http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Timothy+2:22&version=NIV
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James%201:13-15&version=NIV
When I was a child I used to go shopping with my parents downtown. Back then there was no such thing as malls with their expansive parking lots. All of the stores were located on city blocks. The parking was located on the streets out front. If you couldn’t parallel park you were pretty much out of luck. Going downtown on a fairly frequent basis I spent a lot of time cooped up in our car while one of my parents was in the store. This gave me plenty of time to survey the various signs. Like most children I knew what a Stop sign was and what it meant. But other signs, not so much.
So I would ask my parents what that funny yellow triangle-shaped sign was. I learned it was a Yield Sign and what it meant. Then there were the No Parking signs. I understood what those meant but we also had No Standing signs. That was confusing to me. Did that mean that you couldn’t stand on the sidewalk next to the sign? Or that you couldn’t stand in the street next to it? Patiently my father explained to me that a No Standing sign meant that you couldn’t park in the space, even if you were inside the car with the motor running. Why didn’t they just say No Cars Allowed and be done with it?
So I would ask my parents what that funny yellow triangle-shaped sign was. I learned it was a Yield Sign and what it meant. Then there were the No Parking signs. I understood what those meant but we also had No Standing signs. That was confusing to me. Did that mean that you couldn’t stand on the sidewalk next to the sign? Or that you couldn’t stand in the street next to it? Patiently my father explained to me that a No Standing sign meant that you couldn’t park in the space, even if you were inside the car with the motor running. Why didn’t they just say No Cars Allowed and be done with it?
Another sign that I remember asking about was No Loitering. First of all, it was a hard sign to even pronounce as a child. I’ll bet that most kids thought it said No Littering. Just exactly what is a ‘loiter’ anyway? My parents told me that No Loitering meant that you couldn’t hang around there. Well who would want to hang around on a street corner or an alley in the first place? I didn’t know. My young mind couldn’t understand the reason for the sign. Now that I am older I do. And I can see its spiritual implications as well.There are several places in Scripture (which I have linked above) that tell us to flee certain things. Things such as temptation and youthful lusts. This means that we shouldn’t hang around where these things are present. We don’t stay there. We don’t loiter. Or linger. I like the word linger. It has sort of a dangerous feel to it. And it is dangerous. It is always dangerous to linger where sin and/or temptation are. Linger too much and we can’t help but become involved. This is precisely why the Bible tells us to flee. We should never loiter in a situation that might jeopardize our spiritual health just because we are curious. Or feeling adventurous. Or strong.
When we loiter around temptation we show that we lack understanding. In I Corinthians 10:12 we are told, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands (loiters) take heed that he does not fall.” The longer we loiter the more susceptible we become to sinning. Loitering gives the temptation time to attack our weak spot. To become alluring. Enchanting. Once we get to the point where we desire it, it’s all over. Game. Set. Match.
So don’t become a loiterer. Avoid temptation. When you see it coming or find yourself face-to-face with it, flee. Run away as fast as you can. It’s not just the right thing to do. Or the spiritual thing to do. It’s the only thing to do!
Lord, help me not to be a loiterer. Someone who lingers in the presence of temptation. Help me to follow Your Word and flee. To run. As fast as I can in the opposite direction. Into Your waiting arms. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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