Read Galatians 5:13-21
ALSO IN SCRIPTURE
“Don’t be deceived. Bad company corrupts good character.” (1 Corinthians 15:33 CEB)
In his letter to the church in Galatia, the Apostle Paul is writing to a community that is divided over the issue of male circumcision: should new Gentile followers of Jesus be counted as a part of the Jewish covenant without being circumcised, or should they have to be circumcised just as all of the Jews are circumcised. Being that Christianity at the time wasn’t a religion, but a sect of Judaism, this was a VITALLY IMPORTANT question. While Paul is opposed to making Gentiles be circumcised, he also is against divisive behavior regardless of which side it is coming from. In response to this division, Paul describes to the Galatian church what he calls, “the works of the flesh.”
WORKS OF THE FLESH: Wild Parties. We have all known of wild parties growing up, especially in high school and in college. Perhaps, many of us have even attended them. We certainly live in a culture that sends mixed messages about them. On the one hand kids are taught in schools to say no to drugs and alcohol, but are also taught that “when going to parties” they should make sure they have designated drivers. This of course assumes that kids will be drinking at parties. What’s sad is that schools have to assume that and what is even sadder is that society as a whole pretty much condones it. Just look at movies such as “Animal House”, “Van Wilder”, and “Old School” to name a few of my favorites.
One of my all-time favorite “wild party films” is a movie called “Dazed and Confused,” by Richard Linklater. The film follows a bunch of kids on the last day of school before Summer Vacation starts. They are all looking to go get tickets to see Aerosmith but, before they do that, they are looking to throw a beginning of summer bash. The film follows these kids as they get high on marijuana and drunk on alcohol. It is a comedy, but it is also a social commentary about the nature of coming of age in America in the 1970’s. With that said, I also think it also paints a devastatingly realistic portrait of coming of age today, and also of a society that idealizes that kind of “coming of age”. Just look at the sensationalism surrounding Spring Break in the media, with them both condemning the teens “debauchery” all the while exploiting the teens in the very act.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not one of those hypocritical adults that forgets that I too engaged in wild parties as a teenager and young adult, nor am I the kind of person that regrets what I have done because I know that my past has shaped me into who I am today. I also know that God never leaves us no matter whether we are on the straight and narrow or have veered way off course. , as I know God never left me. Yet, I also know the kind of excess that happens at parties, I know that such parties not only alter the mind and the body, but they also alter the soul. God did not create us to destroy what has been created. Wild parties, while seemingly fun, do more damage to people and serve no purpose beyond self-gratification and self-indulgence. They are carefree in nature, and being carefree leads to being careless. There is a thin line between the two. We as humans are designed to full of care…not to care less!
Again, don’t misunderstand me. I am not saying that ALL PARTIES are bad. That is not the case at all. Letting loose a little and having some fun with family and friends, dancing, celebrating occasions with others, and other forms of parties are not only healthy but fun and enjoyable times. What I am talking about are parties that promote self-indulgence as well as self-destruction. Those types of parties are not healthy and we should not be engaging in them. This isn’t just a Christian thing, but is a human thing. We should love ourselves, our bodies, and our neighbors enough not to put them through, literally, killer parties. Instead, be responsible and be good stewards of the bodies that God has given to you.
THOUGHT OF THE DAY
“It’s easy to impress me. I don’t need a fancy party to be happy. Just good friends, good food, and good laughs. I’m happy. I’m satisfied. I’m content.” – Maria SharapovaPRAYER
Lord, help me to enjoy great times, great food, great family and friends, but also steer me away from self-destructive excess. Amen.