Double Trouble

“They speak vanity every one with his neighbor: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak.” (Psalm 12:2)

 

         Some doubles are good. For instance, Elisha’s double portion of Elijah’s spirit; or in a less spiritual vein, a double dip of ice cream, or my husband’s favorite, a double malt! In these cases, more is better. There are some things, however, that are less favorable, and even disastrous, when they manifest themselves in dual form.

 

~A Double Mind~

 

         James 1:8 warns us that a double-minded man is “unstable in all his ways.” The man or woman who cannot make up his or her mind, who is first one way than another, gives the impression of being emotionally unstable, or to say the least, unsettled. This is why Peter exhorts us to “gird up the loins of our minds” (1Pet.1:13). Often, making snap decisions without benefit of meaningful contemplation, is the root of double-mindedness.

 

~A Double Tongue~

 

         One of the qualifications for a deacon, according to 1 Timothy 3:8, is that they must not be “doubletongued.” Or as the American Indians used to say about men who promised them something and then reneged on it, “White man speak with fork-ed tongue.” Of course, we all know prevaricating (and that’s what it is) is not exclusive to any ethnic group. People who speak out of both sides of their mouths come in every size, shape, and color. But it is reprehensible in anyone, especially a Christian.

 

~A Double Heart~

 

         Now we come to our text, and this is the most dangerous and destructive duality of all. A double heart will always be unfaithful to God and everyone else. My husband once dealt with a lost man whose wife was a member of our church. Gradually, it came out that his real excuse for not becoming a Christian was that he was having an affair with another woman. According to him, he could not bring himself to give up either woman, since he loved them both. In reality, though, he didn’t love either of them; he loved himself, and he loved his sin. Nor will God accept dual allegiance. If He does not have all of our heart, He has none of it. Lord of all, or not Lord at all.

 

         Mark it down: In the case of double-tongued, double-minded, and double-hearted, it isn’t “double or nothing”; it’s double is nothing.”