“Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken. Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.”
(Amos 5:14-15)
Anyone who has crossed a national border knows about gates and sentries. As inconvenient as they may seem, they are essential in a world as full of threats and dangers as ours is. There is simply no way to keep a county’s citizens safe from invading, harmful influences without secure borders and competent watchmen. The same is true in the biological world. The cell is the smallest living unit we know of. Despite its microscopic size, the intricate specified complexity present in even the “simplest” cell is nothing short of mind-boggling. Those with engineering and computer science degrees have admitted that the biological world exhibits such sophistication in design that it puts our own productions into the shadows by comparison. Just as secure borders and gates are essential for the safety and security of a nation, they are essential for the continued health of a biological system. The perimeter of the cell is lined with channels that are designed to allow the right chemicals into and out of the cell. If the channels fail to do their job, the cell could become invaded by the wrong things, resulting in ill health or even death. All of this is analogous to our Christian life. Though the Christian’s identity in Christ and the promise of future glorification remains secure (Jude 1:1, 24, et al), our conduct in this life can put us out of God’s will and subject to chastening (Hebrews 12:5-11). We may say that though our standing before God never changes (being wholly dependent on Christ’s performance, not ours) our state nevertheless can. We all understand this. We have all strayed from the known will of God and have all felt out of step with Him as a result. More often than not, this can be traced to our allowing the wrong things into our lives. For some reason or another, we opened our “gates” to the wrong things. We allow ourselves to see, hear, or experience that which is harmful to a healthy Christian life. “I would have you wise unto that which is good,” wrote Paul, “and simple concerning evil” (Romans 16:19). David’s vow within himself ought to be our own: “I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way . . . I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes” (Psalm 101:2-3a). Our world is admittedly a very dark and immoral place; its inhabitants drink iniquity as water (Job 15:16). Just as Noah was instructed to make his ark water tight (Genesis 6:14) we are called to make our Christian lives resistant to sin’s corrupting and damaging influences. May God help us to be holy, even as He is holy (1 Peter 1:16), that we might have life, and have it more abundantly (John 10:10).
Walk strong, dear saints, and God bless you,
Pastor John
English