Stay Away

"Stay away from every kind of evil." 1 Thessalonians 5:22

There is something about an old, dilapidated building that intrigues me. Often on my backroad adventures I'll see structures of rotting wood and chipped paint barely held together with what I presume could only be rusty nails. What were once freshly painted, perfectly squared barns and houses now stand leaning with wood exposed. Each one holds a story of its own demise. If walls could talk, I wonder what they might say?

A well built house doesn't just fall apart. It takes years of neglect and exposure to harmful elements. What starts out as a small leak in a roof, if left unattended can turn into a collapse of a ceiling. A crack in a foundation, if ignored can cause a huge range of structural problems over time. Small issues become big problems if not addressed.

Recently while out hunting for some bluebonnets to photograph I saw this neon sign posted on an old building. It was clear that if one were to try to step on the porch they would likely fall straight through. Though tempted, I didn't test it to find out. I did chuckle however, at how quickly I was tempted to disobey the bright neon sign, much like a "Wet Paint" sign almost invites you to touch it to find out if it really is wet.

In Paul's letters to the the churches in the New Testament, he frequently warned them to flee from temptations. Much like this painted sign, Paul instructs Christians to "Stay away from every kind of evil." 1 Thessalonians 5:22. But what is evil? Evil is the opposite of good. If God is good than evil is anything that is not godly or of God.

Paul knew the dangers of sin. He knew that like a small leak in a roof or crack in a foundation that if left unaddressed, sin can only bring destruction. The pages of scripture are filled with examples of men and women who learned first hand the dangers of entertaining sin. We see how untamed anger led to murder and how a passing glance grew into a burning obsession. Satan knows if he can get us to compromise on the "little" evils, the bad attitude, the "white-lies", the one-bite; it won't be long before we will want more, compromise more, accept more sin in our lives. Without even realizing it, we will find ourselves in disarray, empty and falling apart from the inside out.

Scripture says that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. As God's child we house His Spirit inside us. When we study His Word, spend time in prayer, Bible study, worship, and resist temptation, the structure of our house is strengthened. But every time we entertain evil or make the choice to sin, our paint starts to chip, cracks form, boards warp and weeds over take us. Unaware of the damage, we are slowly causing our temple to crumble.

I wonder if we truly were to examine our hearts, what kind of dwelling are we giving Him? Is it a freshly painted temple squarely built on the Solid Rock foundation of God's Word? Or has the paint started to chip? Is the temple leaning, the foundation cracked and shifted from trusting in the things of this world instead of God? It may very well be time to get on our knees, repent and do some temple repairs before our temple becomes nothing more than an old abandoned building on a country road not fit for habitation.

The Focal Point: When I look at this sign, I am reminded to examine the condition of my heart's temple, to focus on the good, pleasing and perfect things of God and to stay away from every kind of evil that threatens to destroy my house.