Guest Commentary by Brother Ritechus N. Dignation

I hate snakes. I have never stepped on a snake, but have come close a couple of times. I have stepped by snakes, around snakes and over snakes. I have even had snakes fall on me. But I ain't never stepped on a snake. I hear they don't take too kindly to being stomped on and will bite you. I once preached a revival in Greene County, Mississippi and they got rattlesnakes all over the place down there. One night, before the service, a man took me and my son to look at a dead rattlesnake in the back of his pickup. He had just knocked him in the head on the way to church. We looked that snake over real close as I explainified to my son the dangers of rattlesnakes. When we got out of church that night, the dead snake was alive and well and on top of the toolbox in the back of the truck. The guy knocked him in the head again, but this time, a mite harder. If I had even thought that critter was still alive, when lookin' at it earlier, I wouldn't have got within 15 feet of it.

Would you rather err on the side of righteousness or unrighteousness? Would you rather get close to a snake or remain at a distance? Christian liberty may say, "I can do it, I have a right, it's allowed", but Christian maturity says, "For me to live is Christ and I love God and want to protect my testimony." It has always amazed me at the length to which people will go to get near sin, but won't even begin to pay the price to get near God. If you are more interested in getting closer to sin than in getting closer to God, something is wrong. Getting near a snake don't mean you will be bitten, but it increases your chances.

It bothers me when Christians spend more time looking for loopholes that allow them freedom to indulge in, or take part in that which is questionable for Christians. It just tells me they are more focused on themselves than on God. Plus, there is always potential danger, for sin can bite like a snake.

I once preached at a church in the city and was grieved at what I saw. Several women were half naked. It can be hard for a preacher to focus on righteousness with so much skin showin'. People who know me will say, "Well there he goes again, harping on dress, when there are more important things." There certainly are more important things, but dress and appearance also have a place of importance. Loophole seekers are always turning attention away to "more important" things. And even if I DO harp on certain things, it's usually because everyone else's harp is broken, and they are silent on certain issues. There is a direct connection between nakedness and inflamed lust. There is also a direct connection between goin' into the woods or to a lake and finding a snake. Going where snakes live increases the chance of finding and even stepping on snakes. Staying away from the pond decreases the possibility of seeing and stepping on snakes.

Hungering and thirsting after God, with a desire to please Him decreases opportunities to sin and dishonor Him. WHY are Christians so concerned with this world, it's styles and fashions, programs and all it has to offer when they could feast on the things of God and the genuine peace, joy and fulfillment that comes only from dedication to Him?

Legalist? Legalism? The word has to do with adhering to law. I'll take law any day over lawlessness. And watch out for snakes.

Copied From Joseph Harris @: http://www.miniedition.net -- Used By Permission