Articles
Don't Take Their Bait
Has your thinking changed? My thinking on what you ask?
Those questions need to be raised to all of God's children because we live in a world that keeps moving the goalposts to where the football is kicked instead of making the kicker put the ball between the goalposts. Occasionally, changes in our world may look innocent, and it's tempting for us to re-align our thinking with the world, but we must not take that bait!
Case in point this past week. In Chicago, apparently, police used a 'bait truck' to catch would-be thieves. They parked the truck, reportedly filled with name brand shoes, and shortly thereafter, thieves did their thing. The uproar is that people are blaming the police for providing an opportunity for crime, which they somehow twist into justification for the crime. The Police Superintendent responded, "At the end of the day, just because it's out there and it's not yours, that doesn't mean you're supposed to take it,"
That is just one example, and I'm sure it doesn't take much thought for you to apply the issue to so many other things that our society feels strongly about. They think that things have changed, and therefore, our moral boundaries or our sense of right and wrong should change with them.
When did our society move so far off of north on our moral compasses that we think stealing is OK, as long as the opportunity is right in front of us, or the temptation is overwhelming? We all know temptations are around us all day every day. Some require us to consciously say "no" while others are barely worth mentioning because "no" is a given for us. But for us to please God, we have to say "no" to all sinful temptations, regardless of the level or urge.
God doesn't give us a pass because the temptation was really strong and too hard to pass up. On God's playing field, the goalposts don't move, and the rules have not changed. Scripture assures us that God is not tossed around like the whims of mankind, He isn't swayed, and our lessening of the rules doesn't change the rules in His rule book.
Today, ask yourself if you have allowed the changes promoted by those in our world, in our media, even in decisions by our Supreme Court to cause you to move those things God has firmly established? Have you, without realizing it, taken their bait? If so, move back to where God has set His plan for your life, and return to His rule book.
