“Membership has its privileges” was a popular slogan of a credit card company from a few years back. The advertisement focused on “successful” people, in luxurious settings, doing about anything their heart wanted. Best of all, they had the “privilege” of paying for everything by just swiping the company’s card.
Do you know what the ads never showed? They never showed what comes after the “privilege” when you overextend yourself by spending too much. You open the bill and shock sets in, “privileges” have a high price. They do not want you to see the people whose lives fell apart by misusing and abusing the card.
If you want to have a great time with friends or if you want to get ahead in life, the answer is to drink alcohol. Unwind after a long day of work by going to “happy hour” at your local pub. Make sure you go when your boss invites the office staff for out a drink or two. A little social drink here or there never hurt anyone, and besides it may be your chance to get ahead. You cannot have a bunch of friends over for a party without two or three ice chests full of beer. At least this is what the beer and liquor companies want you to believe.
Do you know what their ads never show? They never show the accident scene of the mom who had a few drinks after work to unwind. You do not see them showing the children of a man killed by a drunk driver. Neither do they want you to see the abused children and destroyed lives because of alcohol.
I understand why advertisements do what they do. Businesses exist to make money and companies want to influence the way you think about their goods. They want you to believe their goods are the best and your life is better by buying them. No company wants you thinking bad thoughts when considering their stuff.
The Devil’s approach is much the same when it comes to selling his goods. He focuses on the “fun” and not the real cost of buying what he offers. God told Adam and Eve not to eat from one tree in the Garden, and He warned if they did they would “surely die.” Satan comes along and says, “You will not surely die.” Instead, he promises “you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” What effect did this sell’s pitch have on Eve’s thinking? She bought into it hook, line, and sinker. She now saw the tree as “good for food,” a delight to the eyes,” and she wanted to eat to become “wise”.
Do you think Satan would have fooled Eve if he had said, “I want you to eat the fruit, but know that everything God said is going to happen? “You will have to leave the Garden and the “tree of life” that keeps you alive and well. You will begin to die physically and you will immediately die spiritually. Life is going to be hard and painful for you and Adam.” There is no way the Devil is going to tell the truth about what he is selling. He is trying to dupe me and does not want me to realize this until I open the bill. Unfortunately, I may not open the bill until it is too late. I may not know the true cost in this life if I believe in what Satan is offering.
The trouble with racking up too many bills by swiping our credit cards is clear. We should also know the dangers associated with alcohol. Yet many ignore the obvious or think it cannot happen to them. This too is the Devil’s ploy. He wants us to either just dismiss God or deny the effects of sin can fall on us. There is no reason for us to do either one.
God has proven Himself faithful to His Word time and again. He did what He said He would do to Adam and Eve. The flood destroyed an evil world after Noah finished the Ark and his preaching. God punished Israel and Judah because of their rebellion against Him. The Lord warned about the effects of sin, but they did not heed His caution and so they paid a high price. What they paid was severe enough, but it is worse for anyone who dies in sin.
– I believe God when He warns about sin and what happens to those who die in their sins.
– God does not delight in wickedness and evil may not dwell with Him. (Psalms. 5:4)
– Sin separates us from God and hides His face so He does not hear us. (Isaiah 59:2)
– God hates evildoers. (Psalms 5:5)
– Sin leads to spiritual death. (Rom. 6:16)
– Those who die in their sins await a resurrection to judgment or condemnation. (John 5:29)
– This resurrection to condemnation is the second death from which there is no hope. (Rev. 21:8)
– Hell is eternal punishment and fire. Its duration is eternal or everlasting, the same as those resurrected
to life. (Matt. 25:41 & 46)
Most people buy into Satan’s deceptive campaign about how you can do what you want. There is no excuse for foolishly dismissing God’s clear warning about sin. Anyone who dies in their sins will pay a heavy price their choices.
Terry Starling