My dear friends, you have been warned ahead of time! So don't let the errors of evil people lead you down the wrong path and make you lose your balance. Let the gift of undeserved grace and the understanding that come from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ help you keep on growing. Praise Jesus now and forever! Amen.
2 Peter 3:17-18
My mother would say to me when I was a little boy, "You wouldn't jump off of a bridge just because everyone else was doing it, would you?" Of course I would tell her that I would not jump, but as the years have passed I have discovered that the temptation to hurl myself off of that theoretical bridge can be very strong!
There are so many things in this life that we do just because other people are doing it as well. Some of them are benign and really make no difference, but there are those that are physically and even spiritually fatal.
I remember when almost no one objected to smoking. Everyone had ash trays in their living rooms even if they did not smoke because a visitor was always likely to "light up." My father even told me that he thought that smoking cigars would keep him from catching a cold. There was no such thing as a non-smoking motel room and restaurants were salted and peppered with smokers without restriction. Also you could not smoke in an airplane while taking off or landing, but that was about it. Then came the realization that smoking causes lung cancer. With that fact the national attitude about smoking began to change. Now, smoking is highly regulated and banned completely in many states from motels and restaurants. Most countries in the world have some sort of smoking regulations. Now the "temptation" to begin smoking is not as strong as it was many years ago because society itself frowns on it.
As a follower of Jesus Christ, you will be tempted to look to others for direction in your life. Follow Jesus, not the crowd! If you only follow men who follow Jesus, then how will you know if you are being led astray? Of course it is good to walk in the ways of righteousness as you see other believers walk, but unless you are hearing from Jesus Himself, there is the potential for being led astray by the "errors" of others!
"Lord, help me to jump off of the bridge only at Your command and not because I see others doing it. May You be the compass and commander of my life. And may You be praised forever! Amen."
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