Eternity

   My Scripture for today is 1 John 2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. A few things occurred to me after reading this. The first thing that went through my mind was why would anyone turn down the gift of eternity just to have a moment of pleasure? Eternal perfection versus one moment that only seems perfect.

   The consequences of following after the lusts of the world are so harsh. Whether it is alcohol, drugs, sex, or any other thing we can become addicted to (eating, video games, tv, sports, etc.); the result is distance from loved ones, distance from God, not dealing with issues or problems, sometimes even health issues. The final destination of this road if one does not change direction is eternal separation from God. The consequences of doing the will of God is a closer walk with God, more unity with other followers of Christ, and sometimes persecution. The final destination of this road is eternal life walking with God. Why choose a life following after the lusts of the world rather than doing the will of God? The results speak for themselves.
   This thought process led me to think about how we as Christians respond to those who are lost in the lusts of this world. I hear of Christians protesting abortion and homosexual marriage, but I do not hear anyone protesting sex before marriage or adultery with the same vigor. Are these not all sin in God's eyes? Why then do we put a different value on them. People are willing to stand up for some values and not others which is disheartening. I have heard of ministers refusing to marry homosexual people, however do these same people refuse to marry couples who are having sex outside of marriage, or people who are committing adultery? I would hope that once again all sin would be measured the same. We are all sinful, we all need redemption. I believe that if the people are repentant in any of these situations, they could then be married. Repentance is a turning away from sin.
   Many Christians will not watch a show with homosexual content but have no problem watching a show or movie with premarital sex or adulterous relations. We have allowed ourselves to become desensitized. I think we need to start taking a higher stand. If every Christian stopped watching shows and movies that had these scenes in it, our media would have to change, or lose millions of dollars. It is time to rise up and start taking a stand against every kind of sin. I am not saying to stand up against people, we are called to love people the way that God loves them; in other words love the sinner, hate the sin. It is possible.
   You may agree with what I have said, you may disagree. I look forward to seeing what you all think about this. Have a great day!