But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.  People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-having a form of godliness but denying its power.  Have nothing to do with such people.  2 Timothy 3:1-5 NIV

Sound familiar?  We live in a proud, selfish, society that is busy looking out for number one.   People are vindictive and unforgiving.  You probably know someone who has been wronged by someone else and they just can’t let it go.  They are waiting for the perfect opportunity to exact their revenge. Kids are not obeying their parents.  I mean they are eating Tide pods?  What is that about?  I can remember my grandmother saying to me when I was a child that she just didn’t know what this world was coming to.  Wow! What would grandma think now?

The bottom line is that we have one of two paths to choose.  We can choose to walk with God and choose love or we can choose to walk without God and do our own thing.  Now if we choose to walk without God then that is our choice.  That is not God’s choice for us.  And when we choose this path, we must be aware of the potential pitfalls along the way.  You see when we choose to walk without God then we are fair game for the devil.  When the devil gets ahold of us then we become just like those that are described in this scripture.  Ungrateful, unholy, without love, without self-control.  This is not good.

But when we choose to walk with God then we follow His way and His commands.  We know that the greatest command that He gives us is to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind and the second greatest command is to love others as we love ourselves.  When we love like God loves, this takes care of pride, vindictiveness, selfishness, lack of control, ungratefulness, unholiness.  Love covers a multitude of sins.

As Christians we must pay careful attention to the last line of this scripture passage, “Have nothing to do with such people.”  God makes it very clear that we are to have nothing to do with this kind of person.  Now perhaps you say well how will that kind of person get saved if Christians will have nothing to do with them.  Well, in most cases Christians have tried to save these people, they just want no part of it.  Should you try to lead them to the Lord and they resist, be quick to move on.  Don’t dwell with them because you don’t want any of that to rub off on you.

So as you go through your day, you will no doubt encounter people who are described in this scripture passage.  If you work with people such as these, keep your contact with them professional and  to a minimum.  If you deal with them in some other capacity, do the same.  Whatever you do, remember to be a shining example of the opposite of this type of behavior.  Remember to show the world what a life lived with Christ looks like.

Holding on to grudges, plotting evil, being slanderous, loving pleasure, being unholy, this just makes you look just like the rest of the lost world.  Be a beacon shining to lead people to Christ.  As my pastor likes to say, you may be the only Bible some people will ever read.

Have a great day!