"Association" -2

"The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth." (Psalms 37:12) Just is a pretty important characteristic, because it pretty much means righteous, which takes a little doing to fit that kind of character. Lot, although he was not perfect, was considered righteous, and was escorted out of Sodom before the Lord destroyed it; however, he suffered great loss along the way, mainly the loss of his wife, who's heart actually belonged to Sodom anyways. These are the things which we must be careful for, because those things that we associate with may take our hearts captive unaware; whereby, we might not even realize that they have such a strong hold on us, that is until they are being taken away. The point I believe that Jesus was making by "cares of this life", are the things which we will put before our cares for God's redemption; much as Lot's wife, who should have been grateful to have escaped destruction, instead looked back as if part of her was being destroyed along with that city. There are certain things that we must do in order to avoid being snagged by the cares of this life, the first of which, is complete surrender to God, and to His will for our life; in doing so, we avoid the number one thing that will cause us to fall, and that is our will over God's will. I know that might sound a little over simplified, but it is really that simple; if we seek His will in everything we do, then we nothing to be ashamed of, and no one else to blame, but God; and in that case, He gets all the glory! You see, there is a plot that has been designed to make us fall; designed by the devil, who wants nothing more than to destroy those that call upon the name of Jesus, this plot will cause people to be condemned to hell; it may not be those that say that they are Christians, but it will be those of whom those destroyed Christians were to have ministered to, including their families and friends... "There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there be just men, unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; again, there be wicked men, to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous: I said that this also is vanity. Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun. When I applied mine heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth: (for also there is that neither day nor night seeth sleep with his eyes:) then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labour to seek it out, yet he shall not find it, yea further; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it." (Ecclesiastes 8:14-17)