I get overwhelmed with too many choices. I like for my options to be kept to a minimum; otherwise, it will take me far too long to decide. This is why going to restaurants that offer spiral-bound menus is not the best idea for me. Many family restaurant chains do just that...they hand you a small book to peruse in order to determine what food you'll be eating. The other day, I went to a restaurant owned by a friend, and I absolutely loved the menu! There were about 5 appetizers, 4 main courses and a couple of desserts. You can't get much simpler than that. Sure, I didn't have much to choose from, but what I had was a list of quality ingredients that offered maximum flavor. The place was filled, and people were waiting. They weren't coming for the vast selection of menu items...they were coming for the excellent choices made available to them. Wayne had the prime rib with horseradish, and I had a ginger and parmesan encrusted sea bass which rivaled any piece of fish I have ever put in my mouth. Very simply, done right.
In recent weeks, we've been involved with several people who have been facing certain issues in their lives that involve choices. I am amazed that people can sit in front of me and tell me how a particular sin was beyond their doing...how they could not help themselves. I've heard how their struggles are more difficult to overcome and how I can't possibly understand what it's like to be in their shoes. While I agree that addictive behavior is more difficult to stop, choices are still just that--choices. By very nature, sin is a choice that is made. It doesn't happen to us. It isn't something beyond our control. If we didn't have the ability to control our lives, then such acts wouldn't be sin; they would be merely unfortunate circumstances. However, all sin involves choice. Period.
Last year, we had the opportunity to take part in a missions school where one of the speakers was Loren Cunningham, founder of Youth With a Mission. On the very first day, Mr. Cunningham told us a story that had helped to shape him throughout his life. He told of a barge that was doing work along the top side of Niagara Falls. This was in the early 1900's. If you've been to Niagara, you've probably seen the Scow wedged perilously against rocks along the upper edge of the Falls. The story is that the crew was dredging on the American side. The day had ended, and two men remained on board for the evening. Somehow, the ties that were keeping the barge in place managed to undo, and the barge began to drift. Before the men even knew what was happening, they were headed to the brink of the waterfall. People on the shoreline began to call out to God and pray for the men on board. As people gathered to see what was happening, the miraculous occurred: the barge found the only possible rock that could keep it from tumbling over, and the men were valiantly saved. Mr. Cunningham told us that he had gathered several lessons from this early on. 1) remain anchored/tied to a secure place. We can all understand this one. We should stay firmly rooted in God and God alone. 2) don't for one second let your attention be diverted. The men might possibly have been able to do something about their situation if they had noticed immediately what was about to happen. They were just relaxing, and didn't even notice that they were adrift until it was too late. It is all too easy for us to become "adrift" in our spiritual lives. We can so easily lose focus that we get off track - often to the extent of losing course entirely. We need to be aware and maintain focus on God and His purposes. 3) allow others to pray for your, to be in your life with accountability. The people on the shorelines saw what was happening. There was nothing that they could do. Any attempt to step into the situation would have cost many lives. They did what they could, though. They prayed, and they prayed with all their might for the 2 men on the Scow. Sometimes, when we are personally involved in spiritually dangerous situations, we don't have the proper perspective even to know how to pray for ourselves. If we allow others to have a place of spiritual accountability in our lives, they can pray for us effectively. Do not for one moment think that you can handle all of your sinful choices and their consequences on your own. Find people who are not condemning, who can pray with you and stand beside you in your peril.
Philippians 4:8 says, "Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there is any virtue, if there is any praise, think about these things." I have learned that if I remain focused on the things that are of God, I am less likely to make choices that offend His very character. Since I know God and have made Him the Lord of my life, He lives in me. If I am making choices that are contrary to His nature, I am grieving His spirit. But when I make the definite choice to meditate on the Word of God, to praise Him throughout the day, to be in conversation with Him as I go about my life, I am not as vulnerable to making poor, ungodly choices. Sin is not a series of mistakes. It is a series of choices.
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