A few summers back, I bought a gorgeous bouquet of colorful Gladiolus, arranged them in a crystal vase, and set them on my kitchen table.  The following morning, the table was bombarded with fruit flies. In my attempt to get rid of them with soapy water and apple cider vinegar, the Holy Spirit showed me that some Christians are like insects.

On the second day, I noticed that more gnats were in the cup than on the first day, yet several insects still buzzed around the edge.  I wondered how coffee grounds got around the bottom of the dish. Looking closer, I realized they were little dead fruit flies.

They were hanging too close to the edge like their little cousins who died the previous day but thought they were smarter and could sip a little of the nectar without being affected.

All of them didn’t fall into the cup right away, but they died anyway and fell on the outside of the container – perhaps a little slower than the ones that fell into the dish – but they still ended up dead.

Christians that dabble in sin think they’re getting away with it because God does not ‘zap’ them right away. We serve a merciful and patient God, who gives us multiple chances to repent. And He always gives us a way of escape from wickedness. But these Believers continue to hang on the border, getting closer and closer to the object of their enticement. (Like the wolf in Sheep’s clothing or the leopard who tries to hide his spots).

Several years may pass, or only seven days. And like the fruit flies, they drop DEAD next to the cup of sin!

They may not fall totally into the transgression – but stay on the verge, dabbling now and then – eventually the iniquity catches up with them and they suffer the consequences – premature death (spiritually, physically, or both) – because of them hanging on the edge of sin.

The morale of my story – we do not want to hang on the lip of sin – or we could end up like the fruit flies – DEAD before our time (perhaps, not physically dead like Adam and Eve).

GET OFF THE EDGE and commit to Jesus!

“Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field.” 

James 4:8 (MSG)