Short-Wicked Firecrackers

Have you ever lit a firecracker with a really short wick? I remember being a kid and somehow gaining access to fireworks (usually just the small stuff, either firecrackers or bottle rockets, with an occasional Roman candle). My cousins and I were essentially menaces when we were young. Being equipped with explosives, even small ones, only added to our creative delinquency. We used to draw straws whenever we’d come across a firecracker with a really short wick because having one blow up in your fingers really hurts! Whoever drew the shortest straw became the focus of perverted jubilation for the rest of the members in the group (yes, we were that sick in the head). The shorter the wick, the more likely some injury, though always temporary (luckily), would occur - heck, we were counting on it. Why we thought of such things as entertaining I do not know…well, all I can say is that we were stupid.

Sin is like a firecracker. It’s always there, but the wick must be lit. Depending on the firecracker, a person may or may not have much time to escape certain injury once the process of combustion is initiated. Firecrackers, when left alone pose no real threat; however, under the right conditions, they are explosive and dangerous. Sin is a lot like firecrackers in the sense that the potential for personal harm is always there, but a person must engage in certain activities in order to ignite it.

The wise thing to do with a short-wicked firecracker is to avoid it altogether. Some would argue rather wisely that fireworks are too dangerous - period! A person can be equally entertained without the risk of bodily harm. Furthermore, fireworks often affect more than just one person. Sounds like sin, doesn’t it? Sin always has some sort of a ripple effect.

The Bible has some wisdom for us all regarding how we ought to approach situations in our lives where the potential for sinning lies.

The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.
Paul shares invaluable wisdom here.  In v14 “no provision” carries with it the idea of planning and forethought. Let’s face it, and let’s be totally honest with ourselves, we pretty much know what situations will result in our sinning. Fair enough? So, if we know (often times from firsthand experience) that under certain circumstances we are especially vulnerable to temptation, we ought to nip it in the bud immediately by eliminating any and all conditions leading us in the wrong direction. For example, an addict ought never be around their “drug” of choice (e.g., alcohol, hard drugs, sex, etc.). This requires good planning and forethought, not rocket science.

The above advice is especially critical if/when we have a really “short wick” in certain circumstances. Like the foolish kids I described at the start of this blog, short-wicked explosives often burn so fast that there’s no time for escape, guaranteeing injury to self and often others. In a “brick” (eighty packs, where each pack contains around twenty individual firecrackers), there’s always one or two short-wicked firecrackers. As individuals, if we are represented as a brick, our unique weaknesses are the short-wicked firecrackers. We ought to be all the more diligent to heed Paul’s good counsel, “make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts” (Romans 13:14b). This may mean a drastic change of mindset and lifestyle for some of you.

You might argue that you’ve somehow “recovered” from your weaknesses just because you are a little bit stronger than you used to be, a little more capable, by the grace of God, to “resist the devil” and his schemes (ala James 4:7). It’s a wonderful blessing to realize you are stronger today than yesterday, but no one is infallible because we each still possess a flesh that thrives on (is even excited by) the prospect of sinning. “For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death” (Romans 7:5).

Handling anything explosive is always dangerous, whether it’s fireworks or our own lusts. Both have the potential to blow up in our faces and wreak havoc on our peace. Sometimes, the temptation is so very fierce, though, isn’t it? It’s hard to resist the challenge and excitement of playing with fire. As soon as we invite this danger into our lives, though, we have introduced a foregone conclusion - something can and will go wrong for us. If it’s a “short-wicked” area of weakness for us, we might as well resign to the fact that sin is inevitable, as is the resultant suffering that comes with it.

The longer we allow the “wick” to burn, the closer we come to serious injury. Some wicks are shorter than others and some burn quicker. So, the best advice is to avoid the risk altogether, lest you be carried away by your own explosive, death-filled lusts. Do not be deceived!

But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
As kids, we should’ve never played with firecrackers. Looking back, I chalk it up to stupidity. Drawing straws to see who’s to light the short-wicked firecracker is like saying, “Hey, it’s your turn to be mocked as you run around with numb fingers.” We knew better, but we chose to ignore the warning signs. Little perverts. The same goes for children of God. It’s fair to say that we know better, right? It’s good for us all to remember Paul’s advice, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts” (Romans 13:14).

It’s infinitely wiser to hold fast to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Author of goodness, than it is to approach an explosive situation with a lit match.

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.
Love in Christ,

Ed Collins