March 8 – Distressing Times
2 Peter 2:6-8 - “...if he condemned
the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made
them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he
rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives
of lawless men (for that righteous man, living among them day after
day, was tormented in this righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw
and heard);”
Sometimes there is a fine line
between hating the sin and loving the sinner. We know that Jesus did
it perfectly, but we redeemed sinners have a much harder time doing
so. I currently work (2018) in the hospitality sector of the
workforce, specifically at a hotel, in the center of the universe –
in a small town that emphasizes history, arts, New Age philosophy,
city-life getaways, and dwindling morality. The basic function of
any hotel is to provide sleeping accommodations – comfortable,
amenable, and commensurate with one's financial expectations. This
hotel also offers spa services, contains a restaurant, and hosts
special private events, such as weddings and receptions. All of those
functions do not require a great deal of moral decisions, when
transacting with the public – except for weddings.
American society has acquiesced to the
trending philosophy of amorality. So, now a heterosexual couple, who
are my age, are stressing over the “wedding” plans of their gay
son, who is “marrying” another gay guy. (Gay marriage is
obviously an oxymoron; hence, my use of quotation marks.) The
parents are not stressing about the two young men, only with the
wedding details. As I watched this unfold several times, with our
wedding co-ordinator, my distress arose, my anger arose, and my
stomach turned. The distress came to a head one day, when I was
working the front desk on the day of a gay couple's “wedding”
reception at the hotel. The couple had asked the front desk
personnel to hand out gift bags to their overnight “wedding”
guests – an act that was not unusual, and that I had done before.
However, this time was different. Giving out arrival gifts is not
part of my job, but rather a favor to the hotel guest. So, when I
refused to give out gifts this day, my co-workers and boss were not
happy. Rather, they questioned my ability to treat people with
courtesy and respect. To them, that simple gesture was not a big
deal. To me, handing out arrival gift bags, was a tacit approval of
an immoral act. As 1 Timothy 5:22 states, I was not going to
“participate in the sins of others”. Therefore, I took a stand
for what I believed. It was quite an uncomfortable situation for my
team that day.
Just like Lot felt 3500 years ago, I
am distressed over the blinded, but filthy deeds of lawlessness
today. Psalm 12:8 states, “The wicked freely strut about, when
what is vile is honored among men.” The fourth chapter of
Ephesians gives us the explanation for this behavior. “....you
must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their
thinking,. They are darkened in their understanding and separated
from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to
the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they
have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every
kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more” (vv 17-19).
What is our job as Christians to
combat this evil? Ask God to open blinded eyes. He is ultimately
the one who has the power to change hearts and minds. Gently
instruct “in the hope that God will grant them repentance, leading
them to a knowledge of the truth...” (2 Timothy 2:25). Recognize
that God is, in some fashion, “sending you to them, to open their
eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of
Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a
place among those who are sanctified by faith in me” (Acts 26:17,
18). Let us purpose to walk in the light, even as the darkness is
glorified among us.
