Outside of gridiron (American football) the word "encroachment" is seldom used. It is a common penalty against the defense for moving across the line of scrimmage before the ball is snapped. And if that made absolutely no sense to you at all, take it from a seasoned armchair quarterback it is a foul regular viewers can easily spot. While some penalties are judgment calls which could go either way, encroachment is a fairly obvious one.
The house next to ours is vacant and the front yard is neglected. The yard is completely packed with burr-producing clover called Medicado polymorpha which had begun to subtly encroach upon and choke out the turf in my yard. Because the green turf and burr medic are both green, I hardly noticed how many clover plants had taken root! I was thankful the ground was soft enough to pull them out. As I began to mow, I found additional plants which had escaped my notice and pulled those too. Sinister things!
It occurred to me sin has the same insidious, encroaching nature on the heart, mind, and life of Christians living in a world steeped with sin. It rarely declares its deadly intentions up front or barges in noticeably like a massive linebacker, but it is secret, seductive, and far stronger. A linebacker can put a fit man in hospital, but sin throws the eternal souls of men into hell. We cannot rightly blame our upbringing, present circumstances, or the world for the sin which lurks in our flesh. A little water caused multitudes of those weeds to spout in my yard, and had they remained unchecked they would have spread further. Even as we cannot neglect our yards without undesirable weeds spreading their seed everywhere, so we must be vigilant to take our thoughts captive to the obedience to Christ, avoid sowing to the flesh, and walk in purity according to God's Word.
Christians have been justified and made righteous through faith in Christ, but we still face spiritual attack from outside and within. After warning Timothy of the perils of covetousness and the love of money, Paul exhorted him and all who would heed in 1 Timothy 6:11-12, "But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses." It is necessary for us to examine our minds and lives and see if worldly affections or desires have crept in, if there is a root of bitterness in our hearts. We have eternal life provided through Christ's righteousness, and therefore we ought to live righteously and in a godly manner.
If something has encroached into your life where it ought not be, throw the flag! Blow the whistle! Let's take all necessary steps to banish all sinful practices and attitudes from our lives so we might be spiritually healthy and fruitful for God's glory.
The house next to ours is vacant and the front yard is neglected. The yard is completely packed with burr-producing clover called Medicado polymorpha which had begun to subtly encroach upon and choke out the turf in my yard. Because the green turf and burr medic are both green, I hardly noticed how many clover plants had taken root! I was thankful the ground was soft enough to pull them out. As I began to mow, I found additional plants which had escaped my notice and pulled those too. Sinister things!
It occurred to me sin has the same insidious, encroaching nature on the heart, mind, and life of Christians living in a world steeped with sin. It rarely declares its deadly intentions up front or barges in noticeably like a massive linebacker, but it is secret, seductive, and far stronger. A linebacker can put a fit man in hospital, but sin throws the eternal souls of men into hell. We cannot rightly blame our upbringing, present circumstances, or the world for the sin which lurks in our flesh. A little water caused multitudes of those weeds to spout in my yard, and had they remained unchecked they would have spread further. Even as we cannot neglect our yards without undesirable weeds spreading their seed everywhere, so we must be vigilant to take our thoughts captive to the obedience to Christ, avoid sowing to the flesh, and walk in purity according to God's Word.
Christians have been justified and made righteous through faith in Christ, but we still face spiritual attack from outside and within. After warning Timothy of the perils of covetousness and the love of money, Paul exhorted him and all who would heed in 1 Timothy 6:11-12, "But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses." It is necessary for us to examine our minds and lives and see if worldly affections or desires have crept in, if there is a root of bitterness in our hearts. We have eternal life provided through Christ's righteousness, and therefore we ought to live righteously and in a godly manner.
If something has encroached into your life where it ought not be, throw the flag! Blow the whistle! Let's take all necessary steps to banish all sinful practices and attitudes from our lives so we might be spiritually healthy and fruitful for God's glory.
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