"Well, he's safe now," I thought, but thought too soon. He never reached six inches before he turned around and headed "south" again. As he closed in on the burning wood, he must have felt the rising heat because he suddenly turned again and headed upward. He could have even headed sideways and gotten out of the heat, but that remedy seemed to have eluded him. Up a bit, and back down, up a bit, and back down, again and again. Then, as the fire really began to blaze, he began running around in circles. He couldn't figure out which way to go, or perhaps which way was up! And suddenly he fell into the fire—pzzzt! A quick sizzle and he was gone.
I have seen some Christians act like that bug. They want to play in the fire, but then their conscience gets the best of them and they ease away, not too far, though, because, oh, it's so tempting, so there they go again. But wait—no! I shouldn't be here. But maybe I can for just a little while—and then suddenly, before they know it, and maybe even because of the fire they are playing with, they are gone.
If you have been playing around with sin, stop. It isn't worth it. The "fun" only lasts a nanosecond when compared to eternity, and you may wind up paying dearly for it, even if you don't actually fall into the fire. And what is so fun about running around in circles not knowing where to go, beset by your conscience, and having to dodge those who care about you? You will only get in deeper, becoming more and more confused, until you simply can't get out. You no longer know the way. And some day, pzzzt! You will be gone too, and that will be the end of the matter.
For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them (2Pet 2:20-21).
Dene Ward