Endurance TrainingSýnishorn

DEADLY COMPROMISE

I think that the servant we read about yesterday probably would have gotten away with a small party the day after the boss left on his trip. There was no chance of him returning so soon and no damage would have been done. Or not?

The problem with compromising on endurance is that it gets easier each time. Comrades marathon runners usually train six days per week. And I am sure they would testify to how difficult it is to get back on track when they start skipping those training days. They would tell you that they felt guilty for the whole first day that they skipped, but the feeling dulled as more days went by. That is the danger of compromise.

In Joshua 7, we read of someone who paid a severe price for a small compromise. Instead of obeying God’s command of not keeping any plunder after a battle, Achan couldn’t resist one particularly beautiful dress, one bar of gold, and some silver (v. 21). The punishment was brutal. “Then Joshua said to Achan, ‘Why have you brought trouble on us? The Lord will now bring trouble on you.’ And all the Israelites stoned Achan and his family and burned their bodies” (v. 25, NLT). Why was it such a big deal in God’s eyes?

Jesus explains the danger of small compromises in Luke 16. “‘If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities’” (Luke 16:10, NLT). You see, it starts small. I believe that most people who get themselves into trouble by committing serious crimes like fraud did not get up one day and decided to go big or go home. It crept in on them little by little. And before they knew it, they lost the race.

Which small compromises in your life may end up costing you the race? How does it affect your endurance when you allow “insignificant” sins into your day?

Let us not allow any compromises in our endurance journeys. Let us build endurance by staying faithful in the little things each day. “Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil” (Proverbs 4:25-27, NLT).