Compromises….
Who out there loves to compromise? It sounds like the nice thing to do, but it has the potential to ruin your ambitions.
There are a couple different types to compromises. Some are between a couple people, negotiating deals or whatnot. Those are fine and necessary. We get into trouble when we compromise our beliefs.
If we allow ourselves to compromise on what we believe, we leave ourselves open to being led astray. We typically will allow ourselves to take one baby step at a time away from what we know to be true, and before long, we are lost. Getting lost in our own lives doesn’t typically happen all at once, normally it is all the little, seemingly insignificant, decisions that bring us to the demise of our best selves.
“Your boasting about this is terrible. Don’t you realize that this sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough?” 1 Corinthians 5:6 NLT
I see this passage teaching us that even the little things that are bad that we do will end up changing us. If we get enough bad in us, we will become bad. Pretty simple concept. The hard part I see is ridding ourselves of impurities and restoring ourselves into the people God created us to be. That process is difficult and will require us to be diligent in what we do in all areas of our life.
I’m big on integrity. My words mean something. I do what I say and say what I mean. I fail on occasion, but I never give up striving to live my life full of integrity. The problem is, there is more to it than that. Recently it has been shown to me that what we allow into our bodies, weather it’s food, music, words of others, etc, that needs to be up to our standards as well. It is part of how we stay on track in our walk-through life.
If we compromise our thoughts on what we consume, food, music, tv, friends, we will end up far away from where we should be.
This week I encourage you to look for the areas in your life that you allow compromise. Reflect on if it is in your best interest, if it’s not, work towards rectifying your resolve to resist those things.
“Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the LORD. Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts. They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in his paths. You have charged us to keep your commandments carefully. Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect your decrees! Then I will not be ashamed when I compare my life with your commands. As I learn your righteous regulations, I will thank you by living as I should! I will obey your decrees. Please don’t give up on me!”
Psalms 119:1-8 NLT