chapter 10 :
Compromise - A No-Win Situationare you easily swayed by the crowd
around you? or are you strong enough
to not go along with the crowd when
you know something isn't right?
are you like a chameleon who
changes with the setting?some christians have learned to
do the right things and say the right
things in one setting, but then change
in another setting like the chamaleon
lizard changes colour according to its
environment.do you think the same and act
the same in every setting that you
find yourself in? are you always
making an effort to be discreet in
how you dress and how you come
across and behave towards people
of the opposite gender?do you practise discretion
or simply compromise?warning :whatever you're willing to
compromise, you'll eventually lose. "compromise is a concession to
something derogatory (disapproving;
unflattering; defamatory; insulting)
where someone concedes(admit defeat)
and they accept what aretold as true,
valid or accurate. they yield(move or
give way when pushed or pressed) to
it." once you start compromising, it is
very difficult to stop.
Jesus calls it "salt losing its
savour"(see Matt 5:13).once salt loses its savour, it is
"good for nothing, but to be cast out,
and to be trodden under foot of men."whoa! these are strong words!
science has said that salt is one of
the most stable compounds on earth,
but it can lose its savour in 2 ways:
1) if it is mixed, contaminated, or
diluted with another substance; and 2) if it is
left out and exposed to the elements
of weather, such as rain, snow, and heat. spiritually speaking, if you allow the
world's way of thinking to cause you
to compromise your convictions in
order to be accepted, you have
become a mixture, or diluted
with anothersubstance, and
you have lost your savour.
or if you give into the
seductions of the world's media,
over a period of time you will lose
your savour as a christian. exposing
yourself to immorality, nudity, sex,
and profanity (unholiness), by watching
the media, will gradually break down
your own reasoning about modesty,
and you'll begin to view things from
a more liberal, worldly, immoral,
ungodly view.it has been proven that we
eventually accept what we tolerate
and compromise over a period of time.when a christian lives his/her
life in a mixture, he/she develops
very little discretion. his/her
discernment(wise, good judgment)
becomes clouded and he/she accepts
what others do, whether right or wrong.
so in order not to compromise
and in order to remain the salt of the
earth that Jesus said we're to be, we
have to make decisions daily to submit
to God's written Word and to the Holy
Spirit's conviction.
Jesus' lordship requires us to die
to the lust of the flesh and live
within boundaries so that lust
can no longer have its way. in
this position, we become more
sensitive to God's voice, more
discreet in our actions, and more
discerning of ourselves, of others,
and of situations we face.
i realise living for Christ and
dying to ourselves may sound
extreme-but that's good.
extreme means to go
to the farthest point; to press
oneself to the utmost even if by
great difficulty. it is setting our
will to do whatever it takes to
submit to God's will and not
compromise. unfortunately, many christians
struggle because they never
press beyond what everyone
around them are doing. they
conform(follow, stick to) to the
crowd and live in apathy
(lack of concern).
extreme christianity is passionate.true christianity is laying down your
life for Jesus, which requires death
to yourself and being raised to walk
in newness of life(see Rom 6:4). paul
even went on to say in 1 Corinthians
15:31b,"i die daily"(to the world, to
himself, and to the flesh).
that's surrender. God wants you to take heed to paul's
example and commit to Jesus Christ,
identifying yourself as a christian and
surrendering as well.
