03.03.05 The 3rd Snare that Causes Some Seemingly God-Fearing People to Succumb to Corruption
3. Failing to Be Transformed
Behind every ‘God-fearing’ person that turns corrupt is a failure to transform oneself so as to comply with acceptable ethical standards; especially where that person’s feelings conflict with those standards. Such a person is living in a body whose senses she or he cannot control. By the way, did you know that being driven by your five senses can easily cause you to give in to corruption? In fact, many people have ended up becoming corrupted because they failed to take deliberate steps against their natural, albeit ungodly, desires and demands.
Let us look at Daudi. The truth is, the man had never taken a personal initiative to be transformed; and align his aspirations with the spiritual beliefs that he had been born into. Despite having been brought up by devout Christian parents, Christianity was just a religion and not a lifestyle. He was a Christian by word but not by actions. And, although he had attended Sunday School diligently, those lessons had never transformed his lifestyle or moulded his actions.
Later in life, Pastor Ssiwa’s anti-corruption preaching was like rain falling on a hard rock. The sermons would enter Daudi’s one ear and exit through the other, leaving the Engineer untouched, unshaken and unmoved. This reminds me of the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13:7 where some seeds fell among thorns. In verse 22, Jesus interpreted that Parable by saying (CEV): The seeds that fell among the thorn bushes are also people who hear the message. But they start worrying about the needs of this life and are fooled by the desire to get rich. So the message gets choked out, and they never produce anything. Doesn’t that sound like Daudi? The man’s desire to get rich was the thornbush that was choking the Pastor’s sermons; making divine words ‘wasted breath’!.
Needless to say, Daudi’s relationship with God was more cosmetic than anything else. His good works for the church did not help him either. To the contrary, corruption dwarfed his faith and colonised his conscience like a neglected cancer.
But Daudi is not the only one on the wrong path. Apparently, many people serve at church just to earn marks from pastors and their congregations, yet God is interested in their hearts and not their works. See what Ephesians 2:8-9 says (AMP): 8For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God, 9not as a result of [your] works [not your attempts to keep the Law] so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation].
How about you? Has the Word of God transformed you yet? Has it pruned you at all? Are you growing into the character that Jesus died and resurrected to make available to you?