Perhaps it may turn out a sang,
Perhaps turn out a sermon.

-- R. Burns Epistle to a Young Friend

Monday, May 11, 2015

Twenty-first Century Stuporman



Do not be deceived:  Bad company ruins good morals.  Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.  -- 1 Corinthians 15:33-34


Apropos of nothing -- “Bad Company” by Bad Company is one of my favorite songs.   

The odd thing about these two verses is that they look like they are completely out of place.  Paul is in the middle of his powerful defense of the truth of Christ’s resurrection and the whole idea of resurrection and victory over death and the grave.  Suddenly, he issues this vehement admonition. 

Bad theology ruins good morals as well.  Unless we wake up from our delusions and gaze upon the truth, we are going to be the walking dead, wandering around chasing illusions and hallucinations.  It’s not a matter of merely staying out of the bars and away from corrupt worldlings.  We have to be aware of the ideas with which we keep company, guarding our hearts and minds against concepts that keep us chained and in bondage to fear. 

Sometimes the evening news is bad company.  We keep track of politics and the markets, what the Fed does and what the CDC is doing.  They tell us about the messes in Europe and the Middle East and the Chinese threat.  It’s good to know those things and to be involved, but if it gets to the point of fear and worry then we may need to back off.  So much of it we can do nothing about anyway. 

I think if we spend more time with the Lord and listening to the Holy Spirit, we may well be better prepared for whatever it is that comes than if we spent all our time perusing the doom-and-gloom sites on the internet.  Not that those aren’t fun, but I’m not so sure that is always a profitable and beneficial use of our time. 

Sometimes our dreams are pleasant, sometimes nightmares.  We can learn from dreams, but we are not meant to live in them always. 

Let us wake up, Lord.  Help us to lay aside our ignorance and seek the knowledge of You and seek Your wisdom. 

3 comments:

John Lien said...

I think if we spend more time with the Lord and listening to the Holy Spirit, we may well be better prepared for whatever it is that comes than if we spent all our time perusing the doom-and-gloom sites on the internet. Not that those aren’t fun, but I’m not so sure that is always a profitable and beneficial use of our time.

Amen to that. This constant checking in on the world is bad for me.

I'm getting tired of keeping up with the news. The world will go on without my watching. (Well, I'll check in, but I think I'm getting over it.)

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

I'll add my Amen and raise you an Our Father.
Couldn't agree more. I used to have the news on as background noise to help cover up sounds from outside, which mitigates the dog's barking somewhat.

Lately, I have been listening to more music, or I pop in a western or other classics as background noise while I read.

Too much news (especially since so much is stupid commentary anyway) ain't doing me any good.
you are right, Dwaine, there is so many other worthwhile things to do.


mushroom said...

Maybe it's because I'm old, but I've noticed that I'm better off ignoring most of the "crises" that are going on.