Like an Ox Going to the Slaughter
I have a friend who lost a grandchild. The young man died because of an overdose. I have a former church member who also just lost her son to a drug overdose. What is happening to us? Drug addiction is so widespread that it seems to be attacking us from all sides.
Drug addiction is all around us. Users build up tolerance, causing them to seek a higher dosage for a higher thrill. C.S. Lewis warned of this downward spiral in the Screwtape Letters. He said it starts with some pleasure – if possible one of God’s pleasures – and offer it in a way God has forbidden. Once the person bites, give less of it while enticing him to want more. Provide “an ever-increasing craving for an ever-diminishing pleasure,” until we, “get the man’s soul and give him nothing in return.”
Proverbs 7 tells us about the temptation of sexual sin. Sex is God’s good gift, but when we seek its enjoyment outside of marriage we’re “like an ox going to the slaughter.” (v. 22) People stronger than us have lost their lives by turning to “wrongful ways.” (vv. 24-25)
Sin can be alluring and addicting, but it always ends in death. (v. 27) In today’s world, be very careful! Beer, wine, wineries and distilleries seem to be popping up everywhere. More and more, it seems to be acceptable to drink, smoke or take drugs – it seems to be okay to pursue a “high.”
Be very careful and avoid the temptation to sin. We find true joy and fulfillment in Jesus – not a false “high.”
Proverbs 7:27 – “Her house is a highway to the grave, leading down to the chambers of death.”
By the Rev. Tommy Herndon
Image: Public domain