engaged with her. Deep in the recesses of your memory a pastor or Bible teacher entreats you to leave her side and never go back. But in the here and now, the voices in the World are louder than the voices in your mind, and all of them demand that you take her, make her yours.
Sin is attractive, Ladies. He promises to take care of you, to make all of your troubles disappear. He is strong, handsome, and resilient. Sin offers security. You can hide behind him and he will shield you from those who talk behind your back, or suddenly become quiet when you enter a room, not realizing that you see them exchange knowing glances. Sin is your friend. You could talk with him for hours. You can cover him up when you visit your Mom, or when you go to Church. Like make-up that hides blemishes and imperfections, it is easy enough to stay cool on the outside while raging with desire on the inside. You can appear to play hard to get, but you and Sin both know that when you are alone together, he owns you.
Affinity leads to Affection, and Affection leads to Addiciton.
But his delight is in the Law of the Lord, and in His Law he meditates day and night. --Psalm 1:2In the worldly paradigm, you like someone or something. Liking turns to loving, and love turns to lust. You have an affinity for something unhealthy for you. It catches your eye, and draws you in. You may want it once in a while, and you justify yourself by saying, "It's only once in a while." Like a treat, but you don't call it that, because that would be, like, ewww. As time goes on, the affinity you have for something becomes an affection. You just LOVE it, but you tell yourself you can't have it because it's bad for you. You find yourself thinking about it more and more, imagining yourself with it. Before long, however, the affection becomes an affair or an addiction. You can't do without it.
In the first verse of Psalm 1, David describes a downward spiral. First you walk. It's okay to walk--we are encouraged in Scripture to walk. We were made to move, to work, to do and accomplish. The objective, however, is to walk in light of Scripture. Failing that, we walk while listening to the World. The World encourages us to broaden our horizons, to take chances, and to question authority. When we listen to the World, we find ourselves further and further from our Creator and our God.
The second action described in Psalm 1:1 is to stand. Again, this is not a bad thing in itself. Psalm 94:16 says, "Who will stand up for me against evildoers? Who will take his stand for me against those who do wickedness?" In the New Testament, Paul said in 1 Corinthians 16:13, "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong." The antithesis to that is described in Psalm 1:1, when we stand with sinners. It is all too easy to stand silent rather than stand up against a rising tide of sin. Silence, taking the easy road, it complacency. Complacency is being complicit with wrong ideas, wrong statements, wrong stands. Doing nothing is tantamount to standing with the sinners.
The final straw in Psalm 1:1 is sitting in the seat of scoffers. Now, there are times in the Bible where we are told to be still. Psalm 1:3 says, "He shall be like a tree, planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper." Being planted in the right way is like participating in a sit-in for a worthy cause. What verse 1 warns against is being planted, not in righteousness, but in scorn. Making fun of someone, lobbing verbal grenades, calling them names, laughing at them, all for standing up and doing the right thing--this is not what we are called to do. It is much better to engage someone in thoughtful conversation, defending your faith and countering their arguments, answering their questions thoughtfully after listening to them respectfully. Just remember that being respectful does not necessarily mean agreeing with them.
It all boils down to this: where does your devotion lie? In what do you delight? If you delight in sin, it can be a snare for you. You may find yourself trapped in a sin, unable to find an off-ramp. Here is my advice: go slow.
It is harder to exit a moving train when it is going 50 miles per hour than it is if the train is slowing to a stop. In the same way, vowing to never do something again when it has become an addiction almost never works. The obsession becomes overpowering, and you are more likely to slip back into that behavior. Some people can quit cold-turkey, but most have to come down in steps. It is much easier to back away from an addiction the same way yout approached it. An affinity became an affection, and that affection became an addiction. Realizing that you love something but that it is still bad for you allows you to step back gradually. It is easier to stay sober one full day than it is for one full year. It is easier to go one hour without a cigarette than it is to go an entire day. Control your addiction by recognizing the affection but not giving in to the obsession. If you fail, try again. You will find yourself failing less and less often, and as time goes by, the affection or love you had for it is tamed. The affection becomes an affinity, something that is desirable but avoidable. It is at this point that you make your vow to never succomb to temptation again, and have a higher success rate.
Direction times Duration equals Dedication.
My wife and I have been married 27 years. We committed ourselves to walk together, in more or less the same direction, way back in the 1980s. The longer we walk together, the more dedicated we are to one another. We have seen each other through rough patches, illnesses, and financial stresses, just like every other couple in the world. We have stood up for each other. We have stood toe to toe and fought against one another. We have stood on our heads for our kids. Today, I can honestly say we are dedicated to each other more than ever before.
I will tell you that it is much easier to be dedicated to my wife when I am dedicated to my God. When I am like a tree, planted by the river of living water, then I can cover her and protect her, stand up for her and beside her, be strong for her and give her shade. Those times that I have uprooted myself and tried to be happy in a lifeless desert, she has waited for me by the living water, praying to the Source that I would return to her. Whenever she became more dedicated to our children, or to her job, or to something else more than to me, she was swept downstream. She found a need to repent, meaning to turn around and come back to where she was at the beginning. Praise God He always throws us a lifeline.
What are you dedicated to? Are you going in the direction that God has pointed you? Call to Him before it is too late, before your time expires. We have seen a lot of tragedy in the news recently. People are dying daily, some unexpectedly, some violently, some accidentally, but all without notice. No one can tell the time or manner of their own death. If you have been dedicated to the wrong thing for the duration of your life, I would encourage you to go to God. Read His Word, and listen to His voice. Don't enter into eternity going the wrong direction.
No comments:
Post a Comment