Re: A burden relieved
Submitted by Genghis on 2002-11-7 18:06:22, Thursday
In reply to A burdon relieved submitted by Oliver on 2002-11-7 01:20:39, Thursday
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Oliver, What you wrote reminded me of a passage that a friend whom I had "outed" to gave me. It is Ezekiel 3:20. If a righteous man turns from his righteousness (right doing and right standing with God) and some gift or providence which I lay before him he perverts into an occasion to sin and he commits iniquity, he shall die... he shall die in his sin and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered. I know that when I work with boys in youth groups and camps, I am always tempted. I play the piano, so I play in worship teams. I'm even currently coaching a kid in piano. I'm constantly struggling. If we are to help boys, we must do so with a genuine and whole-hearted passion for God. Everything else is secondary. When interacting with kids, we should do so because we love them for who they are and we care for them. But if our relationship with God isn't tight enough, then it's very, very easy to lust. Kids can develop a very close trust in an adult they know (like RF said), and this can place great strain on a Christian who's stuggling with lust. This trust can enable him to easily abuse the kid, but he must always remember God foremost and what a horrible sin it would be if he "lost control". Not to mention the trust that his parents place in him, the law, and many other things! If Jesus's second coming was today, then I would sure have died. :-( In a way, I'm perverting my gift to an occasion to sin. Because lusting, as harmless as it may sound, is already a sin. If I were the most righteous person around, I should be doing what your church asked you to do - to temporarily cease my relationships with boys until my heart is right and my mind is sound. Genghis |
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