Proverbs 16:25 “Sometimes there is a way that seems to be right, but in the end it is the way to death.” Today's episode is about how we sometimes do things we know are wrong and yet we do them anyway. Music:"Adding the Sun" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
There is a right way and a wrong way.
Proverbs 16:25 “Sometimes there is a way that seems to be right, but in the end it is the way to death.”
Sometimes there is a way that seems right. I think this hit me when I heard Father Mike talking about it because I can see us all doing it. He said this verse is talking about sin. We all know what is right and wrong. We all know the various things God wants us to do and the things He doesn’t want us to do. And yet, we still don’t always do what’s right. Living in the world we live in and the time we live in, it can be hard to do what is right. It can be hard to know what is right these days. Actually if you read the Bible, or you read stories of the Saints, I am not sure it was ever easy to live how God wants us to live. I don’t know if God intended for it to be easy.
What would be easy is if we had lived as He intended. God intended His people to be set apart from everyone one else. Come to think of it, I am not sure it would have been easy even then. Look at the Israelites once they left Egypt. They saw miracle after miracle. And I am not talking about small miracles, if there is such a thing. I am talking about parting the red sea and being inundated with quail because they were complaining and they were tired of the Manna that God was miraculously providing them each day. The Israelites were living apart from everyone else. They were living in the wilderness all together and set apart from all the foreigners. However, they still struggled to follow God’s ways. They complained a lot and turned away from God a lot.
I guess no matter where you live, what time you live in, or who you live with it can be hard to do the right thing all the time. What made this verse really stand out was how it was saying sometimes there is a way that seems to be right, but in the end its the way to death. What that makes me wonder is about all the things that I do, even when I know I shouldn’t, because I think God doesn’t really mind. It is not usually big things, although sometimes it might be. Have you ever done something you know God doesn’t really want you to do it, but you talk yourself into it anyway because of some logic that makes sense in your own head? It made me smile when I wrote that because I instantly thought of my boys. They are master negotiators. I think most kids are, but since mine are the ones I deal with on a daily basis I am going to say they are extra good at it.
We will come up with a well thought out rule, that makes complete sense and we know has their best interest at heart. We know the reason behind the rule, we know why it is a good rule. We are completely confident this is a good rule. We introduce it to the kids and 10 minutes later they have us questioning the rule, our parenting, the world. It’s so crazy how good kids are at coming up with excuses and reasons why what we know to be good for them, isn’t actually good for them. It made me smile because I can picture God shaking His head just like I do with the boys. At least God isn’t left questioning his decisions. He knows He is right and is just shaking His head at our attempt to negotiate or prove wrong the Almighty One.
If you have kids, or have ever worked with kids you might be thinking what we do is nothing like what they do. However, think about the last time you did something you knew you weren’t supposed to do. It might have been something small or it might have been something big. Think about all the justification you did to be ok with doing the thing. For instance, in the Catholic Church, you are not supposed to eat an hour before you receive the host. We believe the Eucharist is the Body of Christ and so we are supposed to have an empty stomach before going to Communion. However, sometimes I don’t do that. Sometimes I tell myself God won’t mind because I really need my cup of tea so I can stay awake in Mass, or I needed to eat this banana so I didn’t feel hungry at Mass. I can come up with a million reasons why God doesn’t actually mind if I eat before receiving the Eucharist.
I do similar justifying when I have something else to do instead of going to Mass. God won’t mind, He knows how important soccer is, or He knows how important lunch with my friends is. God knows I am traveling so He doesn’t mind. I think it is absolutely true that God is understanding. I don’t think it is the end of the world if you do some of these things occasionally. And yet, I don’t actually know if that’s true. I think if we do something long enough it is no longer an exception to the rule, it is a new habit. Have you made a new habit out of doing things you know God wouldn’t want you to do? You were able to justify it so often to yourself, now it is the norm, it is a habit.
I think this can be a very slippery slope. Yes, God is full of grace and He will forgive any sins for which we repent. However, does that mean we count on God’s grace and intentionally do something we know is wrong because we really want to do it and because it isn’t “that” wrong. Also, there is another way to look at each thing you are doing. Maybe you are telling yourself, as I do often, God doesn’t care if I eat this cookie. Maybe that is true. It is not a sin to eat that cookie. However, what is behind our desire to eat that cookie. Are we just eating one or are we being gluttonous and eating the whole pack? Maybe God doesn’t mind if you drinking a coffee or tea before you walk into church. However, does He mind the fact you know you are doing something wrong and yet doing it anyway? It might not be the action itself, but the motivation behind the action. I am sure God does understand how important it is that you go out with your friends for lunch. However, He may also wonder why you didn’t look up other mass times that you could go to that didn’t interfere with your lunch plans. There are usually so many mass times at a Catholic Church. You can even go Saturday or Sunday. Yes, it takes more time and more planning but you can make it work. God might not be upset if you miss service while on vacation, and yet think of how happy He would be if you did go out of your way to find a way to attend a service while on vacation.
The ending of this verse is what really has my attention, “But in the end its the way to death.” That doesn’t sound pleasant. What if we are justifying all the times we don’t want to live like God wants us to live and then we end up ruining our chances to spend eternity with our Heavenly Father? I am certainly not saying that if you miss mass while on vacation or eat and drink before going to communion then you are not going to heaven. All I am thinking is, if we break the little rules God gives us so easily, what is to stop us from breaking the bigger rules. I can see how if we think about his too much we might get anxious. I don’t think this is what the verse intends for us. I don’t want to you to finish listening to this episode and be anxious about your actions leading to death. I do, however, thing this verse is a great reminder to look at our actions and see if we are living according to how God is asking us to live? Are there things we know God doesn’t want us to do and yet we are doing them anyway? Can we stop doing these things? If no, can we pray for the strength and the proper situation so we can stop them.
Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today. Lord, we want to follow your ways, please help us. Lord, if there are any places in our lives where we are doing things you don’t approve of, please show us. Please give us the strength and/or the plan we need to stop doing those things. Lord, help us stop justifying our behaviors with excuses and help us to do what is right. We love you Lord, you are truly amazing!!You are my Aide and my rescue from the enemy. You are our Everlasting Father. You are the Mighty God, the Prince of Peace. We love you and we adore you. We are so very grateful for all you do. We ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’ holy name, Amen!
Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. Tomorrow’s guest speaker will be Amber J. Amber and I are in Big Life mentoring together. Amber was going through some pretty difficult things in life. She really didn’t like her job, it was making her miserable and her marriage was really struggling because they couldn’t have children. Amber did not really consider herself a believer, however, she was desperate and decided to say her first prayer in a very long time. After seeing God answer prayer after prayer, she could no longer chalk it up to coincidence and she began her faith journey to grow closer to God. I know you are going to really enjoy her witness. I can’t wait to share that with you tomorrow. Remember Jesus loves you and so do I. Have a blessed day!