NAKED

Something we desperately need in life, yet are sorely lacking, is margin.

Think of a piece of paper where you have white around the edges. That’s the margin. The more margin you have, the more empty space you have. The more margin you have, the further away from the edges you can stay. Margin is the space you need - not just in your time or money, but also in your morality -- and the more space you have, the better decisions you can make.

But that kind of margin is elusive, to be sure.

In 30 years of being a pastor, the most common thing I hear on the other side of moral tragedy is: “I never thought it would happen to me.”

And the one thing all those scenarios had in common was, at some point, somebody lacked moral margin - they lacked space and distance between themselves and the temptation.

We’ve all done things in life we regret, but no regret runs deeper than the regret associated with unwise moral decisions. In time, you may be able to laugh about wasted money or poor time management; but when it comes to moral failure, even years later, nobody laughs about an affair - nobody laughs about a divorce - nobody laughs about a sexual addiction.

There is a line of right and wrong when it comes to sexual sin, but the line is too often in the wrong place. The line is right up against what is most obviously wrong. But I’m arguing there are an infinite number of other lines we cross over before we get to the one that’s too close to the naked tree.

Because every regrettable moral decision is preceded by a series of unwise choices -- choices that never raise a single eyebrow, yet lead toward destruction.

Flee temptation. Turn and run as fast and as far as your legs can carry you, in the opposite direction.

I’ve never known a person who said, “All this sexual trouble started when I created more moral margin in my life’ ... but I’ve known plenty of people who said, “I never thought it would happen to me.”

Would you join me in a personal challenge? I want my wife and three daughters

and my two sons-in-law and my grandson to know I’m a person of integrity. I want my church to know it. I want our staff to know it. I want my neighbors to know it. I never want to do harm to the cause of Christ.

Would you join me in that?

And be blessed.