Walking with the Wise #473: Give a Hoot! Don’t Pollute!

“Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain
is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.”
—Proverbs 25:26

I grew up in a small town and didn’t go to big cities much. I liked nature, but didn’t know much about it except when I saw Woodsy the Owl on television say, “Give a hoot! Don’t pollute!” Although I had never been to the woods or a national park, I could see that pollution was bad.

It was in my senior year of high school that I finally got to go to the Rocky Mountains. I remember standing in a small river. The water was clear, cold, pure, and tasted fabulous. It was refreshing and unlike anything I have ever drunk before or since. What I can’t imagine, however, is if it were to have been polluted. I wouldn’t have wanted to drink it or touch it. Even the thought of someone polluting it makes me angry. But that is how the Bible describes a righteous person giving in before the wicked. It’s distasteful and disgusting and shouldn’t happen.

We are going to encounter evil in this life. As long as Satan has control of this world (Ephesians 2:2; 1 John 5:19), and unbelievers are blinded to the Gospel of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:4), we will be in a war “…against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places”—Ephesians 6:12. We know that the temptation to give in to Satan’s ploys and compromise the gospel will always be there. But we cannot give in. We can’t pollute the Gospel of Jesus. God has placed us in this world to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13), and for us to fail in our responsibility to stand for truth, speak out against sin, and protect those who cannot protect themselves, is a great evil. People expect to drink from us, to find truth, compassion, patience, forgiveness, refuge, refreshment, and protection, but if we cave to the evil around us, we muddy the spring of truth, and people cannot be spiritually nourished by us. As Peter said,

“Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation”—1 Peter 2:9.

“Gentiles” is a metaphor Peter employs for unbelievers. While unbelievers disagree with our message, they will not be able to disagree with our manner of life. And they will give glory to God on the day when He comes again, a time of vindication for believers whose lives were true to the God who bought them.

I pray that we all may stand for God’s truth! May we never cave or compromise to the spirit of the age, but may our lives be marked by Christlikeness and courageous compassion, as we care not for our own lives or safety, but for pursuing a life well lived in surrender to Christ, conducted in such a way that this world is not worthy of us (Hebrews 11:38)—for God’s glory and our joy. Amen.