Don’t Booby Trap Your Life
Strange counsel? I came across it in the Bible last week. Who would want to “booby trap” their life? I read on.
I learned that there are people who are hungry for excitement and danger, running to commit crimes against others for profit. These are the people who are bobby trapping their own lives.
It’s easy to develop a taste for this kind of danger. A little excitement, a little risk, some kind of personal gain to be had – that is all it takes. Some commit crime, some maliciously gossip, others have illicit affairs and some just enjoy pitting people against each other. These people make dangerous friends as they entice you to join in the “fun and adventure” or unexpectedly turn on you.
But even in our day to day lives we can booby trap our lives. We can develop habits and attitudes that make for unhappiness in the end. A fiery temper unchecked, a flirtatious nature indulged, there are many ways in which we can sow seeds of unhappiness in our own lives.
Many people dislike Christianity because it calls for improvement in our conduct. In short it asks us to learn enough to know what we’ve done is wrong, be sorry and IMPROVE.
Now “improve” requires change and change requires effort and commitment. Do you see why it’s not so popular? People prefer a religion that lets them always be right/special and doesn’t require them to change a thing. How much easier it is to do whatever feels good and not worry about how good it really is for yourself and for others in the long run.
The Bible speaks about two paths; one broad and easy the other narrow and difficult. It counsels us to choose the narrow difficult path. This is the one where what we do and say and who we are matters. The broad path is for those who believe anything goes and it leads to destruction. Christian principles are not just for the “by and by” or some distant point of judgement in the future. No. They are for now and here and today’s circumstances.
Improve your life today by caring enough about yourself, those around you and God to choose to do things right even if it is a little harder or requires you to give up some habits or attitudes that you enjoy even though you know they’re wrong.
In the “here and now” it works. Don’t booby trap your life.
“ Don’t go along with them my child! Stay far away for their paths.
They rush to commit crimes. They hurry to commit murder.
When a bird sees a trap being set it, it stays away.
But not these people! They set an ambush for themselves;
They booby trap their own lives!”
Proverbs 1:15 -18 (NLT)
Read Proverbs 1 to see for yourself
“Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarrelling and jealousy.
Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.”
Romans 13 :13-14 (NLT)