Young People’s Blog

“Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners” (1 Corinthians 15:33).

A communication is something we hear — something we listen to. If we spend time in bad company, and listen to wrong things, it is very easy to fall into the same way of thinking and speaking ourselves. I knew a boy who was brought up in a Christian home, but who got into bad company at school and later at work. Soon he was using bad language, often swearing when he spoke, and even sometimes making fun of the Bible and the things concerning the Lord. Why did he do this? Deep down inside he knew it was wrong, but when he spent time with the wrong friends, he started to become like them. It sounded “cool” to swear and make fun of the Word of God, and his “good manners” that he had learned at home became corrupted.

The Lord tells us in the next verse to “awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God” (1 Corinthians 15:34). If we find ourselves being corrupted by evil communications, we need to wake up, and ask the Lord to help us to do what is right.

“And having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself” (Colossians 1:20).

Some years after World War II, an American serviceman was traveling with some friends in Germany. When they came to the outskirts of one city, the serviceman remarked on how busy it was — people shopping, getting gas for their cars, etc. But then he went and stood quietly on a street corner and closed his eyes. He told his friend afterwards that he was remembering what it was like on that exact spot back during the war. He had been there and had seen many of his fellow servicemen killed there. The activities of peacetime were all around him, but he remembered the price that was paid for that peace.

A much greater price was paid for our peace with God, for as we see in our verse, it was the blood of the Lord Jesus, shed on Calvary’s cross, that made our peace with God. We too ought to remember the cost of our salvation, and especially on this day, the Lord’s day.

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13).

Yesterday we spoke about addictions, and how that it is important not to be brought under the power of wrong things in our lives. But what if this has already happened? Is there no way to get rid of a bad habit? I remember a girl who used to come to our Sunday school, and she was already addicted to cigarettes. She was about fifteen years old, and she could hardly sit through Sunday school because she had such a craving for another cigarette.

Often, we cannot change or get rid of bad habits in our own strength, but if we know the Lord Jesus as our Savior, we can go to Him and ask Him to help us stop that bad habit. Paul knew that he could do all things, if he was depending on the Lord’s strength, and not on his own. I have known several people who were able to stop bad habits, because they accepted the Lord Jesus as their Savior, and then asked the Lord to take away the desire for those bad things. It is not always easy, and Satan may continue to tempt us, even as Christians, but if we look to the Lord, He will help us to overcome a bad habit.

“All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any” (1 Corinthians 6:12).

In the Old Testament, the children of Israel were responsible before God to keep the law He had given. They readily agreed, but they soon found out that they could not keep it.

Now, in Christianity, we are no longer under law. Rather, we have a new life in Christ — a life that wants to please Him. The Lord wants us to let that new life show itself in our Christian walk. However, if we are not careful, we can allow bad habits in our lives that turn into an addiction, and then, as our verse says, we are “under the power” of that habit. I have known people who were under the power of smoking, alcohol, drugs, and perhaps other things. Many of these people would like to stop doing these things, but the craving for them is just too strong. Even things like sports, food, money and entertainment can become addictions, and have power over us.

The Apostle Paul was concerned that he would not be brought under the power of anything in his life. We too should be careful not to develop a habit that can become an addiction, so that we cannot stop doing it, even if we want to.

“Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and…he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime” (Daniel 6:10).

Daniel was in a very difficult situation here. Some people who worked with him did not like him, and they persuaded the king to pass a law saying that, for a whole month, no one was allowed to make a request to any God or man, except to the king. Anyone who did so would be thrown into the den of lions. They knew that Daniel prayed three times a day, and they thought that that this would be a good chance to get rid of him. In those days, kings sometimes kept lions captive in a den, and they did not feed them regularly. Then, if the king was angry with someone, they might be thrown into the den. What a terrible way to die!

Daniel knew that the king had signed this law, but he had formed a good habit of praying three times a day, and he continued to pray, trusting the Lord to look after him. We all know the result. He was thrown into the den of lions, but the Lord did not allow the lions to harm him. The next morning, when Daniel was let out of the den of lions, the king commanded to throw all those people who did not like Daniel into the den. What an awful judgment on them! You may read this story in Daniel, chapter 6.

“His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue…having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:3-4).

As human beings, we tend to be creatures of habit. We do certain things every day, and that routine becomes a habit. But as we know, there are good habits and bad habits. To form good habits requires virtue, or moral courage, for it involves making the right choices in the things we do. An old proverb says, “Sow an act, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character: sow a character, reap a destiny.” This sequence does not always have to happen, for bad habits can be changed or replaced, but those who have studied habits tell us that on average it takes only three acts to form a habit, but it takes about twenty-seven opposite acts to change a habit, or get rid of it. Bad habits are not easy to get rid of!

Since we tend to live by our habits, it is very important to form good ones, and not bad ones. Then we will do the right thing simply because we are used to doing it, and it is part of us. Also, if we find ourselves sliding into a bad habit, it is good to stop it right away, before it becomes fixed in our life.

“Choose you this day whom ye will serve” (Joshua 24:15).

In our everyday lives, we are constantly compelled to make choices. We must decide what we are going to wear when we get up in the morning, what we are going to eat for breakfast, and what we are going to do with our time that day. Some of these choices are not too important. After all, does it really matter whether I have cereal or scrambled eggs for breakfast? But other choices are very important. The choice in our verse today was a challenge issued by Joshua to the children of Israel more than 3,000 years ago. Their ancestors had served idols in Ur of the Chaldees, and the Israelites themselves had worshiped idols in Egypt. Then, as soon as they came out of Egypt, they made a golden calf to worship. (They had learned how to worship the cow in Egypt.)

Now they were told to make a choice: would they serve the Lord, or continue to worship idols? You and I might never think of making a literal idol, but we may go after things in this world that can be like idols to us. They take our time, money, and strength, and rob us of what we should be doing for the Lord. How important it is to make the right choice, and serve the Lord!

“Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

We have talked about the Olympic games and learned some lessons from them. In today’s verse we see the kind of race that we run in our Christian life. As we know, there are races of different lengths in the Olympics. The shortest running race in modern day Olympics is the 100-meter dash, while the longest is a marathon of more than 26 miles, or 42.2 kilometers.

Our verse tells us to “run with patience the race that is set before us,” for the Christian life is a marathon, not simply a “dash” that is over in fewer than ten seconds (if you are a fast runner!) It is necessary to have patience, for there may be many obstacles in a marathon, and we need endurance in order to finish the race. Some who start to run a marathon do not finish, as their strength gives out, and they are compelled to quit. But if we are “looking unto Jesus,” we will find that we can run with His strength, and then we can be assured of finishing the race.

“My God, I cry by day, and Thou answerest not…and Thou art holy, Thou that dwellest amid the praises of Israel” (Psalm 22:2-3 JND).

When the Lord Jesus was on the cross, we do not read of any audible cry to God until right at the end of the three hours of darkness. But during all that time, there was the inward cry to God as He felt the weight of our sins being placed upon Him. But God is holy, and could not answer those cries. When the Lord Jesus bore our sins, He was “made sin” for us. That means that God had to deal with Him as He would have had to deal with us as sinners. This is something that overwhelms us when we think of it. Have we thanked the Lord Jesus for all that He endured for us? Because the Lord Jesus suffered for us, we will never make a cry to God that He cannot answer.

“They do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible” (1 Corinthians 9:25).

Those chosen to compete in the Olympics are excited. Most will come home without any medals, for there are only three winners in each event, and they will receive gold, silver or bronze medals. Some really good athletes have won more than one coveted gold medal.

Yet the Word of God calls all these medals “a corruptible crown,” for they are only for this life. The world may praise those who excel in the games, but then the individual gets older and can no longer compete. The world soon forgets about them. Sometimes even the medals get lost. I read about a man who won a gold medal in rowing back in 1935, but then a squirrel somehow stole his medal, and many years later he found it in a nest in his attic!

When we live for the Lord’s glory in this world, no one else may notice, but the Lord is keeping a careful record of all that is done for Him. In a coming day, He will give out His rewards, and they will not be merely for time. No, they will be “incorruptible,” and will last for all eternity. That reward will never get lost!