Moral Drift

Read Proverbs 7

Don’t let your hearts stray away toward her. Don’t wander down her wayward path. For she has been the ruin of many; many men have been her victims.

Proverbs 7:25-26

Subtlety is one of nature’s more powerful forces. For example, single drops of water, steadily spread over millions of years, combine to form wondrous limestone creations, housed like sculptures within cavernous museums. These creations provide convincing evidence of the power of subtlety.

Likewise, perhaps one of the greater forces at work in a person’s life is subtle moral drift. It is defined by straying choices and wayward reckonings (which, like water droplets, don’t seem to amount to much). Yet, multiplied together over a lifetime, these little compromises result in large consequences. This proverb accurately pinpoints a straying heart and a wandering mind as the most likely beginning point of a ruined character. Most people who come to ruin do so at a gradual pace. They don’t race down sin’s streets; they simply wander off the righteous path. Take a lesson from nature—little missteps have the potential to create gargantuan compromises in our character.

A WORD FOR TODAY

Temptation’s horizon is ruination.

Today, Lord, I need your help to stay on the righteous path. Guard my character against little compromises.