A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.
James 1:8
Several years ago, I woke up, washed my face, lathered up my face, and grabbed my razor. I looked in the mirror, and everything in the room was spinning furiously, and I thought I was going to die. I had no idea what was going on, but I figured it could be a stroke or something even worse. I quickly wiped my face as best I could, called for my wife, and stumbled back onto the bed. I never felt like that before or since. I called my doctor, and he immediately diagnosed me with vertigo.
Every time I tried to stand up or move at all, I could not do it. I was unstable, and I hated that feeling. Anyone else ever had vertigo?
Unstable lifestyles are divided
Jesus tells us in Mark 12:30 to love the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind, and with all our strength. But if we decide to pursue both excellent and evil lifestyles, it’s like putting a rotten peach into a peach cobbler. It kills that incredible dessert and makes it impossible to enjoy. That’s precisely what a divided lifestyle does for us.
Right is wrong, and wrong is right. Two worldviews battle for the moral and spiritual compass God created in us at salvation. So how do we make the right decision when we’re living an unstable and divided life? It’s not easy, often confusing, and against God’s purpose for us.
Don’t be divided.
Unstable lifestyles are dangerous
The dangerous component of an unstable and divided lifestyle is that when we make wrong decisions based on anything other than Scripture and God’s purpose for us, it places us in sinful situations with brutal consequences. I know when I make decisions apart from God’s purpose for my life, it places me in a position of having to repent at some point because I chose to ignore God.
It’s not that I was bad, but simply living an unstable lifestyle that continually placed me in dangerous situations. I could tell you story after story of how I lived in unstable ways and faced regrettable consequences. But, you probably don’t have enough time to read it all.
Don’t be dangerous.
Unstable lifestyles are discontent
Some people are never happy or satisfied. I do not doubt that it is because they live unstable lifestyles. This discontentment is because they pursue two competing lifestyles that are incompatible. It’s like trying to put a square block into a round hole. It doesn’t work.
If you live a life of discontentment, it could be that you keep trying to put that square block into a round hole. It’s time to quit living with two competing views of the world. It doesn’t work.
This double-minded man is unstable in ALL his ways. That is why he is discontent. God demands and deserves our singular and focused love and worship. When we do things the right way, a strong foundation replaces instability. We begin making the right decisions that reflect our love for God.
Are you divided and living a dangerous and discontent life? I have the cure. STOP IT! No, seriously, stop living that divided lifestyle. Make a conscious decision to do exactly what Jesus asked us to do. We need to love the Lord with ALL our heart, and with ALL our soul, and with ALL our mind, and with ALL our strength.
Do you?