Proverbs 4:14-16 “Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away. For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.”
James 4:3 “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”
Galatians 1:10 “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.”
I vividly remember an urban legend that I heard during my college days, and still don’t know if it’s real. It happened across the country from where I went to college, and it still captures my imagination and curiosity.
California Institute of Technology, known commonly as Cal Tech, is known for its rigorous studies and brilliant students. Yet sometimes their brilliance and creativity manifest themselves in mischievous ways.
Every year, the freshman class picks a unique location to take a group picture. In one given year, they decided to use a busy Los Angeles highway as their backdrop – during rush hour. The entire class, plus a photographer, climbed into an armada of cars and merged onto the highway. Converging on one another, they drove in a formation that spanned the entire road and slowly came to a complete stop. Quickly, they piled out of their cars, gathered with the empty road at their backs, and snapped a photo to remember. I could only imagine the anger of the thousands of drivers who were blocked and delayed because of this prank. Frankly, I’m surprised no one got shot in the standstill as a thoroughfare that was carefully designed for progress became a monument of immobility.
This scenario is a powerful metaphor for the clogging impact of a Christian life that allows mischief to creep in. Sometimes the blockage comes in the form of errant associations, misshaped motivations, or improper priorities. Regardless of the source, it can delay our Christian growth and can cause our impact to come to a standstill.
PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO ROOT OUT ANY ELEMENT OF OUR LIVES THAT HINDERS OUR GROWTH AND DETERS OUR PROGRESS. Never allow misguided associations, motivations, or priorities to block lives that have been carefully designed for progress, instead turning them into monuments of immobility.
