Flee!
He was fine: dark with shoulder-length dreadlocks and a nice build.
And, I just wanted to say, "Hi."
We were at an art show in Baltimore and I heard him say he was a writer. So, I walked over, introduced myself and struck up a conversation.
He surprised me.
He wasn't just a writer: He was an artist and his work was on display there. We talked for a while and he encouraged me to take a look at his work. I told him I would and began to browse the gallery.
Oh-my-goodness.
It was mostly men in varied stages of undress performing sex acts with one another. The few women depicted in the pictures were either "with" animals or degrading themselves otherwise. I didn't get it and was ready to go.
But.
My new friend found me and asked what I thought of his work. I told him I wasn't sure if I'd seen it. Then, I prayed real hard his wasn't one of the more obscene pieces.
It wasn't.
In fact, it was the only piece I saw that wasn’t bordering on porn. Still, I couldn’t help wondering if a heterosexual male would have his work on display in the midst of all this other stuff. I don’t know. Maybe so. I’m not sure.
I just know sometimes you have to abstain from the appearance of evil. It says so in 1 Thessalonians 2:22. So, I tossed the business card he gave me. Now, maybe I missed out on a good friend. Who knows? But that’s the price we pay when we’re trying to stir clear of mess.
Otherwise, I could be on Oprah in a few years talking about, “I loved him, but I didn’t know.” And what’s she going to say? “Well, you met him at a gay art show…”
Please.
Folks, we spend a lot of time trying to see if it quacks, walks and acts like a duck. We see feathers. We see it swimming. We see people out there feeding it bread crumbs – and it’s in a duck pond. What else do we need?
Our problem is we want to see how close we can get to the fire without getting burned.
That’s a mistake.
Fire deceives. It’s warm, cozy. It’s cute. It’s helpful. We can use it to cook, roast marshmallows. But, it burns. It was intended to burn. That’s why you don’t play with it. Leaning over into a fire will get you scorched. Leave it alone.
Check out a brother in the Bible who played with fire: Peter.
In Mark 14: 53-72, Peter stands next to a fire in an enemy camp. It’s the night they’ve beaten Jesus beyond recognition. They’ve spat on him. They’ve cast lot for his clothes. Then, someone turns to Peter and asks, “Aren’t you his? Aren’t you his follower?”
Peter denies Christ.
They ask again.
And Peter denies Him again.
He does this three times, but we shouldn’t be surprised. Peter got cozy by the enemy fire and denied Christ. That’s something a lot of us get shocked at. We’re like, “How can he deny Christ? He walked with Him. He talked with Him. How?”
The same way we do it.
We play with situations we know to be hot. And any time you cozy up to the enemy’s fire, you’ll probably deny Christ. That’s just real. So, run. One Bible version says, “Flee!”
That means get out of there before it gets hot.
Leave – before you are half way undressed at his apartment. Or better yet, don’t go.
It means jet – before the gossip starts.
It means move out – if you’re living with someone that’s not your husband or wife.
It means staying out of any situation that might compromise or jeopardize your witness, well-being or relationship with Christ.
People, if God is really our ruler, then we need to measure some thing by His standards.
Know that I love you each, L.
And, I just wanted to say, "Hi."
We were at an art show in Baltimore and I heard him say he was a writer. So, I walked over, introduced myself and struck up a conversation.
He surprised me.
He wasn't just a writer: He was an artist and his work was on display there. We talked for a while and he encouraged me to take a look at his work. I told him I would and began to browse the gallery.
Oh-my-goodness.
It was mostly men in varied stages of undress performing sex acts with one another. The few women depicted in the pictures were either "with" animals or degrading themselves otherwise. I didn't get it and was ready to go.
But.
My new friend found me and asked what I thought of his work. I told him I wasn't sure if I'd seen it. Then, I prayed real hard his wasn't one of the more obscene pieces.
It wasn't.
In fact, it was the only piece I saw that wasn’t bordering on porn. Still, I couldn’t help wondering if a heterosexual male would have his work on display in the midst of all this other stuff. I don’t know. Maybe so. I’m not sure.
I just know sometimes you have to abstain from the appearance of evil. It says so in 1 Thessalonians 2:22. So, I tossed the business card he gave me. Now, maybe I missed out on a good friend. Who knows? But that’s the price we pay when we’re trying to stir clear of mess.
Otherwise, I could be on Oprah in a few years talking about, “I loved him, but I didn’t know.” And what’s she going to say? “Well, you met him at a gay art show…”
Please.
Folks, we spend a lot of time trying to see if it quacks, walks and acts like a duck. We see feathers. We see it swimming. We see people out there feeding it bread crumbs – and it’s in a duck pond. What else do we need?
Our problem is we want to see how close we can get to the fire without getting burned.
That’s a mistake.
Fire deceives. It’s warm, cozy. It’s cute. It’s helpful. We can use it to cook, roast marshmallows. But, it burns. It was intended to burn. That’s why you don’t play with it. Leaning over into a fire will get you scorched. Leave it alone.
Check out a brother in the Bible who played with fire: Peter.
In Mark 14: 53-72, Peter stands next to a fire in an enemy camp. It’s the night they’ve beaten Jesus beyond recognition. They’ve spat on him. They’ve cast lot for his clothes. Then, someone turns to Peter and asks, “Aren’t you his? Aren’t you his follower?”
Peter denies Christ.
They ask again.
And Peter denies Him again.
He does this three times, but we shouldn’t be surprised. Peter got cozy by the enemy fire and denied Christ. That’s something a lot of us get shocked at. We’re like, “How can he deny Christ? He walked with Him. He talked with Him. How?”
The same way we do it.
We play with situations we know to be hot. And any time you cozy up to the enemy’s fire, you’ll probably deny Christ. That’s just real. So, run. One Bible version says, “Flee!”
That means get out of there before it gets hot.
Leave – before you are half way undressed at his apartment. Or better yet, don’t go.
It means jet – before the gossip starts.
It means move out – if you’re living with someone that’s not your husband or wife.
It means staying out of any situation that might compromise or jeopardize your witness, well-being or relationship with Christ.
People, if God is really our ruler, then we need to measure some thing by His standards.
Know that I love you each, L.
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