My route to church takes me along a back road that is completely surrounded by open fields. On a normal trip, I can see prairie dogs standing guard, foraging for food, and playing little rodent games. But for the most part, they stay off the road and cling to the safety of their homes.
The other day was a different story. I was on my way to church for praise band practice, and I turned onto that back road. What I saw next formed a lump in my throat. As far as I could see down that stretch of road, prairie dogs bodies were scattered all over the pavement. I couldn’t understand it. Why would they leave their homes and venture into the road to do battle with forces that were bigger and stronger than they were? Tears formed in my eyes as I slowly made my way through the carnage like a one-man funeral procession.
Ok. Maybe it wasn’t quite that dramatic, but it did make me think. It was weird to me that all of these little creatures would suddenly abandon all caution and venture onto a road that held nothing but death and destruction for them.
Well, like the good little writer that I am, I drew a parallel from the prairie dog war zone to our lives as Christians. As believers, we are safe from the dangers of the devil. If we walk with Christ, he will protect our souls and keep us pure and holy for Him. And like our ancestors in Bible times, we are given a set of guidelines to help keep us separate for God.
I know, I know. Our works don’t save us and I’m not implying that. But I am saying that how we act as professing Christians is a direct reflection of our relationship with Christ, if indeed there truly is one.
“A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.” (Matthew 7:17-20 NLT)
Sandwiched in those verses is a dire warning for Christians. “So every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” I am not going to be so bold as to say whether this means you will go to hell or if you will just be removed from this Earth. But what I can say, with certainty, is that I don’t care what it means, I just know it’s bad and I want no part of it!
With warnings like that in Scripture, I can’t help but think that Christians would do everything possible to make sure that every moment of every day was somehow spent bringing glory to God. Sadly, it seems as though more and more believers are getting close to the road, gingerly walking the line between freedom in Christ and the bondage of sin.
I’m not saying that we should lock ourselves in a room and spend all day praying and studying the Word. That would render us useless here on Earth. What I am saying is to be careful with your liberties.
Without opening too big a can of worms, let me give a practical example. Alcohol is a hot-button issue amongst Christians, and for good reason. Personally, as I have struggled with alcoholism in the past as have others in my family, I am against it and don’t think that believers should have any part of it. That being said, is drinking alcohol a sin? My answer is still no. As far as I can tell, we are never commanded to not drink alcohol. (Now, this could go into a huge discussion, and many books have even been written on the topic of alcohol in the Bible. I just want to keep it simple as this is merely for illustrative purposes.)
Although the Bible doesn’t condemn the consumption of alcohol, there are several verses that give strong warning against it.
“Wine produces mockers, alcohol leads to brawls. Those led astray by drink cannot be wise.” (Proverbs 20:1 NLT)
“It is not for kings, O Lemuel, to guzzle wine. Rulers should not crave alcohol. For if they drink, they may forget the law and not give justice to the oppressed.” (Proverbs 31:4-5 NLT)
I don’t know about you, but I have no desire to put myself in position where I might forget the law of God. It doesn’t take much alcohol to start compromising a mental state. There’s too much at risk, terrestrially and eternally for me to take the chance that I would do something outside of what God would have me do.
Although that is just an example, and if you drink, please know that I am not condemning you. I am merely saying that we need to be careful how close to the road we get. We can’t step out into a place that we shouldn’t be in the first place and expect God to heroically swoop down and protect us from everything that comes our way. We should obey God and steer clear of the temptations that pull us towards the road.
Christ is my Author 
Nathan
June 3, 2013 at 12:34 am
On your facebook page you posed a question: “What is a good leader? I think one of the most important characteristics of a good leader is being able to serve. If a leader is more concerned with his position or his ability to be right than he is about those he is charged with leading, then he had already failed. Jesus was arguably the greatest leader of all time. But his message was never more important than those who were listening to it. He even stopped preaching and noticed the hunger of his followers. To me, that kind of compassion is what made him such an amazing leader here on earth. Any thoughts? What makes a person a good leader in your eyes?”
I too have come to realize that Jesus was the greatest leader of men there has ever been. To me, there are two great themes throughout the Old and New Testaments. That of Accountability, and that of Mercy. Jesus perfectly displayed a balance between the two, so that we can model him in our own lives. Of course he showed mercy, in many different ways. His great mercy is what really endears people throughout the ages to him. He was never too busy to heal the sick, or take the time to teach those around him about the Kingdom of God. If there was hunger nearby, he multiplied the loaves and fishes. He said to the harlot “Does no man condemn you? Then neither do I. Now go, and sin no more.” Many churches today focus on the mercy of Christ, but tend to forget that he holds us accountable for our sin.
But Jesus was constantly a thorn in the side of the pharisees, speaking out boldly against their hypocrisy. And when He said to the harlot “go and sin no more”, it means he was holding her accountable for her future conduct. He knew that God the Father would judge every man, and hold them responsible for their sin. So he exhorted all to repent of their sin, and turn from their wicked ways. He wanted them to be forgiven and to forgive others, for this would be the way to salvation both on earth, and in the life to come in heaven.
Nathan, the prophet in the bible, was also one to hold others to accountability. He stood before King David and boldly chastised David for sending one of his officers to die at the front line of battle, so that he could marry the man’s wife for himself. Fortunately for Israel, David was a man after God’s own heart. He did repent of his sin, and did hold himself accountable knowing that certain punishment would come upon him. In some ways, I am like the Nathan of the bible. I’ll do my best to live up to the legacy.
But holding people accountable is never the way to gain popularity. They nailed Jesus to the cross, even though they could find no fault in him. I feel I’m slowly being nailed to the cross in my own way. But, in the eternal scheme of things, that means I’m making progress. Jesus said “take up your cross and follow me”. So it is my honor to do so for his sake.
People have the choice of whom they will follow in their lives. I choose to follow Christ, the greatest leader of men that ever lived. And it will be my great honor to serve with Him in His coming Kingdom on Earth.
christismyauthor
June 3, 2013 at 2:07 am
Well said, Nathan! I don’t believe I could have said it much better myself. I love what you said about the two sides of Jesus: His mercy, but also His righteousness. I am actually writing a book on the concept that we can’t just focus on one really of God, but we must view Him entirely as He is. It’s called “The Great God Deception” and will be out this fall. Thanks so much for following the blog. Keep up the great comments!