How would you feel if your life became a reality TV show? Everything you did and said over the course of a given day would be displayed before the world. Would you be excited or embarrassed?

I had the opportunity to watch a reality TV show about “super-nannies” who transform families from kennels of chaos into trophies of civility. In the episode I watched, the family had kids who were completely out of control. They were free to do as they pleased. The television camera captured one child sliding down the banister on the stairs. Another child threw an object from the balcony upon a child on the main level below. I watched in disbelief as a child flipped one of his siblings. The children were even permitted to display complete disregard for their parents’ authority and slap their own father. Would you consider that freedom?

The free-spirited, do-as-you-please-without-worrying-about-the-consequences mentality of these children is an example of the effects of living by license. Christians sometimes fall into this mentality when they misunderstand the grace of God. They believe living in sin causes God to display more grace, thus the sinful behavior brings Him glory. They reason, if we’re going to Heaven anyway, why not live as we please? The problem with license lies in the fact that yielding to sin puts us in bondage. Christ died for our sins to set us free from bondage — why go back? In contrast, our Heavenly Father wants us to pursue and experience the freedom which comes from closeness with Him.

The cameras are rolling. Will your life be marked by the pursuit of the freedom to do as you please, or by a quest for the true freedom found in a relationship with Jesus Christ? Each day, your choice affects your testimony to the world — so choose wisely.

None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free. — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Devotional by Pastor Jim Scudder, Jr.

There was once a young man whose family emphasized nutrition. They even sent him off to one of the finest culinary institutions available because they knew it upheld their values. The young man excelled in his studies and graduated with honors. With a good reference, he soon found a job as a meal preparer in a large school. That’s when everything changed.

After giving the idea of nutrition some thought, the amateur chef decided to discard all his formal training and try something new. He decided to make his own menu for each meal. Breakfast consisted of cotton candy-flavored Lucky Charms with extra sugar. Lunch was bologna and cotton candy sandwiches, and for dinner, he served cotton candy casserole. How does that suit your palate?

As silly as this story is, the young man’s mentality is being replicated in the lives of many Christians. They feel there’s no need to be strict about upholding biblical truth, taking moral stands against sin, or teaching separation from the world. The church has watered down the truth to make eye candy for the lost. As a result, we have produced a generation of sick, weak “Cotton Candy” Christians.

Is there a solution? Yes—we must return to the Word of God. While you might not be able to make others around you change, you can allow God’s Word to change you. Then you can influence them when they see the positive changes it is making in your life. Uphold the truth today.

A sacred regard to the authority of God ought to lead us to reject an error, however old, sanctioned by whatever authority, or however generally practiced. — C.H. Spurgeon

Devotional by Pastor Jim Scudder, Jr.