Do You Want a Splinter in Your Butt? Then Try Straddling a Fence!

“Strict walking is much despised in these days, but rest assured, dear reader, it is the safest and happiest path. He who yields a point or two to the world is in fearful peril; he who eats the grapes of Sodom will soon drink the wine of Gomorrah. A little crevice in the seawall in Holland lets in the sea, and the gap soon swells until a province is drowned.” – C.H. Spurgeon

One of the hardest things for a Christian to do is to separate himself from all questionable worldly activities. It is also – as Charles Spurgeon points out in today’s quote – the safest and happiest path to follow.

Straddling the spiritual fence with one foot in the world and one foot in God’s kingdom is foolhardy and extremely dangerous. Doing so makes Jesus so nauseous that He promises to spit lukewarm believers – and pretenders – out of His mouth (Revelation 3:16). And, as many former fence-sitters have learned the hard way, it is far too easy to fall off on the wrong side.

Unfortunately, we are all guilty of seeing how close we can get to that line without crossing it. I dare say that the minute you ask the “how close can I get” question, you have already crossed over that line.

Instead, we should adopt the attitude of Job, who made a covenant with his eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman. I’ll admit that doing so is a lot harder these days with partially-clad women crowding our beaches, our TV screens, and even some of our churches. However, that doesn’t give men an excuse. Just like AVIS, we simply need to “try harder”, claiming I Corinthians 10:13 in the process.

Likewise, when necessary, we are to flee the world’s temptations and high-tail it for the hills. Joseph followed that strategy and although it initially landed him in prison, God eventually honored his obedience by elevating him to prime minister of Egypt.

Sure, walking the straight and narrow path may bring ridicule from believers and unbelievers alike. The former because “men love darkness rather than light” (John 3:19) and the latter because, much to their embarrassment, their carnal ways will be exposed (John 3:20). Still others will accuse us of having a holier-than-thou attitude because our righteousness makes them squirm with conviction.

However, as Spurgeon says, “Better to be sneered at as a Puritan than to be despised as a hypocrite.”

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 (BSB)

- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President