Naughty or Nice?
When one of our grandsons was almost three, he loved to hear himself say, “Naughty, naughty, naughty.” He used those words to tell his opinion about things that happened in his little world. One day I asked him if he was ever naughty. He answered that he was. I asked if his then-five-year-old sister was ever naughty. He said that she was. Then I asked if his baby brother was ever naughty. He smiled sweetly and gave me a kind and definite no.
When I walked into a Christmas event a few weeks ago, the organization hosting the event had a contest going on and I was invited to participate. Beside the entrance was a plexiglass container with two sections. One section was marked “naughty” and the other one “nice.” Their fund-raising idea was to encourage people to put money in their container of choice. At the end of the day, they would add up the money and see which side won, “naughty” or “nice.”
Please don’t think me a fuddy duddy. I love to have fun — just ask my friends and family. I love to be the goofiest person in the room. I know the folks doing this fundraiser were trying to be cute, just like all the people I see going around wearing T-shirts proclaiming that they are naughty are trying to be cute.
However, even though the causes the organization was supporting were good ones, I didn’t put money in either container. I thought the contest itself was inappropriate. If I had voted, I would have voted for nice because I know Jesus would never vote the other way, but then I’m not sure He would have voted at all. Naughty or nice just isn’t one of those things we get to vote on. God decides what is naughty or nice. Our job is to do the nice, to trust Him with the way He defines nice, and to run as far as we can away from anything naughty.
Flee immorality.
Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body,
but the immoral man sins against his own body
1 Corinthians 6:18
Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.
1 Corinthians 10:14
Now flee from youthful lusts
and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace,
with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
2 Timothy 2:22