Days of Convenience

I’ve been working hard in the gym these days, attempting to stave off old age for yet a little while longer. I know I’m still getting older, but by working out I am improving my health for that wild ride we call life and I’m losing a little bit of weight in the process. It calls for more than just exercise on a daily basis; I have to watch everything that I eat and avoid those delicious fried foods I've grown to love so well. I’ve been doing pretty good so far. To be blatantly honest with you this morning - I feel I deserve a pat on the back.

You see, I know the formula for health and eating right, and it’s no big secret. Throw away those fancy diets with foods such as broccoli, spinach, and exorbitant amounts of lettuce. Doctors have told us since the beginning of time that regular exercise and a low-fat diet are the tricks you need to improve your well-being. A developed habit of saying ‘no’ to hamburgers and sausage, and avoiding situations where you happen to find yourself in Pizza Hut will do wonders for your heart as well as your waistline.

So the scale gave me a much-deserved number this morning, which is always good on a Friday. Later I noticed I’ve changed to a smaller diameter belt loop-hole as I dressed for work. My confidence in what I am doing grew as I considered the avenue I had taken during the past month. Things are good. Life is good. McFadden and Whitehead’s hit song entitled ‘Ain’t No Stopping Us Now’ played through my mind as I began my day in the office.

I walked down the stairs for coffee when it happened. Doughnuts – the bane of civilization as well as dieters and the health-conscious crowd were waiting for me on the counter. And they were hot! And they were glazed! And they were… good. As my body began the slow process of digesting those deep-fried sugars, I began to wonder where I had gone astray. I did not eat breakfast, and last night I ate a little less than normal for supper, therefore I was hungry. I still could have walked by, ignoring the doughnuts had I chosen to do so, but instead I opened the box to see what flavors were hidden there. Once the aroma bounded into my nostrils it was over, the fight was lost, and I was undone. Literally.

I guess you could call it a convenient moment, and I’ve learned a lot about those times this week. In the Bible, King Herod imprisoned John the Baptist because he had preached that Herod should not have married his brother’s wife. Herodias, the wife in question, was not too happy about having her sin pointed out in public, either. Herod was afraid of John the Baptist and knew he was a great prophet. Mark writes, “For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.” Despite this fear, he kept him in prison but it is doubtful he intended to carry it any further than that. Let me put it like this: he did not plan to harm John, only silence him for a while. (I didn’t really want to eat the doughnuts either; I have been doing great on my diet and only wanted to smell them!)

Mark continues, “And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee.” The part about it being a convenient day is the key here. That day created a situation that brought out the worst conceivable resolution. You probably know the story by now. Herod’s step-daughter performs a special brithday dance for him and his guests in an enticing manner, and Herod in his lust promises her she can have anything she wants up to one-half of his kingdom. She asks her mom, who fears John the Baptist much less than she hates him, what to ask for. Herodias tells her to ask for John the Baptist’s head on a platter. Herod had placed himself in a situation (a convenient situation) in which he cannot back down. Trapped, he grants his step-daughter (and Herodias) her wish.

There is a lesson to be learned here about the way the devil can be allowed to work in our lives. We must be careful and on our guard at all times. If we have a bad habit or a secret sin in our heart that may appear to be small and harmless, we need to take note of it and correct it. Down the road satan might just happen to have a convenient time in our own lives he can use to ensnare us, causing us to stumble or fall.

Note: My personal thanks goes out to the evangelist at the tent revival I attended this week for opening my eyes and heart toward the emphasis of the word 'convenient' in the scriptures I used in this blog today.