-
Flies - The Decision Is Yours
Contributed by David Stocker Ii on Mar 29, 2002 (message contributor)
Summary: One unsurrendered area of our lives can outweigh all the things we claim we have given up for God.
Flies
Ecclesiastes 10:1
A.In our society today, people will tell you that nothing is a sin if it is done with moderation. It’s not wrong to act a certain way,or do a certain thing if it only affects you.
If it doesn’t hurt anyone else than you are o.k. to do whatever your concious will allow you to do.
Moderation:
Is a common misunderstanding that many people get caught up in. You see, they see moderation as a protection. If I say it’s only in moderation, that is only as far as I will go. But that is just not the case. Too many times I have seen young people caught up in the moderation movement, only to find themselves full blown alchoholics,drug users, pornographers and the list goes on.
-if you can control it, it’s o.k.
B. Yet we hold to the thought of scriptures in Ecclesiastes.
The vivid picture of a fly in perfume or in a bowl of soup becomes more and more grotesque the more you thinkk about it.
How can it be that one fly can infect an entire perfume.
God uses this illustration to represent the choices we make in our lives.
-one wrong choice in purity, friendships, values, honesty and other moral decisions can lead to an infection in all the other areas of your life.
-one wrong choice can lead to two things.
1.can lead to an immediate penalty
-Take a look around at the many people you come in contact with. Some people at work and school will complain about the things in their lives that are going wrong. And it’s easy to tell if the consequences they are dealing with are a direct result of an action they took. How about yourself. What issues are you dealing with today that are a direct resulute of a decision you made maybe even years ago.
-Sexually transmitted diseases are immediate
-teenage pregnancy or pregnancy out of wedlock are all immediate and can have serious reprcutions on your life.
-some drug habits can be traced to a single shot of substance.
2.delayed penalty- addiction ecc. 11:1
-some consequences are delayed. We think we get away with them for a season. The Bible say’s. Surely your sins will find you out. Many people today live their lives on credit. You think you have gone your own way, rejecting God, and their have been no consequences. Just wait. Some penalties are delayed. We may not see them now, but they will catch up to you.
THE CONSEQUENCES are always worse than the initial decision.
c. making right choices Ecc. 12:1
d. Remember God tells us to keep ourselves pure.
e. Consequences: spiritual, physical, family, friends.
RIGHT CHOICES make us stronger, and happier.
Follow the choices God has made for you. PRV> 3:3-6