Prisoner to Pleasure

February 18, 2022

“You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted by your own affections.”  —2 Corinthians 6:12

St. Paul was not by his recitation of his difficulties in vv. 4-10 laying guilt upon the Corinthian Christians, but was instead warning them of the dangers of living without boundaries. A totally free lifestyle forges its own chains. 

“Don’t let your pleasures become your prison,” is what he is telling them…and us. To the Corinthian Christian’s, immersed as they were in a culture of profligacy, this may have had primarily sexual overtones, but it has other connotations as well. There is much in life which is not wrong in itself, but which can limit and hinder us from the fullness of life God has for us.

By way of personal example, I contracted Covid nearly a year ago. For me, the symptoms were mild, resembling a cold. Since then, I’ve been exposed to the virus at least four times without further infection. Though our government refuses to recognize it, I am convinced that I now have natural immunity. I support those who have chosen vaccination to protect themselves, but oppose vaccination mandates for those who have had the disease. From what I can see, these mandates aren’t following the science; there’s no money to be made in natural immunity.

For the past two years I have been wanting to go back to Cuba to again see my friends and to minister to the people I’ve been privileged to know there. But Cuba too, has a vax mandate, which forces me to ask the question, “Do I allow my personal preference to become my prison? Are my affections, my desires, and my “principles” restricting me, preventing me from all God has in store? Am I becoming a prisoner to my pride, to my not wanting to become a government statistic? Are my affections, my desires restricting me? I’m not sure, but this much I know: even correct desires and affections can become chains that bind us, preventing us from experiencing the fullness of life Christ offers.