September 27
“Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and, ‘Let everyone who names the name of the Lord abstain from wickedness.’ Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. Therefore, if a man cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. Now flee from youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” (2 Timothy 2:19-22)
- Fruitlessness, usefulness lost, lost opportunity to bear fruit for the Kingdom, loss of eternal rewards and rewards on this earth.
It goes without saying that if we engage in immorality, lust, and pornography, then our usefulness for God’s kingdom is diminished. We will be vessels for dishonor, as Paul says in the scripture quoted above. We will be examples of what not to do as Christians; we will be examples of how not to live life. We will not enjoy fruitfulness and usefulness nearly to the extent we would if we had kept ourselves from sin. Although the Lord will certainly forgive us if we confess our sins and repent, yet the opportunity is lost, and it will take time, perhaps a long time or possibly never, before we are able to be as useful to the Lord as we could have been had we not chosen immorality. Add to this the fact that we might have made others stumble, and our sins are multiplied into others and more opportunities to serve the Lord are lost, and our sins of immorality carry even more gravity and severity.
If we think we can get away with it and not be found out, that is missing the main point. God is the one Who uses and blesses and judges. We might be able to conceal our sins from others, but we certainly cannot from God. He sees all and weighs our hearts and motives. I don’t see how we can test Him with immoral behavior and not have any negative consequences in this life or on the Judgment Day. At a minimum, a mind filled with sin cannot connect with God, cannot pray in spirit or in the Spirit, cannot move the hand of God or intercede for others, cannot influence others for good, and cannot be blessed by God.
I realize that pastors who view pornography (and from the numbers I have heard, the percentages are surprisingly high) may be able to fake spirituality, preach sermons, counsel others, and even lead people to Christ. But I am convinced that even though God may choose to use the words and bless them with fruit, it will be in spite of the person saying the words, and it will not profit them or be credited to their account in the judgment day. We mock God if we presume that we can repeatedly immerse our minds in the things that are detestable to Him and still be a useful vessel to Him.
What price do you put on your usefulness to God? For how little will you sell out your great calling and privilege of service to Christ? Will a cheap, momentary, fleshly thrill be payment enough for you to defile your vessel and your usefulness to the Lord? Realize what a great treasure it is and what an incomprehensible benefit it is for you to cleanse yourself from your sins and keep yourself pure and useful to Christ!