One idea that I thought was very important was about how the devil uses small and seemingly inconsequential habits to worsen our relationship with God. This concept could be a synonym for an athlete participating in a certain sport. For example, in basketball one must practice his shot and dribbling skills daily in order to be at the top of his game. By deciding to take days or even weeks off, you can lose track of your goals and you are not improving. Each day off could represent a "small sin" as mentioned in the letters, and these small sins can have a snowball effect to eventually lead someone away from Christ. This can also apply to how God wants us to "practice" our faith. We have to constantly maintain our relationship with God and make sure we are going to church every week and reading from the bible on a regular basis. The most important thing you have to remember is that God should be at the center of your life and there should always be time set aside to be with God.
Another part of the letter I want to touch on was about how giving into temptations can be a slippery slope. This quote from the letter helps to explain, "He must not be allowed to suspect that he is now, however slowly, heading right away from the sun on a line which will carry him into the cold and dark of utmost space." It may be a slow process but if we are not careful we could drift away from God. This can happen to even the most devout Christian. The devil is always working at this, seeking it with all of his might. It could be that the first time we may hesitate to give in to a certain sin, but then gradually it becomes easier and easier, almost second nature. These are the situations we must look for, and it probably is not intentional but avoiding it can be difficult. The devil understands humans beings very well, and he knows our weaknesses. For this purpose we have to know how to recognize the devils temptations and resist against them. This may be something easier said than done, but the Lord is always by your side.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I like your analogy when you compared basketball practices with little sins and how skipping practice can lead to the snowball effect, just like Lewis talks about in the letter. I also believe that we need to set a certain amount of time apart for God each day, because if we don't we will gradual keep forgetting and our relationship with Him will just get worse and worse.
ReplyDeleteYou bring uo some intersting points, particlarly with your basketball analogy. The Christian faith does require lots of work. As the Bible says, we cannot have a lukewarm faith, you can be either hot or cold, but not in the middle. Being nonchalant in faith is not a good thing. It defenitely does create a slippery slope towards the path to hell.
ReplyDelete