December 7, 1999
Disregarding airport signs, Myron joked about carrying an atom bomb in his suitcase. He soon found himself surrounded by airport security who would not listen to his claims about freedom of speech. Joke or not, bomb-talk is off limits in airports. Myron eventually agreed that human rights should have some restrictions. Here, flippancy could alarm or panic other passengers so he promised to refrain from bomb jokes.
Theaters and libraries share similar restrictions. They can toss out or arrest anyone who shouts ‘fire’ in a crowded theater (when there is no fire). This falls under ‘public mischief.’ It is against the law because terrified people can trample one another. People generally frown at loud talk in a library too. For a long time, any violation meant loss of privilege. Today’s library patrons may not respect this rule, but most readers wish they would. The downside is that respecting others’ rights usually means giving up some of our own.
However, those who support freedom of speech never quibble about airport restrictions on bomb-talk, nor do they argue over laws against yelling ‘fire’ in crowded theaters. In these cases, human safety takes precedence over freedom of expression. Isn’t it logical to apply this solution to another library issue: access to pornographic Internet sites?
Some argue free expression. That is, anyone can go online and view any Internet site they wish. Others say that we should allow no one access to this material, especially children. We should eradicate this form of “expression” and if that is impossible, we should protect young people by limiting what they can see or download.
Monitoring the Internet is usually at the discretion of local servers. For instance, many of them refuse to host web pages that physically threaten other people. Yet for the most part, the Net is open to whatever anyone wants to put on it, all in the name of free expression.
Although the Bible does not talk about television, videos, pornography or the Internet (at least in those terms), God has plenty to say about impure hearts and thoughts. He also warns us about what we put into our minds. One psalmist offers this prayer, “Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.”
Apart from guarding our own minds, the Bible tells us to love others. This command does not mean romantic love (eros) but uses a word that means wanting the highest good for others. The implication is that biblical love involves personal sacrifice that someone else might benefit.
When God says we should avoid lust, sexual sin and pornography, He is thinking about our best, but also the good of others. All these illicit activities involve exploitation and no matter how you slice it, exploiting a person is not the same as loving them.
People defend their personal right to express themselves, yet pornography infringes the rights of others too. It harms those who view it yet even if they consent to that harm and it harms those who are unfortunate enough to be the subjects in the pictures. No matter how much a “model” is paid, no amount of money can replace what they have lost. A child is robbed of his or her innocence. Men and women lose both dignity and purity. They are being used. Their bodies are objects to feed lustful thoughts and incite lustful activities. Also, this so-called ‘freedom of expression’ puts people in bondage to these sinful desires.
Physical danger should be no more important than moral or emotional danger. We have strong laws that protect people from hurting others if their “free expression” includes bomb-talk, yelling fire, or spreading slander, libel and defamation of character. Why don’t we have laws that protect us from the forces that can destroy innocence and purity?
Showing posts with label freedom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label freedom. Show all posts
Friday, October 27, 2017
Friday, August 11, 2017
Human Rights? .......... Parables 626
January 19, 1999
Will the VLT question ever be settled? A provincial vote recorded public opinion but somehow the matter is still up in the air. Human rights continue to blur the issue.
Rights, a worldwide hot topic, spans the extremes. For instance, minority groups cry for the right to be heard and teenagers demand the right to drive the family car. Women ask for equal pay for equal work and my grandchildren each want the right to the TV remote. Criminals ask for the right to vote and dissatisfied spouses think they have the right to be unfaithful. Writers demand their copyrights and everyone wants to stand at the front of the line.
Which demands are legitimate? How can anyone know? In many cases, if all are equally valid still some must give in to others. So who decides which rights take priority?
It is irrational to give looters the right to enter broken windows and take what they want whenever they want it. It is also irrational to give angry people the right to express their feelings by spraying a shotgun in a school ground. Is it irrational to give people the right to gamble?
Of course playing VLTs is not the same as stealing or killing but excessive or compulsive gambling takes a toll on innocent people. How much is excessive? Can human rights have limits in this case? Is it possible to agree on what those limits should be?
Endless questions with debatable answers should make us ask what God says but the Bible says nothing about VLTs and very little about gambling. It does mention human rights.
God defines rights and freedom far differently than we do. While He allows us choices, He does not define that freedom as a right to do whatever we want. Instead, He says “not all things are beneficial.” In God’s mind, making choices is a privilege, a responsibility, even an opportunity. He also says if we think we are free to fulfill our own wants, we are actually slaves.
How can this be? To understand God’s perspective, we have to realize that the essence of sin is selfishness. When we do our own thing contrary to the commands of God, we sin. The New Testament book of Romans asks, “Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey . . . ?”
God says: choose to either serve Him and be free to become all He intended when He created us, or choose to be a slave to ourselves and sin. This is strong talk, but He gives no other options.
Slaves are unpaid workers who cannot say no to their boss. This sounds like a person addicted to gambling. VLTs rarely pay back the people who use them. Instead, they are designed to make a profit. Not only that, they rob people of discernment. In thinking they are doing as they please, gamblers are actually in bondage to an expensive, thrill-seeking habit they cannot break.
Families of gambling slaves also pay the price of this so-called “freedom.” They lose their “rights.” Money for their groceries and utility bills is spent on “roads, education and health care” or it goes into the pockets of whoever owns the establishments that house the machines.
You and I also pay a price for this “freedom.” Our taxes go up because families draw more deeply from social services. Gamblers who want to quit need therapy too, and someone must pay for their increased needs. We also pay in pain if the addicts are people we love.
Those who make money on the machines are caught in a “love of money” trap that the Bible calls the “root of all evil.” They cannot set themselves free and will eventually “pierce themselves with many griefs.” This demand for “rights” is costly and deceptive, not true freedom.
Freely giving everyone the “right” to gamble results in huge losses. Everyone is trapped by one side of it or another — and everyone pays a price.
Will the VLT question ever be settled? A provincial vote recorded public opinion but somehow the matter is still up in the air. Human rights continue to blur the issue.
Rights, a worldwide hot topic, spans the extremes. For instance, minority groups cry for the right to be heard and teenagers demand the right to drive the family car. Women ask for equal pay for equal work and my grandchildren each want the right to the TV remote. Criminals ask for the right to vote and dissatisfied spouses think they have the right to be unfaithful. Writers demand their copyrights and everyone wants to stand at the front of the line.
Which demands are legitimate? How can anyone know? In many cases, if all are equally valid still some must give in to others. So who decides which rights take priority?
It is irrational to give looters the right to enter broken windows and take what they want whenever they want it. It is also irrational to give angry people the right to express their feelings by spraying a shotgun in a school ground. Is it irrational to give people the right to gamble?
Of course playing VLTs is not the same as stealing or killing but excessive or compulsive gambling takes a toll on innocent people. How much is excessive? Can human rights have limits in this case? Is it possible to agree on what those limits should be?
Endless questions with debatable answers should make us ask what God says but the Bible says nothing about VLTs and very little about gambling. It does mention human rights.
God defines rights and freedom far differently than we do. While He allows us choices, He does not define that freedom as a right to do whatever we want. Instead, He says “not all things are beneficial.” In God’s mind, making choices is a privilege, a responsibility, even an opportunity. He also says if we think we are free to fulfill our own wants, we are actually slaves.
How can this be? To understand God’s perspective, we have to realize that the essence of sin is selfishness. When we do our own thing contrary to the commands of God, we sin. The New Testament book of Romans asks, “Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey . . . ?”
God says: choose to either serve Him and be free to become all He intended when He created us, or choose to be a slave to ourselves and sin. This is strong talk, but He gives no other options.
Slaves are unpaid workers who cannot say no to their boss. This sounds like a person addicted to gambling. VLTs rarely pay back the people who use them. Instead, they are designed to make a profit. Not only that, they rob people of discernment. In thinking they are doing as they please, gamblers are actually in bondage to an expensive, thrill-seeking habit they cannot break.
Families of gambling slaves also pay the price of this so-called “freedom.” They lose their “rights.” Money for their groceries and utility bills is spent on “roads, education and health care” or it goes into the pockets of whoever owns the establishments that house the machines.
You and I also pay a price for this “freedom.” Our taxes go up because families draw more deeply from social services. Gamblers who want to quit need therapy too, and someone must pay for their increased needs. We also pay in pain if the addicts are people we love.
Those who make money on the machines are caught in a “love of money” trap that the Bible calls the “root of all evil.” They cannot set themselves free and will eventually “pierce themselves with many griefs.” This demand for “rights” is costly and deceptive, not true freedom.
Freely giving everyone the “right” to gamble results in huge losses. Everyone is trapped by one side of it or another — and everyone pays a price.
Friday, October 7, 2016
Electing Leaders .......... Parables 494
December 5, 1995
Every election, disgruntled Canadians (and Americans) look for a special leader. They want improvements in every area from employment to Medicare — without increased personal cost.
The Israelites living in Egypt had the same wants. Joseph, their previous special leader, saved them from famine in their own land. He moved them to the fertile Nile delta where they enjoyed a lush lifestyle.
A few generations later, a new leader decided to make slaves of them. Although God blessed them with increased numbers, they continued to pray, sacrifice their lambs and look to Him for deliverance, both from forced labor and from this new Pharaoh who was ordering all their male babies tossed into the Nile.
One baby escaped. The Pharaoh’s daughter found little Moses, took pity and without knowing it, hired his own mother to nurse him. He was trained to be the next Pharaoh but God had other plans; Moses became the next special leader of Israel.
God’s people were excited. This man was going to take them out of bondage and back to the land God had promised them. Their excitement quickly faded when they faced the cost of freedom: a terrifying escape from Pharaoh and his armies, a dry trip across a barren desert with only manna to eat, and finally a need to battle “giants” before repossessing their land.
They provoked God’s anger by looking for another leader. They complained, “We sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you (Moses) have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” Out of that entire generation, only two made it to the land of promise.
Hundreds of years later, their descendants were again looking for a special leader. They had experienced another exile and another bondage, this time in Babylon for seventy years. Their captors restricted their sacrifices and made rules against their praying, yet God heard their cries. With leadership of men like Ezra, they were able to rebuild their homeland.
By 400 B.C., the nation entered yet another bondage. God was silent. No prophets were on the scene repeating His promise of a great Deliverer. The Greeks arrived and changed their nation. Then Rome ruled with an iron hand. The people longed for deliverance from political oppression, prayed and sacrificed their lambs, but saw no sign of a special leader.
Finally, another baby was born. The shepherds found Him first. The magi (Persian king makers) gave Him gifts, but the Roman leader tried to kill Him. The child escaped and grew to manhood. One day, John the Baptist declared Him the promised One, the great Deliverer, “the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world.”
This was their special leader, sent by God to save them from their greatest bondage — not the rule of Rome but the tyranny of personal sin.
This freedom comes at a price too. Jesus called for repentance. People must turn from sin and from ruling their own lives, and embrace Him as their Lord and Messiah. Most of them said, “We will not have this man rule over us.”
Israelites or not, people are still looking for a special leader — who can produce paved roads, free medical care, and all the benefits of high living without the cost of tightened belts and self-discipline. Many still reject Jesus because they would rather have free indulgence in their sin (and be in bondage to it) than serve Him.
Perhaps today’s leaders can find comfort in the fact that even the Son of God could not please disgruntled people — who want heaven on earth without cost or without change to their lifestyle.
Every election, disgruntled Canadians (and Americans) look for a special leader. They want improvements in every area from employment to Medicare — without increased personal cost.
The Israelites living in Egypt had the same wants. Joseph, their previous special leader, saved them from famine in their own land. He moved them to the fertile Nile delta where they enjoyed a lush lifestyle.
A few generations later, a new leader decided to make slaves of them. Although God blessed them with increased numbers, they continued to pray, sacrifice their lambs and look to Him for deliverance, both from forced labor and from this new Pharaoh who was ordering all their male babies tossed into the Nile.
One baby escaped. The Pharaoh’s daughter found little Moses, took pity and without knowing it, hired his own mother to nurse him. He was trained to be the next Pharaoh but God had other plans; Moses became the next special leader of Israel.
God’s people were excited. This man was going to take them out of bondage and back to the land God had promised them. Their excitement quickly faded when they faced the cost of freedom: a terrifying escape from Pharaoh and his armies, a dry trip across a barren desert with only manna to eat, and finally a need to battle “giants” before repossessing their land.
They provoked God’s anger by looking for another leader. They complained, “We sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you (Moses) have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” Out of that entire generation, only two made it to the land of promise.
Hundreds of years later, their descendants were again looking for a special leader. They had experienced another exile and another bondage, this time in Babylon for seventy years. Their captors restricted their sacrifices and made rules against their praying, yet God heard their cries. With leadership of men like Ezra, they were able to rebuild their homeland.
By 400 B.C., the nation entered yet another bondage. God was silent. No prophets were on the scene repeating His promise of a great Deliverer. The Greeks arrived and changed their nation. Then Rome ruled with an iron hand. The people longed for deliverance from political oppression, prayed and sacrificed their lambs, but saw no sign of a special leader.
Finally, another baby was born. The shepherds found Him first. The magi (Persian king makers) gave Him gifts, but the Roman leader tried to kill Him. The child escaped and grew to manhood. One day, John the Baptist declared Him the promised One, the great Deliverer, “the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world.”
This was their special leader, sent by God to save them from their greatest bondage — not the rule of Rome but the tyranny of personal sin.
This freedom comes at a price too. Jesus called for repentance. People must turn from sin and from ruling their own lives, and embrace Him as their Lord and Messiah. Most of them said, “We will not have this man rule over us.”
Israelites or not, people are still looking for a special leader — who can produce paved roads, free medical care, and all the benefits of high living without the cost of tightened belts and self-discipline. Many still reject Jesus because they would rather have free indulgence in their sin (and be in bondage to it) than serve Him.
Perhaps today’s leaders can find comfort in the fact that even the Son of God could not please disgruntled people — who want heaven on earth without cost or without change to their lifestyle.
Monday, August 8, 2016
Genuine Freedom .......... Parables 468
May 16, 1995
When Rome ruled the known world, a law allowed soldiers to demand that any citizen carry their pack of equipment and weapons for one Roman mile. Israelites living in Judea and Galilee during the time of Christ, were included in that citizenship. Although they were allowed to keep their religion, the Jews longed for full political liberty. Can you imagine how they felt whenever they saw a soldier looking at them or even coming their way?
Put yourself in their place, maybe walking home after a hard day’s work. A soldier rides up and orders you to go 1620 yards in the opposite direction carrying his helmet and metal breastplate. Or perhaps you are dressed for an important job interview when accosted and forced to carry a dirty, smelly pack that smears both muck and aroma on your suit.
Roman taxes were bad enough without this further oppression. When Jesus came, many Jews began looking to Him as their Messiah, the One who would deliver them from their enemies, the Romans. Can you imagine their reaction when He told them, “If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles”?
Jesus gave them this startling command when was speaking to the disciples and a huge crowd gathered at the Mount of Olives. His discourse that day is commonly called the Sermon on the Mount. In this sermon, Jesus upended traditional rabbinic teaching. He also said things that mock so-called common sense, like “love your enemy” and “do good to those who hate you.” Why would He tell them to go beyond compliance and do Roman soldiers a favor?
Today, if someone tried to order anyone to carry their pack or do anything else they didn’t want to do, there would be a quick protest to the American Civil Liberties Union or some other rights protection group. North Americans value personal rights. We are free people who resist doing anything we don’t want to do. Besides, that Roman law was exploitive and encouraged people in power to be selfish and cruel.
It would be easy to look at the words Jesus said and think He was telling His followers to be submissive to evil, selfish people. That is not the case. He clearly teaches elsewhere that we should stand up against evil and do all we can to make sure people are treated justly and with respect. Furthermore, it is not biblical to encourage selfishness in others or allow them to do unkind things.
Why then did He urge “go the second mile?” Think of the typical response to unjust treatment: revenge; however, according to the Bible, getting even is not a godly response to evil. Romans 12 says, “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord... Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
The people Jesus talked to were outraged at the Romans who exploited their resources, time, energy and personal liberty. Even if they were not strong enough to physically resist, revenge was certainly in their hearts.
Nevertheless, Jesus told them when someone tries to rob you of your liberty, give it to them. This is not to encourage selfishness, not even to show unusual kindness. Instead, doing the unexpected for those who do not deserve it is being like Christ. He did not wait until we repented, made up for it, smartened up or quit sinning. Instead He “demonstrated his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
By making a free choice to serve others, God’s people demonstrate they possess a loftier kind of liberty, a freedom that no one, not even a Roman soldier, can take away.
When Rome ruled the known world, a law allowed soldiers to demand that any citizen carry their pack of equipment and weapons for one Roman mile. Israelites living in Judea and Galilee during the time of Christ, were included in that citizenship. Although they were allowed to keep their religion, the Jews longed for full political liberty. Can you imagine how they felt whenever they saw a soldier looking at them or even coming their way?
Put yourself in their place, maybe walking home after a hard day’s work. A soldier rides up and orders you to go 1620 yards in the opposite direction carrying his helmet and metal breastplate. Or perhaps you are dressed for an important job interview when accosted and forced to carry a dirty, smelly pack that smears both muck and aroma on your suit.
Roman taxes were bad enough without this further oppression. When Jesus came, many Jews began looking to Him as their Messiah, the One who would deliver them from their enemies, the Romans. Can you imagine their reaction when He told them, “If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles”?
Jesus gave them this startling command when was speaking to the disciples and a huge crowd gathered at the Mount of Olives. His discourse that day is commonly called the Sermon on the Mount. In this sermon, Jesus upended traditional rabbinic teaching. He also said things that mock so-called common sense, like “love your enemy” and “do good to those who hate you.” Why would He tell them to go beyond compliance and do Roman soldiers a favor?
Today, if someone tried to order anyone to carry their pack or do anything else they didn’t want to do, there would be a quick protest to the American Civil Liberties Union or some other rights protection group. North Americans value personal rights. We are free people who resist doing anything we don’t want to do. Besides, that Roman law was exploitive and encouraged people in power to be selfish and cruel.
It would be easy to look at the words Jesus said and think He was telling His followers to be submissive to evil, selfish people. That is not the case. He clearly teaches elsewhere that we should stand up against evil and do all we can to make sure people are treated justly and with respect. Furthermore, it is not biblical to encourage selfishness in others or allow them to do unkind things.
Why then did He urge “go the second mile?” Think of the typical response to unjust treatment: revenge; however, according to the Bible, getting even is not a godly response to evil. Romans 12 says, “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord... Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
The people Jesus talked to were outraged at the Romans who exploited their resources, time, energy and personal liberty. Even if they were not strong enough to physically resist, revenge was certainly in their hearts.
Nevertheless, Jesus told them when someone tries to rob you of your liberty, give it to them. This is not to encourage selfishness, not even to show unusual kindness. Instead, doing the unexpected for those who do not deserve it is being like Christ. He did not wait until we repented, made up for it, smartened up or quit sinning. Instead He “demonstrated his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
By making a free choice to serve others, God’s people demonstrate they possess a loftier kind of liberty, a freedom that no one, not even a Roman soldier, can take away.
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Freedom in being a slave! ................ Parables 303
February 4, 1992
“There is no slave like the person who is free to do what he pleases.”
The psychiatrist who said it backs it up. He discloses that four out of ten teenagers who come to him with psychological disorders are beyond his help because “each one is demanding that the world conform to his or her personal and uncontrolled desires.”
This professional also says, “If these personality disorders persist far into adulthood, we will have a society of pleasure-driven people, hopelessly insecure and dependent.”
Hopelessly insecure and dependent. Interesting. Apparently modern psychiatry has discovered what the Bible has been saying for thousands of years — pursuing our desires does not bring security and independence but great bondage.
It is common to think true freedom means being free to do whatever we please, but experts in mental health say not, and so does Scripture. Freedom is a big topic in the Bible and yet Romans 6 reduces it to two simple choices: we can either serve God as His bondslaves, or serve ourselves and be in bondage to sin.
For most, that is illogical. Again, freedom seemingly means being able to do what we want, when we want, with no restrictions. Of course slavery would then mean being in bondage to the dictates of someone else; and if that someone else is a holy deity that demands goodness, how can being good all the time equate to freedom? Those who think that way abandon obedience to God to pursue their own desires, usually without giving thought to the consequences.
Scripture offers some spiritual insights regarding this kind of thinking. First, Proverbs 14:12 warns there is a way that seems right... but the end of it is death. Like the psychiatrist said, those who go the way that seems right are eventually very insecure. The Bible says they are destroyed.
Also, Romans 3 says there are “none who seek after God, they have all turned aside... and become unprofitable. There is none who does good, no, not one... destruction and misery are in their ways...” Again, the conclusion of the psychiatrist is the same as that of the Word of God: there is no slave like the person free to do as they please... because what they please is so self-destructive.
Secondly, Isaiah 53:6 says “All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord laid on Him (Jesus) the iniquities of us all.” According to Isaiah, simply turning from God to do our own thing is the very definition of sin, and the reason Jesus was crucified.
Author Oscar Wilde, not a Christian, made this confession: “The gods have given me almost everything. But I let myself be lured into long spells of senseless and sensual ease... tired of being on the heights, I deliberately went to the depths in search for new sensation. What the paradox was to me in the sphere of thought, perversity became to me in the sphere of passion. I grew careless of the lives of others. I took pleasure where it pleased me, and passed on. I forgot that every little action of the common day makes or unmakes character, and that therefore what one has done in the secret chamber, one has some day to cry aloud from the house-top. I ceased to be lord over myself. I was no longer the captain of my soul, and did not know it. I allowed pleasure to dominate me. I ended in horrible disgrace.”
What Wilde tragically never discovered was that God treats His slaves far better than sin does. In fact, Jesus said: “If the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.”
“There is no slave like the person who is free to do what he pleases.”
The psychiatrist who said it backs it up. He discloses that four out of ten teenagers who come to him with psychological disorders are beyond his help because “each one is demanding that the world conform to his or her personal and uncontrolled desires.”
This professional also says, “If these personality disorders persist far into adulthood, we will have a society of pleasure-driven people, hopelessly insecure and dependent.”
Hopelessly insecure and dependent. Interesting. Apparently modern psychiatry has discovered what the Bible has been saying for thousands of years — pursuing our desires does not bring security and independence but great bondage.
It is common to think true freedom means being free to do whatever we please, but experts in mental health say not, and so does Scripture. Freedom is a big topic in the Bible and yet Romans 6 reduces it to two simple choices: we can either serve God as His bondslaves, or serve ourselves and be in bondage to sin.
For most, that is illogical. Again, freedom seemingly means being able to do what we want, when we want, with no restrictions. Of course slavery would then mean being in bondage to the dictates of someone else; and if that someone else is a holy deity that demands goodness, how can being good all the time equate to freedom? Those who think that way abandon obedience to God to pursue their own desires, usually without giving thought to the consequences.
Scripture offers some spiritual insights regarding this kind of thinking. First, Proverbs 14:12 warns there is a way that seems right... but the end of it is death. Like the psychiatrist said, those who go the way that seems right are eventually very insecure. The Bible says they are destroyed.
Also, Romans 3 says there are “none who seek after God, they have all turned aside... and become unprofitable. There is none who does good, no, not one... destruction and misery are in their ways...” Again, the conclusion of the psychiatrist is the same as that of the Word of God: there is no slave like the person free to do as they please... because what they please is so self-destructive.
Secondly, Isaiah 53:6 says “All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord laid on Him (Jesus) the iniquities of us all.” According to Isaiah, simply turning from God to do our own thing is the very definition of sin, and the reason Jesus was crucified.
Author Oscar Wilde, not a Christian, made this confession: “The gods have given me almost everything. But I let myself be lured into long spells of senseless and sensual ease... tired of being on the heights, I deliberately went to the depths in search for new sensation. What the paradox was to me in the sphere of thought, perversity became to me in the sphere of passion. I grew careless of the lives of others. I took pleasure where it pleased me, and passed on. I forgot that every little action of the common day makes or unmakes character, and that therefore what one has done in the secret chamber, one has some day to cry aloud from the house-top. I ceased to be lord over myself. I was no longer the captain of my soul, and did not know it. I allowed pleasure to dominate me. I ended in horrible disgrace.”
What Wilde tragically never discovered was that God treats His slaves far better than sin does. In fact, Jesus said: “If the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.”
Monday, May 18, 2015
No Ball and Chain .............. Parables 275
July 10, 1991
A young man in Moose Jaw wears an electronic ball and chain. Instead of going to prison at roughly $70 a day, he is under a sort of house arrest that uses a computerized monitor to keep track of him using a black bracelet on his leg that allows him to go to work and come back home. if he goes out of the house at any other time than working hours without special permission, it shows up on a monitor and he will be sent to a real jail.
This gizmo costs about $2 a day. According to the probation officer who monitors this prisoner, such a money-saver is for “well-screened clients only” and it really doesn’t offer much freedom. After all, the prisoner can’t go shopping, or out for a hamburger, or participate in any ordinary after-work activities. The prisoner says he is not proud of his situation and he did not want to be identified. He will be so “confined” for several months.
Sometimes I wish God would put one of those things on me, not so much to keep my location in check but to monitor my actions and my tongue! It would be nice if every time I did or said the wrong thing, an electronic beeper went off and sent me straight to my knees to confess my sin and get right with God -- and with whoever else I offended. It might be a bit hard on my pride and my shins but sometimes I wonder if the lessons would be more quickly learned than with the present system?
Actually, how can I say that! God knows best. He didn’t give me a beeper, but He did give me (and all Christians) the Holy Spirit. His purpose is to convince of sin and unbelief, and to assure Christians that they have been given the righteousness of Christ. He reminds us that the condemnation or judgment we deserved has been put on His Son. The Spirit was also given to teach us, remind us of what we know, and give us the strength to obey God. Quite superior to an electronic beeper!
But Christians are not robots operated by this internal third Person of the Godhead. We have to do our part, including at least these three things:
KNOW THE WORD: The Holy Spirit doesn’t speak apart from Biblical principles. Jesus said of Him, “...He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak at His own initiative but whatever He hears, He will speak... He shall glorify me for He shall receive of mine, and shall show it to you.” Not every idea we get is from God so it is important to be able to distinguish the Spirit’s voice from the cravings of our own desires or the ravings of an evil entity. Sometimes both can be incredibly subtle. No alarm may sound and that still, small voice is so easy to ignore.
LISTEN: My husband recently reminded me how gently the Spirit speaks, without roars or yells or blaring alarms. Instead, He whispers and nudges. He may keep on nudging if we don’t respond quickly, but because it is possible to “quench the Spirit”, our refusal to listen may result in a blunder into sin, only to learn our lesson the hard way. Learning to listen is easier if we obey the first time we hear His voice.
TALK BACK: Not as in sass but as in prayer. Talking with God, accompanied by listening, develops a sensitivity to Him. Too often I reserve prayer for crisis times yet my relationship with any other friend would never survive if we only talked to each other every time something went haywire. Just as I know my husband’s voice on the telephone because we talk long and often, I am learning the voice of God’s Spirit through frequent conversation. God’s provision of what Jesus called “another Comforter” is perfect. A beeper would be cumbersome, impersonal, and truly a ball and chain, whereas the Spirit came to set us free from the bondage of sin and to be our guide throughout life.
A young man in Moose Jaw wears an electronic ball and chain. Instead of going to prison at roughly $70 a day, he is under a sort of house arrest that uses a computerized monitor to keep track of him using a black bracelet on his leg that allows him to go to work and come back home. if he goes out of the house at any other time than working hours without special permission, it shows up on a monitor and he will be sent to a real jail.
This gizmo costs about $2 a day. According to the probation officer who monitors this prisoner, such a money-saver is for “well-screened clients only” and it really doesn’t offer much freedom. After all, the prisoner can’t go shopping, or out for a hamburger, or participate in any ordinary after-work activities. The prisoner says he is not proud of his situation and he did not want to be identified. He will be so “confined” for several months.
Sometimes I wish God would put one of those things on me, not so much to keep my location in check but to monitor my actions and my tongue! It would be nice if every time I did or said the wrong thing, an electronic beeper went off and sent me straight to my knees to confess my sin and get right with God -- and with whoever else I offended. It might be a bit hard on my pride and my shins but sometimes I wonder if the lessons would be more quickly learned than with the present system?
Actually, how can I say that! God knows best. He didn’t give me a beeper, but He did give me (and all Christians) the Holy Spirit. His purpose is to convince of sin and unbelief, and to assure Christians that they have been given the righteousness of Christ. He reminds us that the condemnation or judgment we deserved has been put on His Son. The Spirit was also given to teach us, remind us of what we know, and give us the strength to obey God. Quite superior to an electronic beeper!
But Christians are not robots operated by this internal third Person of the Godhead. We have to do our part, including at least these three things:
KNOW THE WORD: The Holy Spirit doesn’t speak apart from Biblical principles. Jesus said of Him, “...He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak at His own initiative but whatever He hears, He will speak... He shall glorify me for He shall receive of mine, and shall show it to you.” Not every idea we get is from God so it is important to be able to distinguish the Spirit’s voice from the cravings of our own desires or the ravings of an evil entity. Sometimes both can be incredibly subtle. No alarm may sound and that still, small voice is so easy to ignore.
LISTEN: My husband recently reminded me how gently the Spirit speaks, without roars or yells or blaring alarms. Instead, He whispers and nudges. He may keep on nudging if we don’t respond quickly, but because it is possible to “quench the Spirit”, our refusal to listen may result in a blunder into sin, only to learn our lesson the hard way. Learning to listen is easier if we obey the first time we hear His voice.
TALK BACK: Not as in sass but as in prayer. Talking with God, accompanied by listening, develops a sensitivity to Him. Too often I reserve prayer for crisis times yet my relationship with any other friend would never survive if we only talked to each other every time something went haywire. Just as I know my husband’s voice on the telephone because we talk long and often, I am learning the voice of God’s Spirit through frequent conversation. God’s provision of what Jesus called “another Comforter” is perfect. A beeper would be cumbersome, impersonal, and truly a ball and chain, whereas the Spirit came to set us free from the bondage of sin and to be our guide throughout life.
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Freedom from abuse ............................. Parables 153
A young, very pregnant girl sits sobbing in a chilly courtroom. Her boyfriend is charged with assault. She is afraid she will lose him to a prison cell. His only possible defense is that the judge will have mercy. She fears for her future. What will happen to her? What will happen to her baby, and to their other small child? How will she ever manage alone?
A tragedy? Yes, but the worst is yet to come. The boyfriend’s victim was this very girl.
Not an uncommon situation. Two lonely, perhaps downtrodden, people are attracted to one another. They meet one another’s needs for a time, but somehow the relationship becomes lop-sided.
One has a more dominant personality or it stronger in some way. The other, afraid of not being needed or wanted, chooses to remain under that dominance rather than face life without someone, anyone. Sadly, she became the giver, he only takes.
For such victims, the fear of rejection and being alone is greater than the fear of abuse, ridicule and repeated injury. Some will endure whatever they are dealt just to belong to someone, to have some sense of security. This girl, and countless like her, is held in emotional bondage.
The situation can be reversed too. Men hold no monopoly on dominance and abuse; women are not always the weaker ones. Whatever the case, God never intended human relationships to be lop-sided. It seems breaking free and becoming independent would be the only way out, but such a yoke is difficult to break. Rarely can the insecure person stand alone. Without help, they don’t have the resources.
There are no pat answers — but there is an answer. It does not lie in seeking independence but in finding a new and gentle master, one who gives instead of takes, one who frees instead of binds.
The only Master I know of that gives freedom is the One who said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free... I am the truth!”
Yes, Jesus Christ was speaking of freedom from the bondage of unbelief and sin, but in that freedom, there is also a transfer of dependency — from whatever bondage that holds us to the One who promises genuine freedom.
When a weak and insecure person attaches themselves to someone stronger, the strong one may take exploit their weakness, but Jesus never’ does that. He not only takes care of all our needs, He loves us unconditionally, accepts us fully and protects us with His strength. He promises abundant, fruitful lives and even makes us partners with Him in His work. We are needed but not exploited.
He graciously supplies all — so we can do whatever He asks us to do! (See Corinthians 9:8) With Christ as the supply, we can even give. Takers can take all they want and we never run out — His supply is inexhaustible.
Sounds too good to be true? If I didn’t know that it was true in my own life, I would think so, but Jesus has never failed me. There are times when pressures are more than I can bear, when people make demands that are beyond my patience and my capacity. But He gives strength and renewed strength. His patience is available that I might choose it rather than cave in.
Jesus invites those who struggle, “Come to me, all you who are weary and heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you (instead of the one you are carrying) and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden it light.”
The Bible encourages any who suffer to “Ask for wisdom” — God gives it to all who ask in faith. Surely, we need His wisdom to find our way through any difficulty, including that of a lop-sides relationship.
Life may not hold extreme trials or crippling bondage right now, but God is available in good times. Anyone who desires His freedom and peace can find it through a personal relationship with the Prince of Peace. “If the Son shall set you free, you shall be free indeed.”
Monday, July 7, 2014
Marking ballots can be frustrating ..................... Parables 140
For those who go the polls this month, placing the mark in the right spot may have been a frustrating experience. Some were unsure of party policies. Some did not know their candidate very well. Some complained that the ballots should include”none of the above” because the choices could be more desirable.
Ever wonder what it would be like if the political leaders cast the ballots? Suppose they decided no one could vote, Only a few would qualify to live in Canada, and all who did had to serve each other’s best interest?
Would the people then become the politicians, giving speeches and promises hoping to serve where they wanted? Suppose one party liked you and the other didn’t, creating much conflict for you? How would Canadians then respond to their leadership?
Did you know that it is something like that in the kingdom of God? His Dominion has no elections, no polling stations, no political campaigns. The majority does not rule. God rules. He alone calls the shots. Some may think the kingdom of God sounds like a dictatorship. However, once examined, even the best of human government pales beside His system. Here are some highlights:
1. There is only one leader or Lord, to whom every person gives allegiance and utter devotion, Jesus Christ. He rules in love, truth and perfect justice.
2. This Leader fully represents the people (He became one of us) yet fully represents absolute authority because He is fully God.
3. He rules sovereignly. Even though He invites His citizens to make their wishes known through prayer, none pull His strings. He grants privileges not rights. Nothing can be demanded, or taken by force, lobbying, or majority vote, yet all the blessings are free. No one goes without. All needs are met, fully and perfectly.
4. All citizens in the kingdom are commanded to live in harmony with each other in spite of the diversity of their views, abilities, personalities or circumstances. Since this is humanly impossible, the Lord gives them His own quality of life (eternal life) and with it, all of His transmutable characteristics, such as love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and self-control. Those who live according to His divine life within are blessed with peace and joy.
5. No one is forced to exercise their God-given abilities, but will face the natural consequences if they don’t. (Similar to running full tilt into a brick wall. He won’t stop you, but if you insist, you will hurt yourself!).
6. Those who disobey are never condemned because Jesus Christ Himself paid the full penalty of all offenses that have or will ever be committed. However, offenders are given attention with a view to correct them, This is because the Lord knows right living benefits His people.
7. This kingdom begins in the hearts of men and is entered by an act of faith, on earth. It is never exited. That is, it is an eternal kingdom. Its residents live here for awhile as ambassadors, then go to their eternal and real place of citizenship to live forever.
8. Not everyone who says”Lord, Lord” will enter this kingdom. Only those who do the will of God can be citizens. (How to do it is clearly stated in John’s gospel, chapter 6, verse 29).
9. The people, once in this kingdom, have no vote because they have placed their faith in the wisdom of the One who governs them. Their only vote is just a simple decision whether or not they will accept His invitation to enter. “Yes” or “No” to the Lordship of Jesus Christ always decides all the issues. In other words, you can’t vote this theocracy in, but you can vote yourself into this theocracy.
The Leader of this state welcomes all who come to Him in faith. Quite a difference from current politics, is it not?
Ever wonder what it would be like if the political leaders cast the ballots? Suppose they decided no one could vote, Only a few would qualify to live in Canada, and all who did had to serve each other’s best interest?
Would the people then become the politicians, giving speeches and promises hoping to serve where they wanted? Suppose one party liked you and the other didn’t, creating much conflict for you? How would Canadians then respond to their leadership?
Did you know that it is something like that in the kingdom of God? His Dominion has no elections, no polling stations, no political campaigns. The majority does not rule. God rules. He alone calls the shots. Some may think the kingdom of God sounds like a dictatorship. However, once examined, even the best of human government pales beside His system. Here are some highlights:
1. There is only one leader or Lord, to whom every person gives allegiance and utter devotion, Jesus Christ. He rules in love, truth and perfect justice.
2. This Leader fully represents the people (He became one of us) yet fully represents absolute authority because He is fully God.
3. He rules sovereignly. Even though He invites His citizens to make their wishes known through prayer, none pull His strings. He grants privileges not rights. Nothing can be demanded, or taken by force, lobbying, or majority vote, yet all the blessings are free. No one goes without. All needs are met, fully and perfectly.
4. All citizens in the kingdom are commanded to live in harmony with each other in spite of the diversity of their views, abilities, personalities or circumstances. Since this is humanly impossible, the Lord gives them His own quality of life (eternal life) and with it, all of His transmutable characteristics, such as love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and self-control. Those who live according to His divine life within are blessed with peace and joy.
5. No one is forced to exercise their God-given abilities, but will face the natural consequences if they don’t. (Similar to running full tilt into a brick wall. He won’t stop you, but if you insist, you will hurt yourself!).
6. Those who disobey are never condemned because Jesus Christ Himself paid the full penalty of all offenses that have or will ever be committed. However, offenders are given attention with a view to correct them, This is because the Lord knows right living benefits His people.
7. This kingdom begins in the hearts of men and is entered by an act of faith, on earth. It is never exited. That is, it is an eternal kingdom. Its residents live here for awhile as ambassadors, then go to their eternal and real place of citizenship to live forever.
8. Not everyone who says”Lord, Lord” will enter this kingdom. Only those who do the will of God can be citizens. (How to do it is clearly stated in John’s gospel, chapter 6, verse 29).
9. The people, once in this kingdom, have no vote because they have placed their faith in the wisdom of the One who governs them. Their only vote is just a simple decision whether or not they will accept His invitation to enter. “Yes” or “No” to the Lordship of Jesus Christ always decides all the issues. In other words, you can’t vote this theocracy in, but you can vote yourself into this theocracy.
The Leader of this state welcomes all who come to Him in faith. Quite a difference from current politics, is it not?
Friday, February 7, 2014
Truth now? or embarrassment later? ...................... Parables 077
A mother, in the first frame of the cartoon strip, asked her teenage son to go grocery shopping with her. He immediately noticed that she had split the back seam of her slacks, but he didn’t say a word. The remaining frames showed her bending and moving through the exercise of buying groceries, putting them in the car, and unloading them. He kept noticing her split seam but kept his mouth closed. Finally, when they were home and the task was complete, he told her about her pants.
If you didn’t see the cartoon, you can imagine her reaction. She nearly jumped off the page and shrieked, “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t want to embarrass you,” he replied.
A few weeks later, someone said to me, “I sometimes don’t want to read the Bible. I know that I should, but it keeps showing me what is wrong with me. Then again, I guess it is better to know now and be changed than to act like a jerk the rest of my life and then find out.”
We laughed at our human nature and I told her about the cartoon. It wasn’t too difficult to relate to that mother’s feelings. We also would want to be told about a split seam - before we went out in public.
But we also agreed that when it comes to our behavior, or morals, or even our attitudes, most of us really don’t want someone pointing out our wrongs. It can be humbling, wound our ego, or make us feel inadequate. It would seem that ignorance is bliss, at least if knowledge is painful.
The Bible says that Scripture is sharp, like a two-sided sword, and divides our soul and spirit, exposing the thoughts and intents of our hearts (Hebrews 4:12). No wonder reading Scripture can be painful; however, Jesus said something very interesting about truth - He said “If you know the truth, the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).
As for the lady in the cartoon, the truth, up front, would have taken her to her closet or the sewing machine and saved her the embarrassment of spending half a day with her pants ripped; but such a minor detail compared to the truth God conveys in His Word. That truth, even though it hurts, sets us free from a far greater embarrassment.
First He says that “there is none righteous, no not one.” No one measures up to His perfect standard of holiness. That wounds our ego.
Secondly, He says that He loves us, “even while we were still sinners...” Imagine doing some great harm but the one that should retaliate forgives and accepts you instead? That is humbling.
Thirdly, He says “Not by works of righteousness which we have done but by His mercy He saves us...” The good things we might do in an effort to earn the favor of God do not even count. We feel inadequate before Him - simply because we are inadequate.
Sin keeps people from knowing and enjoying God. He sent Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for sin so those who believe will not have to pay it themselves. He offers forgiveness and new life - in order that “...we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.”
He wants to hurt us with truth now so we will not be embarrassed and ashamed later... but also gives us the privilege of choosing when to be humbled - now or when we stand before Him.
If you didn’t see the cartoon, you can imagine her reaction. She nearly jumped off the page and shrieked, “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t want to embarrass you,” he replied.
A few weeks later, someone said to me, “I sometimes don’t want to read the Bible. I know that I should, but it keeps showing me what is wrong with me. Then again, I guess it is better to know now and be changed than to act like a jerk the rest of my life and then find out.”
We laughed at our human nature and I told her about the cartoon. It wasn’t too difficult to relate to that mother’s feelings. We also would want to be told about a split seam - before we went out in public.
But we also agreed that when it comes to our behavior, or morals, or even our attitudes, most of us really don’t want someone pointing out our wrongs. It can be humbling, wound our ego, or make us feel inadequate. It would seem that ignorance is bliss, at least if knowledge is painful.
The Bible says that Scripture is sharp, like a two-sided sword, and divides our soul and spirit, exposing the thoughts and intents of our hearts (Hebrews 4:12). No wonder reading Scripture can be painful; however, Jesus said something very interesting about truth - He said “If you know the truth, the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).
As for the lady in the cartoon, the truth, up front, would have taken her to her closet or the sewing machine and saved her the embarrassment of spending half a day with her pants ripped; but such a minor detail compared to the truth God conveys in His Word. That truth, even though it hurts, sets us free from a far greater embarrassment.
First He says that “there is none righteous, no not one.” No one measures up to His perfect standard of holiness. That wounds our ego.
Secondly, He says that He loves us, “even while we were still sinners...” Imagine doing some great harm but the one that should retaliate forgives and accepts you instead? That is humbling.
Thirdly, He says “Not by works of righteousness which we have done but by His mercy He saves us...” The good things we might do in an effort to earn the favor of God do not even count. We feel inadequate before Him - simply because we are inadequate.
Sin keeps people from knowing and enjoying God. He sent Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for sin so those who believe will not have to pay it themselves. He offers forgiveness and new life - in order that “...we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.”
He wants to hurt us with truth now so we will not be embarrassed and ashamed later... but also gives us the privilege of choosing when to be humbled - now or when we stand before Him.
Friday, December 13, 2013
God-given rights? ...................................... Parables 053
If a theme song were written for the 80's, it would probably be entitled, “I Have My Rights.” So many are singing it.
The word “rights” usually describes the privileges or freedoms granted to individuals by a higher authority. But sometimes the protest “I have my rights”, really means “I want something ... and no one is going to stop me from having it.”
As early as we can talk, we seem concerned about rights... at least in North America. Affluence, many political and social privileges, perhaps even being “spoiled rotten”, contributes to a fierce sense of ownership towards certain freedoms, possessions, and responsibilities.
Thus we claim “rights” in many areas... the right to be treated equal, or the right to equal wages, or the right to speak, or to select clothes, or music, or hair styles. Some believe we should have the right to abuse our rights, to go outside society’s norm, to be bizarre, to shock or offend others. Most people insist in the right to believe whatever they want to believe, to vote however they want to vote, and to say whatever they want to say. Many look to some higher authority to grant, or at least enforce, those rights.
The Bible sheds some interest on this concept of “rights.” It uses the word “exousia” which means freedom of action, or the right to act. When this word is used to describe God, it means absolute or unrestricted freedom. In other words, God has every right to do what He wants to do. He alone has that power and ability and there is no higher authority.
When “exousia” is used in regard to us, it is a delegated or given freedom. More simply, our rights are not an automatic possession but something that is a granted as a privilege or a gift, by God, or by a God-ordained authority.
A basic God-given right is the freedom of choice. God gave each of us a free will, and even though He has the power to, He will not violate that freedom. He respects this right that He has granted to us.
Very importantly connected to that freedom is another right, the right or privilege of being one of His family. This one is also God-given, but granted according to our freedom of choice. In other words, He doesn’t give it to us apart from our decision to receive it.
God says this: “... to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name (referring to Jesus Christ), He gave -the -right to become children- -of God- - children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” (John 1:12,13 NIV)
The choice to believe and receive Christ is ours, but the bestowing of the “right” to be a child of God, is from God. It is not within our ability to become members of His family simply by an act of our own will. God has to grant the privilege. However, this privilege is freely granted to anyone who chooses to believe in His Son and receive Him into their lives.
That theme song, “I Have My Rights”, need not be one of demand and protest. If it is understood as, “He has given me the right...” it can be a song of praise and gratitude to God.
The word “rights” usually describes the privileges or freedoms granted to individuals by a higher authority. But sometimes the protest “I have my rights”, really means “I want something ... and no one is going to stop me from having it.”
As early as we can talk, we seem concerned about rights... at least in North America. Affluence, many political and social privileges, perhaps even being “spoiled rotten”, contributes to a fierce sense of ownership towards certain freedoms, possessions, and responsibilities.
Thus we claim “rights” in many areas... the right to be treated equal, or the right to equal wages, or the right to speak, or to select clothes, or music, or hair styles. Some believe we should have the right to abuse our rights, to go outside society’s norm, to be bizarre, to shock or offend others. Most people insist in the right to believe whatever they want to believe, to vote however they want to vote, and to say whatever they want to say. Many look to some higher authority to grant, or at least enforce, those rights.
The Bible sheds some interest on this concept of “rights.” It uses the word “exousia” which means freedom of action, or the right to act. When this word is used to describe God, it means absolute or unrestricted freedom. In other words, God has every right to do what He wants to do. He alone has that power and ability and there is no higher authority.
When “exousia” is used in regard to us, it is a delegated or given freedom. More simply, our rights are not an automatic possession but something that is a granted as a privilege or a gift, by God, or by a God-ordained authority.
A basic God-given right is the freedom of choice. God gave each of us a free will, and even though He has the power to, He will not violate that freedom. He respects this right that He has granted to us.
Very importantly connected to that freedom is another right, the right or privilege of being one of His family. This one is also God-given, but granted according to our freedom of choice. In other words, He doesn’t give it to us apart from our decision to receive it.
God says this: “... to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name (referring to Jesus Christ), He gave -the -right to become children- -of God- - children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” (John 1:12,13 NIV)
The choice to believe and receive Christ is ours, but the bestowing of the “right” to be a child of God, is from God. It is not within our ability to become members of His family simply by an act of our own will. God has to grant the privilege. However, this privilege is freely granted to anyone who chooses to believe in His Son and receive Him into their lives.
That theme song, “I Have My Rights”, need not be one of demand and protest. If it is understood as, “He has given me the right...” it can be a song of praise and gratitude to God.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Focusing on the forbidden? ............................. Parables 033
Have you ever noticed that the word that really stands out in a list of words is the one that is misspelled? Or that the kids may behave themselves for hours but the first little squabble is the thing that gets our attention?It seems to be a human characteristic to notice the errors, the out-of-harmony, the imperfect. We even tend to focus on the things that someone else says we cannot do. How many children will touch the stove, just to see if it’s really hot? How many people test the wet paint, even with the “wet paint” sign plainly visible? Our jails are full of people who push against the legal, ethical, and moral limits in our society. Resistance to outside authority is the common expression of a very human attraction to the forbidden.
Christians are often challenged from this point of view. “I could never be a Christian, you have too many rules, too many things that you can’t do.” Again, their focus is on the forbidden.
This attitude has its roots in a character who Jesus Christ calls “the father of lies.” It began when the serpent came to Eve in the garden of Eden. His approach, although new to her, has become very familiar to us, in all its variations. “Didn’t God say you couldn’t eat of “every” tree? After all, Eve, what kind of a paradise is this if you can’t eat from “all” the trees?”
Eve had been freely and innocently enjoying everything that was there to be enjoyed, but with the serpents suggestion, she lost her perspective. She began to look at the one thing that God had forbidden her to have. It began to have an appeal. Forgetting that all her desires were already being perfectly fulfilled, she took the forbidden fruit. In doing so, she gained what she thought would be good, but she lost everything else. Ever since then, the human race has been unable to relate to paradise with restrictions.
It is not easy to focus on the positive. Afraid that we will miss something, we are drawn to the negative, to the forbidden. In doing so, we lose, lose our perspective, and perhaps lose much more.
Jesus Christ tells us that since He is “the way, the truth, and the life,” we can keep our own lives moving in the right direction by steadfastly focusing on Him. He has never been affected by the negative or the forbidden. He is the perfect role-model, and in following Him, we will have “the light of life.” This light helps us to see beyond the negatives to the abundance of positive things that are ours in Him.
The Apostle Paul, in giving his life entirely in service to his Lord and Savior, was able to endure the negative because He looked beyond them. He said, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
Christians are by no means deprived by not involving themselves in some of the activities that others do. Instead, we are freed from bondage to those things. He has opened our eyes to see Him, the life-giver, and He takes our focus off the forbidden things that others think they cannot live without.
(Amusing note: when this was first published it had to be retyped from my hard copy. It went into the newspaper with thirteen spelling mistakes.)
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