Bridle Your
Appetites
April 29, 2002
Jesus didn't pull any punches when he said, "No
one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love
the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the
other" (Matthew 6:24). While Jesus was talking about the tension
between loving God and loving money, the principle applies to
other areas of life as well. We cannot devote ourselves to God
and at the same time nurture a secret sin.
You may be thinking, "Wait a minute, Bill, so what
if I pick up a Playboy once in a while or occasionally peek at a
bare woman on the Internet; I've never committed adultery." Or,
"Just because I pad my expense account, that doesn't make me a
thief." You may rationalize your behavior--whether it has
something to do with sex, drugs, money, or power--by denying its
seriousness.
The truth is, you must control your destructive
inclinations by bridling "little sins," because in reality they
aren't so little--and they can and often do lead to destruction.
The apostle Paul said, "Don't you know that when you offer
yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to
the one whom you obey--whether you are slaves to sin, which
leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness"
(Romans 6:16).
In effect, Paul is telling us that our pet
pleasure--whatever it may be--is a gremlin. Do you remember
those cute furry creatures from the movie? They start out as
soft and cuddly, and before long they turn into monsters that
destroy life.
I wish I could pull up a comfortable chair and sit beside you.
For just a moment I would ask you to be honest with yourself and
with God. If your life is under control, I would urge you to
keep it that way. But if it isn't, I would beg you to deal with
your appetite before it devours you.
For the sake of God's reputation, for your own
sake, for the sake of your family, friends, and those you
love--break free today. Don't allow all you've invested your
life in to be tarnished because you were too proud, too
independent, or too fearful to act decisively. As a Mighty Man,
resolve to keep your appetites under control. If that means
acknowledging they aren't, then admit it--and seek help now.
David was the leader of the Mighty Men. Yet,
because he didn't bridle his sexual appetite not only did he
sleep with Bathsheba, he had her husband, Uriah the Hittite,
killed in order to cover his sin. And did you know that Uriah
was one of David's Mighty Men? What a tragedy. And it could have
been prevented if David hadn't been in the wrong place at the
wrong time looking at the wrong thing.
We've all locked arms and committed ourselves to
seek God's grace to enable us to bridle our appetites. When one
of us falls--it affects us all--just ask David. So this week
let's determine that we'll aggressively bridle our appetites so
they don't get out of control. And if they're running wild,
we'll reign them in.
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