Don't Swim in the Sewage

Imagine walking on a warm, sunny day and hearing the joyful sounds of people splashing and playing in a swimming hole. As you walk over the hill, you see a crowd frolicking in the water.

However, you quickly notice something highly disturbing. A large pipe is pouring raw sewage from the city directly into the water. The swimmers are covered in filth, yet they keep dunking one another, jumping in, and playing games.

Standing clean on the shore, you wonder if they have lost their minds—especially when they shout for you to jump in and join the “fun.”

This vivid and unsettling scene is exactly what the Apostle Peter describes in 1 Peter 4:1-5:

“Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery [wild, sinful living], and they malign [slander] you; but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.” (ESV)

Foolish Living Seems Fun… For a Time

People who live in sin often want you to join them. They might think you are foolish for skipping out on their excitement.

While they believe they are living the good life, they are actually wasting it. Only when they begin to reap the consequences of their actions do they realize how foolish they have been. By then, they are left with deep emotional and spiritual scars.

The Prodigal Son

The parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-31) is a perfect example:

• A young man demands his inheritance early and leaves home to live wildly.
• He wastes all his money on temporary friends and constant partying.
• When a famine hits, his friends abandon him, and he ends up feeding pigs just to survive.

He becomes so desperate that he longs to eat the pigs’ messy slop. When he finally comes to his senses, he returns to his father’s house.

While his father forgives him completely, the young man still lost his inheritance and had to live with the regret of his choices. God will forgive our sins, but we must often still face the painful consequences of our actions.

Sinful Living Has Eternal Consequences

Swimmers in spiritual sewage often forget that rebellion against God leads to judgment. We must choose to live pure lives outside of the filth. This choice protects us from earthly pain and spares us from eternal punishment.

The Bible warns us about this truth through the law of the harvest:

“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” — Galatians 6:7-10

The outcomes in our lives are the direct results of the decisions we make. This is why we must carefully choose our friends, our entertainment, and our actions.

God wants young people to enjoy their lives, but to do so in healthy, godly ways. Living in drunkenness or immorality never ends well. Remember the wisdom of Ecclesiastes 11:10:

“Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment. Remove vexation [worry] from your heart, and put away pain from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity [temporary].” (ESV)

Don’t Be Deceived by God’s Patience

It is easy to make wrong choices when we see that people are not punished immediately for their sins. We might assume we can play in the sewage now, repent later, and still live a holy life.

However, there is no guarantee we will have the time or the desire to change later. Sin is addictive, much like smoking. The longer you practice a bad habit, the harder it is to quit—even when you know it is destroying you.

God’s delay in judgment is an act of mercy, giving us time to save our lives rather than a license to keep sinning (2 Peter 3:8-13). Because we will stand before Him one day, we should strive to live holy and godly lives right now.

When you are tempted to leave a pure life for temporary pleasures, remember the disgusting picture of the sewage pipe. Keep yourself clean, and stay out of the pool.