It Matters Where You Sit
Psalm 26:4-5 “I do not sit with the deceitful, nor do I associate with hypocrites. I abhor the assembly of evildoers and refuse to sit with the wicked.”
Remember the days of walking into a restaurant and hearing the hostess ask “smoking or non-smoking?” The restaurant tried to separate those who did not want to be exposed to the smoke and smell, so we had a choice of where we wanted to sit. But sometimes, the ‘non-smoking’ section was just the very next table...there was no wall or separate room, just an invisible ‘line’ determining the difference between smoking and non-smoking. The smoke still drifted over and the smell permeated the air. The food, the clothing, even the hair smelled like smoke despite the fact that no one at your table was smoking. When that happened, the waitress was called over and the whole group moved, once again, to find a spot where the air was clear and the meal wouldn’t be ruined. Where we sat mattered.
Friends, where we ‘sit’ in life matters too. Even if we’re simply ‘present’, but not participating, we’re surrounded by what goes on around us. If we sit by the side of the pool, we’re bound to be splashed. The excuse of ‘well, I’m not swimming...I’m not IN the pool’, doesn’t work. If we choose to place ourselves in the company of others who make poor moral decisions, use coarse language, and live like the world, we’re choosing to passively align ourselves with, and show approval for those things. One cannonball will leave you soaked and, swimming or not, you’re all wet. You look like you’ve been swimming. There is little that distinguishes you from others who are actually in the pool. Where you sit matters.
And we don’t need to be mindful of just the ‘world’. There are plenty of discretionary opportunities in the church and among believers, or those who claim to be. Not all who claim to be believers will live like they are. Some ‘talk’ a good game, but their words and life are a twisted mess of deception. They use their power, position and words to manipulate and control. They speak to gain a following, not to honor Jesus. They tickle the ears but darken the heart. The love of Christ is absent. When we choose to sit under these people, to listen, learn and follow, we risk dampening the voice of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. When we sit too close, our ears and hearts grow numb to Truth. Where we sit matters.
Today, let’s pray that our sons and daughters choose their seats well. Let’s pray that they do not sit with the wicked, opting to be present and surrounded by darkness. Let’s pray that they have discretion to sit under teaching that is Biblical and God-honoring, not just what ‘sounds good’ or ‘looks pretty’. Let’s pray that they choose to sit at the feet of Jesus and with those who love Him and want to live for Him.
*Disclaimer* This does not mean we cease to be salt and light to those who are unbelievers. This does NOT mean we cloister ourselves to remain ‘untainted’ by the world. We’re not called to live in a ‘bubble’. But there is a difference between going out, sitting down and engaging with others who need the Lord and who need to *see* God in us, vs. choosing to align oneself with people and activities that do not please the Lord, excusing bad behavior and acting without wisdom or discretion. We’re called to be in the world, but not of it. 1 John 2:15-17 “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”
Pray for discretion. Pray that our sons and daughters choose their seats well. It matters where they sit.
Pray without ceasing.