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I'm content in my ignorance;
and isn't contentment a character quality?
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This past Friday evening I found my-self perusing the shelves of Best Buy.
I was caught in a quandary, spinning around in a cesspool. I had
in front of me a video game a special edition of Command & Conquer
- that I wanted to buy. The problem was that this game had already
consumed more of my time than watching re-runs of "The Simpsons"
- well, almost as much time - and could only devour more.
I was faced with a decision. And the only reason I can write
about it now, is because I made the right decision. Otherwise I
would be playing C&C and we would run some press release from
the National Association of Association Members) in place of this
article. Either that or we would make the Eagle Top 10 list really
big, or a souvenir copy of the final exam schedule - with 2 Thursdays
this time.
Again, here is another decision I had make; run my article and
risk offending NAAM members and the Eagle 103.9 listener, or play
it safe with some big graphics, and make the Eagle listener happy.
Now, when it comes to decisions, I don't like to make them. Decisions
usually boil down to this. I must either do what I know is right,
or continue to do what I want to do. The majority of my decisions
fall into this category, otherwise there isn't much to decide.
On a somewhat related subject…
I love sermons that generalize. I wish all sermons would generalize,
or when exposing sins, would make the examples they use very severe
or abstract. I love such sermons, because I don't like being uncomfortable?
When a sermon generalizes (don't lust) I can' ignore it. When a
sermon is too extreme (adultery, serial killer, pornography publisher)
in the examples it uses, I can pass it off as not applying to me.
But when a sermon passes the altar of exaggeration through the
doors of generalities and mmm ... bops me on the nose with actual
problems, well, that is when I get uncomfortable. That is when I
grow, and growing pains me.
For instance, I'd prefer that no one preaches on the evils of
gossip, sexual impurity, time management, misuse of parents funds,
lying, back-biting, disrespect, and eating habits (II Timothy 3:
2-5,7).
I'm content in my ignorance; and isn't contentment a character
quality?
The problem with such sermons is that they equip me with the
knowledge to make the right decisions, and force me into choosing.
And making decisions, well I'd rather not make them. I guess I could
decide not to decide and let my life slip by, and then at the end
wonder why.
A last ditch defense that I have seen many perform including myself,
is to criticize the messenger and therefore avoid the issue that
he brought. "What right does he have to tell me that I'm a
sinner?"
One of the biggest problems with making the easy (usually this
means wrong) decision is one wrong choice, the next time it is even
easier to make the same decision. Eventually one doesn't even have
to decide. However, when one does decide to make the right decision,
he faces an up hill battle that even Teddy Roosevelt wouldn't fight,
All too often he can not extract himself from the cycle of sin,
or the slippery slope, if you will.
Another problem with sinning (that is what we are talking about)
is that sin wounds our walk with God, hurts others and makes our
life of little account. It's kind of a drag, if you really think
about it.
When I am honest with myself (this is one thing that a guilty
conscience prevents), I even question my own salvation. What does
it really mean to be "saved?" There are many who would
make the gospel harder than it is, and there are others who would
make it too easy. The words of Jesus would tend to fall into the
former.
Now, here is the question of logic that I am faced with. See if
you can follow the logic, and let me know if it is errant. If a
Christian means that one is a- follower of Christ, and a follower
is one who obeys the commands and example of his leader (Christ),
then if I do not follow the commands of Christ and I make decisions
that are contrary to His example, am I still a Christian? Or for
the "once saved always saved" crowd, was I ever a Christian?
Decisions: you can't live without making them, and making the
wrong ones 'will kill you. One must eventually decide to decide,
or he will, by default, decide to be at fault. No one said making
decisions was
easy, but there was One who called us to make them. If we say we
are His, then we must obey.
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