His Choice

We have been given the power to be able to withstand temptation, so that we do not damage our
fellowship with God through sin. James 1 states:
12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.
14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.
15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

Temptation will come; we just have to make sure that we are ready when it does.  We have to adopt a pro-active mentality, as well as a strong desire to resist it when it comes.  The enemy will tempt us with a motivation to destroy us, but we can triumph in Christ with an opportunity to glorify Him and grow in our walk with Him.  We have to be discerning to see when the temptation comes and make sure we don't place ourselves in compromising situations.

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It's important to be on guard in interacting with people that do not share our deeply-held beliefs - we can certainly strive to be having an impact for Christ, and have to make sure the converse is not
coming to pass. 1st Corinthians 15 states:
33 Do not be deceived: "Evil company corrupts good habits."
34 Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.

I certainly cannot commend the television show, The Bachelor, or others in its family of programs, such as The Bachelorette.  These programs, in my opinion, offer a parade of promiscuity and present a worldview that runs contrary to God's plan for sexuality.

But, periodically, you will have contestants who profess to be Christians, like, as the Christian Post highlighted: "Sean and Catherine Lowe; Luke Parker, who was widely ridiculed for his Christian views on sex before marriage, and others."  In fact, Parker's determination to save himself for marriage put him at odds with recent Bachelorette Hannah Brown, even though he was apparently one of the leading suitors.  They famously clashed on matters of faith and sexuality.

Brown, a former Miss Alabama USA, has been linked to former Bachelorette contestant Peter Weber, who was this year's Bachelor, in the season that concluded this week.  And, the stunning announcement came that Auburn's Madison Prewett and Weber would pursue a relationship, even though she had walked out of the show, driven by her strong Christian beliefs on saving herself for marriage.

I came across an article on the Christian Post website almost a month ago about young Miss Prewett, which quoted her as saying: “Faith is more just this passed-down thing to me, it’s literally my whole life and all of who I am...I want, in a marriage, someone who also has that relationship with the Lord and loves that about me and wants to raise a family in that way. And I do want to know that we’re able to be on the same page with that and push each other in that way and grow in that way together.”

At the time, she had shared with Weber about her Christian faith and admiration for her father, who serves on the Auburn basketball coaching staff.  At the time, she had not told the bachelor that she was saving herself for marriage.  But, she did, and it apparently did not drive him away.

As the finale approached, Weber, pressured by his family, especially his mother, was told that the relationship could never work.  The Post, in a story this week, reported:

Season 24 of "The Bachelor" concluded last night with a shocking twist, as Weber decided to pursue a relationship with contestant Prewett despite his family’s protest that her “religious” convictions would “change” him.

In previous episodes of the show, Prewett, who said she is saving herself for marriage, was heartbroken that Weber was intimate with other women during the Fantasy Suites week of the show. She wasn't sure if she should continue on "The Bachelor" but the couple hoped that “love could conquer all.” She was eventually chased off by his family, who continued to tell her that he was a party guy and that their lifestyles were very different from one another.

In a promising development, The Christian Post reports that, "Before viewers watched the finale, there were clues that Weber chose Prewett because he was spotted attending Hillsong Church. It was pop star Justin Bieber, who also attends Hillsong, that shared Weber's appearance with the public."

He told Demi Lovato on the Ellen show: "We watch 'The Bachelor,'” Bieber told Lovato. “[Peter] was at church the other night …I went up to him and I was like, ‘I feel like I know you.'”

Through it all, Madison seems to have become a moral voice in a morass of sexual ideas gone astray, and perhaps Peter has become attracted to that.  Chrissy Clark at The Federalist surmises:

It’s painfully obvious everyone in Peter’s direct sphere of influence, whether it be his ex-girlfriend Hannah Brown, his family, or the reality television producers, do not hold him to the same high standards that Madison does. These are the same people telling Peter his relationship with Madison cannot work because she’s too different and too religious.

When Madison met Peter’s family, they were shocked she would dare ask him to not sleep with other women, they questioned whether Peter could wait for sex until marriage, and reminded Peter their lifestyles were vastly different because he likes to go to the “club” while Madison prefers to attend church.

Clark writes:

Maybe he’s just in pursuit of another reality TV contract.

Or maybe he is fascinated and attracted at a life that calls him to something higher than letting his private parts make his life decisions. Weber is experiencing what many Christians experience living in an increasingly secular culture. Everyone around him is judging his situation and jumping to conclusions about him. His sphere of influence is urging him to go in a different direction, but Weber is being called to live a life more prosperous than the one he is now.

In Madison’s Instagram biography she posted Proverbs 31:8, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.” Madison has spoken up for Christian women who feel silenced by living in an increasingly secular, sex-trivializing, and judgmental culture. Now, it’s Peter’s opportunity to consider what that might mean for him. We can only pray he rises to the challenge.

Some might think it strange that Madison Prewett decided to participate in The Bachelor, but there was certainly an opportunity for her to be a light in a rather dark set of circumstances.  You could say it's a microcosm of the world in which we live - we are surrounded by temptation and worldviews that contradict our own; while we shouldn't walk or run into temptation, rather flee it, but when it comes, we have to be strong and reliant on the Lord. 

The truth is, we should be seeking to impact the people with whom we come in contact in a positive way, for the Lord.  And, in relationships, there is a sense of give-and-take, and we have to make sure that we are not being negatively influenced by people who do not share our values. People have to be careful not to end up in toxic relationships that could corrupt their walk with Christ.