Close to the Edge

“Abstain from every form of evil.” (I Thessalonians 5:22)

There are a lot of heartbreaking statistics in the world. Here’s one: every year, an average of 3 people fall off the edge of the Grand Canyon to their deaths, despite guard rails, signs and park rangers warning people not to get too close to the rim of the canyon. How does it happen? Well, people like to see just how close they can get to the edge, and they ignore the warnings. Two years ago, a father was teasing his daughter by pretending to lose his balance while standing on the edge. Tragically, he fell and was killed. Unfortunately, when you fool around close to the edge of a cliff, sometimes you fall. The results are often catastrophic and irreversible.

Paul warns us about this kind of thinking in our spiritual lives. “Abstain from every form of evil,” he says. Some translations say “all appearance of evil.” The meaning is the same–don’t play around with dangerous behavior. As Christ followers, we honor God not just by avoiding heinous, obvious sin, but by turning away from anything that is even questionable! If you have a difficult time figuring out if a choice honors God or not, chances are it doesn’t! The word abstain means to hold at arm’s length. Picture a new dad holding his baby’s dirty diaper as far from his face as he can, while holding his nose with the other hand and racing to the trash! This is how we should treat sin–keep it at a distance, and avoid any contact. Instead, we often push the boundaries, imitating the world’s behavior while trying to stay pure. Friends, this only invites disaster. Stay away from the edge!

-Pastor Mike