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Tangled Feet
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body. And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.”
1 Corinthians 6:12–14
The three-legged race is one of the most entertaining events at many picnics, reunions, and school outings. Two people stand next to each other with their inside legs tied together at the ankles, and then they try to run. Invariably, as they hurry, they will get tangled up. It is rare to see anyone go quickly through this kind of race without falling at least once. Trying to coordinate moving the legs together with tangled feet is extremely difficult.
This race is a picture of how many Christians attempt to live. Although they want to make progress in their spiritual life, they keep themselves so tied to the things of the world that they become entangled with them and invariably find that their spiritual progress is slow going.
The word expedient in the verse above comes from the Latin word for “having your feet free” and has come to refer to something that is helpful to our progress. The call of God is for us to be moving forward, not drifting in place; but we cannot do that unless our feet are free.
Jesus warned of the problem faced by those who allow themselves to be entangled by the things of the world as He told the parable of the Sower and the seed, which represented God’s Word. About the seed planted in thorny ground He said, “And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful” (Mark 4:19). Our service and work for God are important enough to be worthy of setting aside the things of the world so that we are not caught in the entanglements that would keep us from accomplishing His work.
1 Corinthians 6:12–14
The three-legged race is one of the most entertaining events at many picnics, reunions, and school outings. Two people stand next to each other with their inside legs tied together at the ankles, and then they try to run. Invariably, as they hurry, they will get tangled up. It is rare to see anyone go quickly through this kind of race without falling at least once. Trying to coordinate moving the legs together with tangled feet is extremely difficult.
This race is a picture of how many Christians attempt to live. Although they want to make progress in their spiritual life, they keep themselves so tied to the things of the world that they become entangled with them and invariably find that their spiritual progress is slow going.
The word expedient in the verse above comes from the Latin word for “having your feet free” and has come to refer to something that is helpful to our progress. The call of God is for us to be moving forward, not drifting in place; but we cannot do that unless our feet are free.
Jesus warned of the problem faced by those who allow themselves to be entangled by the things of the world as He told the parable of the Sower and the seed, which represented God’s Word. About the seed planted in thorny ground He said, “And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful” (Mark 4:19). Our service and work for God are important enough to be worthy of setting aside the things of the world so that we are not caught in the entanglements that would keep us from accomplishing His work.
Today’s Growth Principle:
Keeping your feet free from the entanglements of the world allows you to move forward freely for God.
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