Stand

The second verb that warrants a deep review is stand.

Good old Mrs. Hodges teaches that it means to have or maintain an upright position, supported by one's feet, and while she would be correct, the deeper tie that scripture reveals to us is that when we choose to not show opposition to items that are not in alignment to God’s will we are actually being an active participant in those acts.

It is reminiscent of two dueling thoughts of which is worse, doing something you know God doesn’t want you to do – OR – not doing something that God wants you to do. Reflecting on these further, it appears that most people would answer that not doing something is nowhere near as bad as actually doing an action that goes against God. In reality, they are of equal measure as at the end of the day they both reflect the self-centered mindset that controls so much of what we do – we want to be in control and it is often easier to recognize what we should stop versus seeing when we truly need to take action.

In fact, standing can get us in trouble and we quickly pull the victim card or play the blame game. In high school, the allure of smoking cigarettes pulled many down that path. It would happen at parties, after school and no matter what you do if you are around people that smoke the smell will absolutely infiltrate your clothes. Even if you never for a second took a drag or even held one in your hand the fact that you stood in the company of those individuals indeed marked you as one of them.

Now that we know the impact that simply standing on the wrong path can have on us, the natural question is what should we do? The answer lies in another verb, move! Move out of the darkness into the light, move from the ways of our prideful selves to His ways, and move from those that are pulling you further and further from Him. This could look like an entirely new friend group, different work relationships or even finding a discipleship group to plug into.

We were created in His image and we each have a free will. That means that each day we get to make the choice of whether or not we will follow God in all we do. As you make the decision for yourself examine what ways you are consciously choosing to stand in the path that does not bring Him glory and make the commitment to moving as fast as possible to stay aligned with His will.

Questions to Consider

1. How can you more consciously choose to avoid standing in ways that don't glorify God and instead move towards actions that honor Him?
2. How do you interpret the act of "standing in the way that sinners take" in your daily life, and can you identify moments when you've found yourself in such a position?