A wonderful, wise, fellow-scrapbooking friend (thanks, Naomi!) sent this to me not long ago and I have been mulling over its meaning:
Separation is not isolation
it is contact
without
contamination
This quote expounds on the scripture from 2 Corinthians 6:17, ""Therefore, come out from among them and be separate," says the Lord." To be honest, I think I prefer the safety of isolation. However, isolation is a lonely and is completely ineffective in ministering to others in the name of Christ. I think I fear contamination. Sometimes it is easy for me to fall into sin and I don't want to be exposed to people or places that are a temptation for me. How to find the balance?
1 comments:
It is a fine line.
But even The Lord's Prayer begs "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil..."
Matt 26:41 even says "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
But 1 Corinthians 10:13 also makes note "...but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."
I guess my own viewpoint is this. Don't be stupid. If you have an addiction to alcohol, a bar is not the place to meet up with friends. If you are battling a cheating heart, you'd probably not find yourself alone with a flirty coworker.
BUT, don't hide your head in the sand either. If God is calling you to a challenge, then He will ready you for it as well. (That's the part that I have to remind myself of often, very often.)
OK, that's the end of my rambling.
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