|
Ginger Plowman
Always be
prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the
reason for the hope that you have.
If I could only use two words to define my friend Paula, they
would be "southern" and "southern." Paula
recently traveled with me to the west coast, bringing with her all
of the charming lingo that separates Alabama from the rest of our
country. Paula doesn't assume, she "reckons." She
doesn't laugh, she "gets tickled." She doesn't get
angry, she gets "mad as fire." And poverty is defined as
"people who don't have a pot to pee in."
Traveling with Paula was definitely an adventure. Both of us being
directionally challenged, we spent more time asking for directions
than we did enjoying the lovely landscape of southern California.
After a mere two-minute conversation with us, the manager of Avis
Car Rentals was so concerned about the well being of his vehicle
that he gave us his home telephone number. As for the Mustang
convertible we rented...well, let's just say that lowering the top
while traveling at sixty-five miles per hour down the San Diego
Freeway is not a good idea.
Exhausted from the trip, we sat quietly on the airplane as the
flight attendant robotically announced the ABC's of what to do in
case of a crash. She had just explained how the seat cushions
could be used as floatation devices and how to properly adjust the
oxygen masks when suddenly, Paula made up for all of the
"ditsy" things we did over the weekend with one profound
statement. "I do believe they are misrepresenting the ABC's
in this situation," she whispered. "Seat cushions and
oxygen masks won't amount to a hill of beans if this airplane
falls 30,000 feet out of the sky. What they ought to be saying is
A-admit, B-believe, and C-confess, because salvation in Jesus is
the only thing that can really save these folks if we crash and
burn!"
Because of sin, we have a natural tendency to define our own ABC's
in accordance with our own logic, which often stems from our
personal desires and interests. We call it "tolerance."
We grant the freedom for individuals to determine what's right and
wrong for them, while forgetting that freedom isn't ours to grant.
We suggest that there are many avenues to God, and recommend that
each person picks the path that best suites their particular needs
and wants. It's a deadly and deceptive philosophy. "There
is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to
death" (Proverbs 14:12).
Unfortunately, those who toy with tolerance don't realize the
danger until they are firmly caught in its vice. The
thirty-year-old homosexual dying from AIDS knows the truth about
tolerance. The sixteen-year-old high school sophomore holding a
positive pregnancy test knows the truth about tolerance. And the
strung out cocaine addict with no job knows the truth about
tolerance. The world would have us to believe that tolerance means
"freedom." Yet, for many it means
"entrapment." Multitudes, who have set their own moral
standards, now live in a painful prison of consequences.
We do have the freedom to choose. Let us choose Christ. When we
keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, true freedom is as easy as ABC!
Prayer:
Lord, I ask that you would give me a holy hatred for that
which displeases you. Grant me discernment to choose your ways in
all situations. Enable me to give an answer for my faith in you to
a world of deadly logic.
Application steps:
Look up, write
down, and study verses from the Bible that will equip you to
defend your beliefs on homosexuality, abortion, and divorce.
Reflection
points:
-
Think of a
time when you or someone you know chose to follow the wisdom
of this world rather than the wisdom of God.
What were the consequences?
-
Reflect on a
time when you or someone you know chose to follow the wisdom
of God rather than the wisdom of this world.
What blessings resulted from this decision?
-
Name three
moral issues that are accepted in the world but are wrong in
God's eyes.
-
Can you
biblically defend your position on homosexuality, abortion,
and divorce?
Bible
references:
-
Colossians
2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow
and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and
the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.
-
1
Corinthians 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is
foolishness in God's sight.
-
1
Corinthians 1:27 But God chose the foolish things of the
world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the
world to shame the strong.
-
Philippians
1:9-11 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound
more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you
may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and
blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of
righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ-to the glory and
praise of God.
|
