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Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. Luke 15:13
D.L. MOODY
He started off holding his head very high that morning. He was full of pride and conceit, and he had very lofty ideas. If anyone had told him what he was coming to, he would have laughed in scorn. But mind you, once a man starts on the downward track, he will sink lower and lower unless, by the grace of God, he turns from sin to righteousness. The first lie, the first drink, the first petty theft, is often a crisis in a man’s life.
ERWIN LUTZER
Yes, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. And if that first step is a compromise with sin, we might think we can turn back whenever we wish, but Jesus taught otherwise, “Everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin” (John 8:34). No one wakes up in the morning thinking they are going to become an addict, a slave to some practice and sinful lifestyle. But millions will testify, if they are honest, that a single wrong choice led them down to the path of destruction. Having boarded the train, they become a passenger all the way to the station. They are slaves to what has been called “the blinding self-absorption of sin.”
Looking into the first step that leads us astray, Paul says it begins when we exchange God’s truth and God’s glory for lies and idolatry (Romans 1:18–25). Eve believed a lie and, thanks to her and Adam, the pattern is now followed with each sinful choice we make. To add to the confusion, many who are walking in darkness think it is light (Isaiah 59:9). The result of continual unrepentant sin is that God removes His hand and lets sin take over. What bondage!
We must warn one another to return to God (James 5:19–20). But only God can direct us back from the terrible danger we might be in. Only He can say, “Return, O backslider” (see Jeremiah 3:14).
PRAYER
Father, keep me from those first steps leading to the bankruptcy of sin. Preserve me, O God!REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Why is it dangerous to assume we can stop sin whenever we choose?
Are there areas where you have been tempted to exchange God's truth for a more appealing lie?