Holy Distancing
I laugh.
Sorry, but every time I walk through the stores I laugh at the public.
People scrambling for toilet paper.
People wearing the goofiest-looking face masks.
People gasping if you cough or sneeze.
The world has officially freaked out.
I walked into a bank branch a few days ago and asked the manager if he ever thought he’d see the day they welcomed masked people into their business. He laughed, too.
Jesus said the children of darkness are wiser than the children of light.
People live in fear of the physical world.
Jesus said not to fear what can happen to your body but what can destroy your soul.
Yet people, even “Christians” continue exposing themselves to spiritual contagions while washing their hands for the 20th time today.
Long before the CDC issued guidelines for social distancing, God gave His commands for spiritual distancing.
I know hipster Christianity shows us how to tote the Jesus brand while identifying with the world.
Jesus calls us out of the world.
If I have pure religion, the kind Jesus brings, I will not let any of the world get on me.
Will you keep six feet away from the very hint of sin?
Will you filter out every evil motive from what your heart inhales?
I know the idea of living without sin sounds like pride and judgmentalism.
If I let pride motivate me to disassociate myself from the world, then my “distancing” reeks to others. It will become as laughable as the person at the grocery store with rubber gloves and a mask who licks a finger to get the produce baggie to open.
“Come out from among them and be holy because I am holy,” God says.
When we realized how the Rona was transmitted, we took steps to prevent catching it.
You know how sin is transmitted.
You know your spiritual triggers.
You know that idle time with those who are infected will plant seeds of evil in you.
You know what talk shows, songs, and games pollute your spirit.
At least you should.
Will you wash your hands and not your heart?
“So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.”
James 1:21 NLT
Consider how you come in contact with spiritual contagions:
- Certain people (who stir fear, lewd thoughts, or other evils)
- Entertainment that stirs wrong desires
- Thought-shifters that turn you toward the negative (news? music?)
- Products that affect your body in ways the Lord didn’t intend
- Identities you associate with by words, action, or outfit
I don’t think I have to say much about how certain songs can stir dark feelings or how some movies can provoke lust or fear. I cannot not be entertained by listening to someone use violent language or defy Jesus by taking His name in vain. One thing I think people often overlook in spiritual distancing is how we look. One day, I suddenly realized that how I look gave me favor with others or attracted curses.
For a while, I was going to auctions for the fun of it. Some times I went directly after a church function, dressed in a nice shirt and tie at least. Other times I arrived straight from working out in the yard and did not care how I looked.
When I wore clothes with dirt or stains on them out in public, I noticed that the guys I struck up a conversation with would cuss to me (not at me). I’ve tested this several times and realized that when you dress dirty people around you feel free to talk dirty.
On the other hand, when I’m wearing respectable clothes, people not only speak more respectfully, I get better treatment. Personally, I’d rather not attract cuss words, so part of spiritual distancing could be how you take care of your outer appearance.
Around 13 years old my parents were part of a religious expo at the SuperDome and I came with them dressed in a suit and tie. Being a curiosity seeker, I crossed a barrier and climbed way up to the top seats in the building. My friends slowly chickened out as I went further into the restricted zone. (Only one friend stuck with me on that adventure, so about 5 years later I married her.) When guards saw us, they came up and told us we had to leave. I could tell they were so confused and didn’t know what to do with us two who were not dressed like any troublemakers they had dealt with before.
That was just a fun story. I don’t know where I was going with that other than to say, if you go to the store in the shirt and sweats you slept in, don’t expect to attract the right crowd.
People who represent Jesus should be careful about how we present Him. This includes our words, world views, and any popular identity we attach ourselves to. Who are you trying to look like?
Don’t forget your own heart can manufacture spiritual viruses. While we set up parameters for spiritual defense, we also must weed out any deep-seated flaws by the power of the Spirit!
Please reflect on the following questions and share your thoughts!
Each human is more susceptible to certain disease over others. What are your weaknesses? Where has your spiritual health been compromised in the past? What do you have to avoid that might not be an issue to someone else?
6 Comments
Great thoughts! One thought come to my mind as I read it, the world is watching the Church. They are seeing if we are real or not. When I read the account of you going past the barrier, God told me that is like the world. When a saint slips up and does something wrong, they don’t know how to act. They expect a sinner to do that, not a saint. When someone slips up, the world is watching what they will do next.
I have seen Christians that have serve God, some for many years, panicking over this virus. They post on FB their fears and concerns and then sinners post their fears and then Christians agree with them. It is like you said with sin, you hang around the same crowd you did before you was saved or go to the places you went before or even listen to the same music, you will fall back into your old ways.
The other day, I was at Walmart and they were playing a song on the radio. It was one I listened to as a teenager and started singing it before I realized what I was doing. I had to rebuke myself and start singing a gospel song to get the other one out of my mind. I had to ask God to forgive me, even though it was a subconscious decision. As a saying that I have heard many times, “If you play with fire, you will get burned.” same goes with sin.
So good!
Yes there are some environments (such as workplaces) where you cannot avoid contagions. Like in the physical, you wear a mask. You did what I often do, I’ll mask over an evil song with good lyrics or do something so those words do not get into my soul. We can survive the sin epidemic!
I loved this
Excellent
Excellent points! I love the analogy! If we treat sin like a virus, we will need to stay clean!
Very practical, good teaching!