Weekly Devotional 4-13-15 It May Seem Like a Little Thing
It may seem like a little thing to accept and participate in many of the things that the world accepts and in which it participates. If on the surface whatever activity it is, it seemingly does little or no harm. But, did not God say through His prophet Jeremiah, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9 NKJV). We Christians battle against our old natures and we cannot always be sure at times which nature is leading us, the old or the new. In his letter to the Colossians the apostle Paul encouraged them and us to “2Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. 5Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, 7in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. 8But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him” (Colossians 3:2-10 NKJV).
You will note, on the surface no harm is done by the activity, but I must, and you should be mindful that everything we say, do, or think about has an effect on someone else or on oneself. We do not live in a vacuum. There are always results to whatever we say or do. Even our thoughts have an effect on us, for thoughts always affect our attitude, it is never otherwise.
Shouldn’t we Christians be led by the Spirit of God in all that we do and think and not by the lusts of our flesh, the lusts of our eyes, or the pride of life a.k.a. the pride of self—self-desire? (1st John 2:16). The lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of self (pride of life) lead us away from God. It is very dangerous for us to fall under the allurement of these things. Perhaps this is why it would be good for us to govern ourselves as to what we watch, listen to, or participate in.
Paul wrote, “the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would” (Galatians 5:17). We must yield ourselves to the Spirit of God and allow Him to lead us. We must guard against feeding our minds with things that are contrary to the character of God. How can we hope to please God if we live in, and are subject to the attitudes and desires of the flesh?
Watching what we watch, what we do, or what we think about may seem like little things, but in reality they either enhance our relationship with God or they impair it. There is no third option. Paul added, “16Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh…19Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16…19-25).
How can I, how can you possibly have a positive influence on anyone else if we are led by the flesh and not the Spirit of God? We are accountable to God for our conduct of life (Romans 4:12), but beside this why would you, why would I, not want to be pleasing to God and walk purely before Him? Our conduct of life may seem like a little thing, but it is not.
Lord, help us in our walk that we may be pleasing to you.
stevelampman@comcast.net stevelampman.com
Transforming Power; The work of God on Behalf of Man
www.gbchurch.us