Read: James 1:1-8
A double
minded man is unstable in all
his ways. James 1:8
I don’t
want to bore you with a science lesson because I know most young men do
everything they can to avoid school. However, I know that young men do like
explosions – especially as it relates to the devastation caused by an atomic
bomb. Nuclear fission actually is a fascinating discussion. When atoms, the
basis of every substance on earth, were first discovered, scientists thought
they were solid particles that could never be split. They soon discovered,
however, that the nucleus of an atom, when bombarded with neutrons could
actually be broken in half. When a Uranium-235 atom captures one of those
bombarding neutrons, it becomes very unstable because it was never meant to
exist in that form. It begins vibrating so rapidly that it can no longer hold
itself together. As it “explodes,” it sends neutron barreling into other atoms,
which causes a chain reaction to occur when enough of the element is present.
Uncontrolled, that chain reaction is what makes an atomic bomb. Tremendous
amounts of heat and radiation are released, causing wide-spread damage and
long-lasting ill effects.
A double-minded young man is much like the
“heavy” nucleus of an atom. A double-minded person is one who is unstable in
his mind. He is easily influenced by popular opinion – he acts one way with one
group he is around; he acts a different way with another. For example, many
young men act the way they are expected to act when they are at church – they
come to church dressed in a sharp suit, they carry their Bible, and they listen
as if they were glad to be there – but then they act completely different at
home. They talk like the world, they dress like the world, and they associate
with worldly people to try to fit in. Double-minded young men have no beliefs
or standards because they sway back and forth with whomever they are around. James
says that a young man who is double-minded will be unstable in every area of
his life – never able to figure out what he really wants to do, what he really
believes, or what his standards really are. He is restless in his thoughts, constantly
shifting from one thing to another. He
causes others around him to be unstable, as well, and he will never have
peace.
A single-minded man, however, is focused.
He knows what he believes and is willing to defend it. He knows what principles
he stands on, and he is not willing to compromise. He knows where he is headed,
and he can be counted on to lead others in the right direction. Determine what
is right, and then determine to live by those convictions.
Quote of the day: “Wherever you are, be all there.”
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