Highlighting
the dangers when believers get entangled in various pursuits that impede their progress or lead them off the right path
We have heard of turtles getting entangled in fishermen’s nets. As these poor creatures can no longer roam in search for food, some may eventually die.
Somewhere along the way believers too get entangled in various pursuits that impede their progress or lead them off the intended spiritual path.
Some
activities may be harmless such as watching TV or spending time on social media.
But, if excessive, they may act as weights,
hindering our spiritual growth. “All
things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful
for me, but I will not be enslaved by anything” (1 Corinthians 6:12).
If
we are not vigilant during our leisure time, we may fall into sin. For example, if we continually feed our lust by watching
porn, we may be driven to commit fornication or adultery. “Each person is tempted when they are
dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives
birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives
birth to death” (James 1:14-15).
The
writer of Hebrews reminds us that we are to shake off every weight and sin as we run the race with Jesus as our guide and
source of strength:
“Therefore,
since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside
every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us
run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to
Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for
the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the
shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews
12:1-2).
Paul also
warns us of the danger of entanglements: “No one serving as a soldier
gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding
officer” (2 Timothy 2:4). As soldiers enlisted into God’s army, we are to be
disciplined and focused. We have to listen to the orders of our superiors and
be ready to serve.
In the Parable of the Sower, the seed
which fell among thorns represents those who receive God’s message well at
first but later get choked by life’s worries,
riches and pleasures. The result is that they fail
to mature and bear fruit, unlike the seed which fell on good soil.
When times
are tough, cares and worries might drag
us down. When times are good, comfort and
blessings might become a two-edged sword, making us complacent.
“The seed
that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way
they are choked by life’s worries, riches and
pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed
on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop” (Luke 8:14-15).
It is a sad state of affairs when we think we are spiritually tip-top but we are not. Such was the case of the church in Sardis. The angel’s message for this church was a warning: “Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you” (Revelation 3:2-3).
It is a sad state of affairs when we think we are spiritually tip-top but we are not. Such was the case of the church in Sardis. The angel’s message for this church was a warning: “Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you” (Revelation 3:2-3).
Similarly,
the angel warned the church in Laodicea: “I know your deeds, that you are
neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you
are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You
say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do
not realise that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. Those whom I
love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent” (Revelation 3:15-17,
19).
Jesus
warned of the danger of spiritual arrogance in the Parable of the
tax collector and the Pharisee (Luke 18:10-14). The Pharisee was confident in
his own righteousness and looked down on the tax collector who had humbled
himself before God, asking for mercy.
And
that brings us to the topic of self-examination. “Examine yourselves to see if
your faith is genuine. Test yourselves” (2 Corinthians 13:5a).
Are
we watchful concerning what we view (Psalm 101:3) and think about (Philippians
4:8) in our leisure hours?
Have
we examined the purity of our affections? “Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.” (Proverbs 4:23). What our heart focuses
on and cherishes will ultimately express itself in the way we live.
As we hold on tightly to the Word, persevere
and work out our faith with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:13), we will bear
fruit and be a blessing to others.
As believers, we all have good intentions when we
start out in the spiritual race. We want to hang in there come what may. But not all are
aware of the dangers of entanglements which impede our progress or worse, lead
us off the right track.
RELATED POSTS
WHAT OUR EYES FOCUS ON
MATTER
It
all starts with the eye, the gateway which allows evil to creep surreptitiously
into our hearts and minds.
FROM COMFORT TO
COMPLACENCY
Blessing
or comfort is, in a sense, a double-edged sword. While we rejoice in the
comfort that blessing brings, we also need to recognise that our innate
tendency is to forget God when times are good.
SELF-EXAMINATION: HELP
OR HINDRANCE?
When
is self-examination helpful and when it is not?
FINISHING WELL
No comments:
Post a Comment