I once watched a clip that was supposed to be funny. A group of young ladies were introduced to a group of young men in what was to be a sort of “kissing survey.” The young men were quite good looking. When it was time for the “experiment” to begin, the ladies were blindfolded and their hands were tied behind them. The young men were sent away and chimpanzees were brought in instead. Since they were oblivious to what had just gone on, the ladies passionately kissed the chimpanzees, thinking they were those good looking young men they were introduced to. One thing I asked myself after watching the clip was, “what will these ladies feel when they later get to know they kissed chimpanzees?” The ladies didn’t realize the prank they had fallen for, because it felt just like the “real thing.”
Most of us have fallen for such pranks. I am not referring to pranks where we’ve been made to “kiss chimpanzees.” I am referring to the prank of the enemy – making us fall for standards that only feel like the real thing, when those standards are nowhere near the original quality.
In Matthew 13:24-29, Jesus tells an interesting parable of a man who sowed “good seed.” “But while the man slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat.” To me, those statements clearly reflect the fallen moral standards of our times.
Like me, are you also finding it difficult to put forth a view like kissing your fiancé for the first time on your wedding day? Is it becoming more and more “old school” to remain unbroken as a young lady till marriage? Don’t you easily become the “odd one out” when you choose to stand for Christian values and principles among your peers? I believe so. And here’s why: even as we turned our attention to other doctrines of Christianity (that’s how we “slept”), a gradual decay was incorporated into the moral fabric our lives. It was so gradual that we didn’t realize it as the enemy slowly made accept standards that looked just like the original values, and here we are today.
But here’s a thought – the wheat never “became tares.” As Christians, we must be unflinching in our principles. Whatever the trend out there, we must resolve not to copy the pattern of the world (Romans 12_2). Christian men should learn to control themselves and seek to pursue righteousness so we become men God can count on. Christian women should seek to live in purity so that they would become like the proverbial Christian woman whose heart is hidden in Christ.
No matter how attractive the tares looked, the wheat never “became like them.” No matter how attractive the systems of the world out there are, we need to “stay put.” Remember Daniel? His life must serve as a template for us (Daniel 1_8a). The world needs Christians to remain Christians in every sense of the word.
One of the 10 commandments tells us not to mention the name of God in vain (Exodus 20_7). How does one mention the name of God in vain? You do so by claiming to be a Christian and not matching your lifestyle with your claim as a Christian. Are you mentioning God’s name in vain? Stay wheat to the very end – the tares are not worth it.
Seeking to glorify God in any way possible.
good post!
Thank you Mary.
So what are some situations that put us Christians in a “fix” when we choose to stand by our principles. Any experiences? Share them with us.
Many have been fooled into thinking that marriage is just a piece of paper. While playing house may look just like marriage…that tare is not wheat! I fell for that and am glad to say God opened my eyes. Great post!
For men, when pursuing a wife, we could be fixed on that one true love whom we think is our wife. In actuality, our true love is God, personified in His Son Jesus Christ. Our tare is in seeing women are our most prized possesion when Jesus should be the real treasure that we prize as men of God. through Him, we will find wives. Through him, our plantations will be filled with wheat, and not tares.