The Spoiler

Spoiled. It's hard to think of an uglier word. It ruins anything it touches. Spoiled fruit. Spoiled milk. Spoiled brat. "Our whole day was spoiled."

The Bible uses many terms to describe the devil: Satan, serpent, roaring lion, tempter, evil one, adversary, prince of demons. I suggest we add another name to the list: The Spoiler.

Unable to duplicate God's blessings, The Spoiler tries to corrupt them. He's been spoiling good fruit since the Garden of Eden.

God gave us minds so we can read, imagine, discuss, and ponder. The Spoiler, though, twists the gift of intellect into a spirit of arrogance and intellectual pride.

Technology allows soldiers far from home to e-mail their families and enables missionaries to preach the gospel through satellite links and videotapes. Unfortunately The Spoiler also understands the power of technology. He uses computer porn to weaken marriages and defile children, and spreads gossip with one swift click of a mouse.

Artists stretch our imaginations and touch our emotions with colors, shapes, and textures designed by the Creator. Hand The Spoiler the paintbrush, and the human spirit drifts toward degradation and despair.

When children dance, they move freely and innocently to the rhythms of music. In the hands of The Spoiler, dance degenerates into the alluring moves of the seductress and the adulterer.

The Spoiler twists even the finest material blessings until the woman who lives in a comfortable house covets a bigger one; the man who drives a fine car can't be content without a newer one; the child with a closet full of sneakers feels compelled to buy one more pair to keep up with his friends.

Whatever he touches, The Spoiler defiles. In his hands, holy days and holidays cease to be holy days and become excuses for overindulging in alcohol. Instead of a way to take care of the temple of God and experience the wholesome joy of competition, physical training becomes an obsessive preoccupation with the human body and sports become acceptable forms of idolatry. To a wise steward, money is God's gift to be used and shared with joy and purpose; but in the hands of The Spoiler, the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.

Unspoiled Love

Is it any surprise, then, that sexual immorality plagues our culture? The marriage covenant is one of The Spoiler's favorite targets. So much ugliness results when a marriage falls apart. So much disappointment. So many wounded hearts. The Spoiler unleashes every weapon in his arsenal to destroy the bond between husband and wife. He uses selfishness, impatience, and lust. He uses short-lived affairs based on infatuation and shallow sexual attraction. He cultivates a social climate that undermines the sanctity of the home.

Despite all his efforts, though, The Spoiler cannot destroy authentic love, which springs from the very nature of God himself. Christ models a love that requires sacrifice, unselfishness, and commitment. A love that pardons and purifies, empowers and endures. This unspoiled love enables husbands to love our wives "just as Christ loved the church, and gave himself up for her" (Ephesians 5:25). Though we are sinners, the Holy Spirit helps us produce this kind of love when Christ is at the center of our relationships.

For when it comes to something as important as love, The Savior beats The Spoiler every time.