CD#101 OVERCOMING VICES!
OVERCOMING VICES!
Define vice.
Let me describe firstly a vice from my experience being a self-employed truck driver. I have a vice in my shop that I use for many various chores. A vice is a device that winds tighter for the purpose of firmly holding an object by squeezing. Some might say that’s not the subject but I would have to disagree! A worldly vice is an immoral practice or habit that holds us down in the miry clay, the sins of this world and it squeezes the life out of us! As we move through this study we’ll see that habits are the start of or the fuel for vices!
We all have habits, both good and bad. Speaking of habits, define a habit. A habit is anything you do automatically without consciously thinking about it, or without specifically deciding to do it, is a habit. Good habits or practices–such as tidiness, courtesy, good manners, being positive, etc. are a real blessing. But when the habits you’ve picked up are BAD or DESTRUCTIVE, and you find them hard or almost impossible to change, they are known as VICES.
There’s a true story about a man who owned an eagle, and for many years had chained him to a stake. Over the years, the eagles had walked around and around that stake so much on the end of his chain that he’d worn an actual rut in the ground. Finally, he was getting old and his master felt sorry for him and thought, “These are his last days, so I’m going to set him free!” So he took the metal ring off the eagle’s foot, took him up in his hand and tossed him into the air. But what do you suppose happened? The old eagle had almost totally forgotten how to fly! He flip-flopped right back down to the ground, walked back over to the old rut and started walking around the rut like he had done for years! No chain or bird-band held him! –Just the habit! He had been chained in the habit for so long he wouldn’t even try to fly! I have heard of the same being done with a baby elephant to the point that a very small rope will hold the elephant when it is grown. AS a baby the elephant could not break the chain so, as a massive strong adult elephant would not even try to break the rope!