"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." - 1 Corinthians 6:9-11
You know that there are billions, perhaps even trillions, of fish that live in the sea. They live their lives surrounded by salt water. They take the water in through their gills and extract oxygen from it. But not the salt. Their flesh is salty even though they have spent their lives surrounded by salt water. God, in his design has insulated them from the harmful effects of the salt. In fat, put those fish in fresh water and they will die. Now, think of the salt that surrounds them as similar to the opportunity to sin for Christians, to embrace the carnal life, our old nature that surrounds us. Pastor Greg Laurie, speaking at a Promise Keeper's conference in 1993, said, in regard to temptation to sin, "You can't keep a bird from flying over your head, but you can keep it from making a nest in your hair."
In Pastor Laurie's analogy, for many Christians, sin had made a nest in our hair. But how? Are we not washed, sanctified, and justified by the Jesus and the Spirit. Washed by the blood of Jesus. Sanctified by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Justified before the Creator God by the work of Jesus on the cross by faith.
So what is the problem? I think that since we are "swimming" in a sinful world every day, it is possible to lose our spiritual sensitivity toward sin. To become numb to it. We must be alert to the insidious nature of sin. Resisting the temptation to rationalize our tolerance of sin for some superior benefit. An example is with visual media (I know I harp on this a good bit) - television, movies, or maybe TikTok or most other social media offerings. We are tempted to minimize the bad by comparing it to what we consider to be the overall good. Not realizing that acceptance of the bad is numbing us to what is bad or worse. A little bit of leaven affects the whole loaf. (1 Corinthians 5:6) For example. Martie and I love "who dunnits". The problem is that with the mysteries come all sorts of opportunities to embrace the bad - sex outside of marriage, alternative life styles, foul language, the associated violence that comes with the genre. Violence that is becoming more violent and more graphic every year. All the while like frogs in pots, we are being "cooked", desensitized to the next season which will prove to be worse than the last. But if we are numb, we may not notice.
All of this makes book reading more attractive to me. Maybe with some music playing in the background. Martie and I have established a rule. When we are watching TV, the first instance of "salt" in a program, off it goes. No matter how entertaining it is. Compared to some of the things being said and portrayed, small indiscretions don't seem so bad. Another temptation. We may have to swim in it when we leave our home, but we do not have to allow it entry into our home.
"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." - Proverbs 4:23
We have a plaque next to our television with that verse on it to serve as a constant reminder to do that very thing. Christian singer, Steve Green, recorded a song - Guard your hearts. I will share some of the lyrics
Don't trade it for treasure, don't give it away
Guard your heart, guard your heart
As a payment for pleasure, it's a high price to pay
For a soul that remains sincere with a conscience clear
Guard your heart
You must choose in advance
Or live with the agony
Such needless tragedy (Guard Your Heart, Steve Green)
You might want to listen to that song. Just a thought :) Friend what is my point in all of this? We are called to be a light - to be separate from the life we once lived. Be careful that you are not lulled into embracing what you have been saved from.
"Finally, brothers [and sisters], whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." - Philippians 4:8-9
Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.
By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone
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