Tending to the Lighthouse

“The righteous [is] more excellent than his neighbour: but the way of the wicked seduceth them.” (Pr 12:26 AV)

This proverb reveals how difficult it is to live right when surrounded by the wicked.  This is exactly what Solomon is teaching.  The righteous are more righteous than those among whom he dwells.  Yet the way of those who surround him can tempt him to evil.  The righteous are a light to the world.  They live and stand as a beacon to God’s righteousness.  There is a constant assault on their resolve to live according to God’s law.  The point is that being righteous among the wicked isn’t enough.  There must be a defense against the wicked and a striving for righteousness.  Standing alone doesn’t cut it.  According to Soloman, merely being righteous will not withstand the temptations from the wicked.  One must do more.

We were watching a video on unique houses for sale.  One was a lighthouse that was two-and-a half miles off the coast of North Carolina.  It was completely renovated.  I think it was somewhere around 1500 square feet of living space.  The only way to get to it would be by boat.  Once moored to the house, the occupant has to climb a ladder to get to the deck of the living space.  It sure would be a fun place to live.  However, the thought that came to my mind is the effort required to maintain a lighthouse that far off from shore.  Everything has to be brought by boat.  Every brick, every sack of concrete, every tube of sealant; everything.  If one had to make an emergency repair, there would have to be a stock of spare parts, or there would be a problem.  If there weren’t constant inspection and repair, the house would succumb to the constant battering of the sea.  There has to be attention, hard work, and a constant eye for what could cause harm for this lighthouse to remain standing.

The same is true for the believer.  We are an extreme minority.  Although none of us can claim complete holiness, we are more like Christ than the day He saved us.  We are walking in the righteousness of Christ the best we can.  What we cannot do is rely solely on our standing before God to guarantee practical holiness.  We have the righteousness of Christ.  Yet we are surrounded by the wicked every day.  There must be examination through the word of God.  There must be prayer for the conviction and instruction of the Holy Spirit.  There must be study, memorization, and application.  Staying in the righteousness of Christ while on our pilgrimage of this life is not a given.  We cannot simply state that since we are a child of God, then sin has no more dominion over us.  That is certainly not what Paul teaches in Romans chapter seven.  The storm surge of evil hits us every day.  How well we prepared against it will tell the story of whether we stand or fall.