Compromise Loves to Call on the Weekend

Okay. It’s the weekend.

And you’re a Christian. You’ve experienced God’s cleansing and God’s presence in your life. You know His forgiveness and His grace.

You are the real deal, a follower of Christ.

And yet…sin is knocking on your door. Compromise is calling, and it sure sounds like fun.

{sidebar id=1}So why shouldn’t you? You can always ask for forgiveness later, right?

Well, there is the guilt. And there is being a hypocrite. It’s hard to live with yourself when your actions don’t line up with your words.

But what kind of misery is that? There are things you want to do, but you can’t because you also believe they are wrong.

And then a little voice says, “Well, they’re not THAT wrong.”

Okay, stop right there. Don’t start justifying and compromising!

Do you want to be strong or do you want to be weak? Compromise bring weakness.

Now I know your goal is not to compromise. Your goal is to enjoy yourself. You just want to relax and have a good time, and now you are toying with compromise to do it.

Well don’t! Don’t compromise your righteousness.

And don’t think that kicks you off the good thing train, because listen. Righteousness itself will give you a lot of good things, far better things.

For example, righteousness will give you stability. Instead of being tossed here and there by every wind that blows, you will be able steer a steady course. Your life will be more stable as you become more righteous.

Righteousness will give you more respect. Compromise doesn’t bring respect, but righteousness? Even those who don’t like what a righteous man stands for tend to respect him.

Jesus said to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. That’s pretty high on the list, when He says to seek that first. We are to seek His righteousness.

First Timothy 6:11 uses what I call a power word, and that’s the word “pursue.” It says, “…pursue righteousness…” It says the same thing in Second Timothy 2, “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness…”

Romans 6:13 says, “Do not offer the parts of your body to sin…” Instead we are told to offer the parts of our body to God as instruments of righteousness.

First John 3 talks about practicing righteousness. And verse 10 says, “Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God…”

I believe deep down all Christians want to practice righteousness, but sometimes it’s hard to do when the payoff for a quick compromise seems so tempting.

But let me tell you, the rewards of righteousness are far better.

Proverbs 11:18 says, “…he who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.”

That’s what righteousness will bring you, a “sure reward.”

The Bible mentions a lot of rewards for righteousness.

Proverbs 11:5 says righteousness “makes a straight way” for us.

Proverbs 11:6 says that, while the unfaithful are trapped by their evil desires, we are delivered by our righteousness.

{sidebar id=1}Proverbs 13:6 says that our righteousness guards us.

Isaiah 32:17 says, “The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.”

The Bible even says that righteousness exalts a nation, and that a throne is established by righteousness.

Romans 8:10 says that if Christ is in us, our “spirit is alive because of righteousness.”

The Lord loves righteousness, and Proverbs 15:9 says He loves those who pursue righteousness.

Zephaniah 2:3 says, “Seek righteousness…”

Jesus said in Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

I have always loved that verse because it makes righteousness so accessible. If I simply hunger and thirst for it, I will be filled.

So, it’s the weekend. Compromise loves to call on the weekend, but don’t answer! The payoff is short lived and not worth it.

Instead, seek and pursue the very thing that God loves and rewards.

And all you have to do is just really want it.

For Jesus Himself said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

Comments?

E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.

This article originally published on January 26, 2010.

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