I normally do not write about faith related topics. I have often felt that I did not have the background to reference scripture in a manner that was useful. I however, have had a nagging thought. I have felt compelled to write this blog entry.
I was reading in my bible several days ago. I ended up coming across a passage of scripture that caught my eye. I do not know why this scripture stuck out to me. I read it and it made me think. I literally went back to this passage several times since I had read it that night. I then got to thinking that this passage had meaning. Maybe it only meant something to me in that moment, or maybe someone else out there needed to see this passage as well. So here I am writing my first faith based blog post.
Now I know that this post may not be for everyone but even if you do not believe I think this message I am going to convey will still have meaning to you. That it will still have context that will apply to your life. In the end I like to think that we as a society is still trying to live good lives and overwhelmingly society is still composed of people trying to do good.
So let us dive into the scripture passage that started me writing this entry. The scripture is taken from 1 Corinthians 10:21. The scripture states, "You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons." Now let me give you another version. We will be using the good old King James Version for this one now. It states, "Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.".
Ok so I have provided two versions for you to look at. They both say the same thing but with different words. King James Version always has the nice "Ye(s)". Which I do like to read at times. The first translation is from NASB. So what does this all mean? What is trying to be conveyed here? I think the big thing is that we should be more consistent. That we should not be one way but behind closed doors be another way. It is pretty literally stated that we should not have life both ways. We could not live a life that is good and also one that is evil.
If you think about this. It makes sense. It is a conflict. It is a conflict within ourselves. It is a level of added stress in our lives to live a life that is full of confliction and a double life. I have worked with a lot of men and women in my years. I have worked with men and women that are living a double life. They appear one way. They go to church and they are seen within the community doing many good things. Then in a different circle of friends they are living a life that is vastly different. They may be doing things that they would never want certain people to see them do. They may even have worry that their secret life could be discovered. To me this is a level of added stress that could be detrimental to this person's overall functioning. It is a hard life style to maintain. It is also a good way to cause a situation for further escalation of negative problems.
When I was reading my Bible this passage stuck out to me. It was something I knew I had to share because I have been working with so many people living life in this fashion. I am not here to tell you how to live your life. I can share my experience and what I have seen. I know for a fact that living a double life is unhealthy for us. I can also tell you that living a life that is good. That lifestyle overall is way easier to maintain. I would like to think that most of society lives that way. In the end be aware of the company you keep. Some of them may not want good for you. They may not want to see you succeed. They could be the evil we are all trying to avoid.
Remember things done in the dark have a tendency of coming to light. If you have a nagging feeling of the deeds you are doing. Then maybe you should ponder on them longer and cease till you are certain what you are doing is healthy for you. If you worry about what you have done being seen by others. That is a good indicator that maybe you should not be doing that. Learning to analyze your thoughts and motives can go a long way with introspection and self growth.