Success and Survival
Preparation is essential to success and survival. We stock our pantries with food, we purchase insurance, we save money, we publish a will, and we make plans. Yet, no one can possibly prepare for every possible contingency in life. Life is filled with risk. But wise planning can help us minimize the risk. Spiritually speaking, much of what the Bible says is meant to help us with the task of minimizing risk.
Success and survival come from sober living.
Let’s face it, without divine guidance men place themselves at far greater risk than those who follow the Word. Paul tells the church at Thessalonica to minimize physical and spiri-tual risk by abstaining from fornication (1 Thessalonians 4:3), possessing our bodies with sanctification and honor (v. 4), loving one an-other (v. 9), working hard (v. 11), and being honest (v. 12). What a wonderful world we would reside in if every man lived like this!
But many won’t and their existence, while fooled by Satan’s lies, is filled with sorrow and hopelessness. The one thing we can be prepared for, however, is the return of Jesus. While those of the flesh run headlong into the evils of the world, the spiritually minded are to abstain from every kind of evil. Those who live soberly go about their daily lives rejoicing, praying, bearing the fruit of the Spirit, loving the truth, proving all things, and holding fast to the good. Are you living soberly? How is your preparation? Are you ready?