Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. James 1:21
The Apostle James uses the phrase superfluity of naughtiness to describe the condition of his world. This is a good 17th century phrase for overabundance of wickedness. If there ever was an age that could lay claim to this statement it is the present one.
Today we are bombarded by lewdness from every side. From billboards to television programs, nudity and sexually explicit images abound. Advertisements for alcohol are on every corner. At times even the newspapers contain questionable material. And that's not even mentioning the internet; One can not even go to Facebook or yahoo mail without having to avert one's eyes. Truly there is a "superfluity of naughtiness." If one wants to be involved in evil surely there is the opportunity.
How should the Christian respond to this onslaught of evil? Do we retreat into a shell and shut ourselves off from the world. This is not only impractical but dangerous as well. If we as Christians shut ourselves off from the world we cease to be an effective witness. We have no chance to influence those around us with Godly ideas. We have no impact upon decisions that affect our destiny. In Matthew 5:16 Jesus instructs to let our lives shine before men so that by seeing our good works they will glorify God. In order to do this we must function in this world no matter how wicked it becomes.
How can we do this and still remain Holy? Paul gives us the answer in Romans 12:2. "Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." The secret is in constantly renewing our minds. We do this through prayer, reading the word of God, listening to Christian music and preaching, etc. We must counteract the onslaught of evil by purposefully feeding on the word of God.
It is so easy to get caught up in the entertainment of this world. Our flesh likes to be entertained and there is an overabundance of entertainment available, most of it extremely ungodly. It takes a disciplined mind and lifestyle to set aside the entertainment and fill our minds with wholesome things such as Christian music, preaching, etc. For the mature Christian a daily intake of the word of God is not only beneficial but necessary in order to counteract the onslaught of wickedness in our world.
Truly there is an overabundance of wickedness in our world but we are promised that where sin abounds grace will abound even more. (Romans 5:21) We can live victorious Christians lives no matter how wicked the world is. As the world grows increasingly more wicked the church should shine increasingly brighter.
Let's light our world for Jesus. After all, we are the light of the world.
God Bless,
Sullivan Jones
No comments:
Post a Comment