the basic message #E237

1/14/04

Here's a little test for you: 

You're driving down the road, trying to maintain a safe distance between you and the car ahead of you, when suddenly someone cuts in front of you.  In retaliation, you cut back in front of them at the next opportunity, and they're clearly unhappy with your action.  Have you committed a sin?  I think so, since the keyword here is "retaliation".  The test question is: "Did you enjoy committing that sin"?  Most of us would probably say no, we didn't, but I would imagine there are a few twisted folks out there that might revel in traffic retaliation.  Let's try another test question:

You're a middle-aged married man, traveling on business and are eating alone in a restaurant.  An apparently unattached woman at an adjacent table strikes up a conversation with you, and you end up having a cup of coffee with her after dinner.  You can extrapolate this scenario to whatever lengths you'd like, be it going no further than conversation or the couple waking up together, but regardless, some sin is taking place.  Is this type of sin enjoyable?  I would guess that the initial flirtation would be, and perhaps further involvement might be enjoyable to some folks, depending on their morals.  Most average people would probably admit that some simple flirtation is approaching sinfulness if they are married, but if they are honest, they'd probably still admit that it's fun.

Where am I going with this?  I'm not really sure, but I think I'm trying to figure out how I regard my own personal sins.  I don't enjoy the feeling of retaliation in traffic, in fact I dream of living in a world in which people are courteous to their fellow motorists.  One of my sins that seems to be the hardest to overcome is my penchant for confrontation.  I'm not sure why I apparently enjoy going toe-to-toe with people that aren't living up to my expectations, but I do.  I know my expectations are too high- I've been told that many times over the years.  I've tried to rationalize it by saying, "My expectations aren't too high, everyone else's is too low", but that really doesn't work.  Like it or not, we live in a majority rule system, and if the majority of the people are lazy, hard-working people will be considered the trouble-makers.  If the majority are liars, then the truthful members of that society will be considered the outcasts.  I've come to understand why eternal life should be much more than the trivial entity the church has made it out to be.  Eternal life is important simply because it's eternal, but  eternal life, as an absolutely perfect society, has great appeal for me.  I think I'll drive a car in Heaven, and I'm counting on driving on roads with people that are kind and courteous.  I think I'll be working in Heaven, and I'm sure I'll work with people who pitch-in and do their fair share- no more, no less.  But I digress, let's get back to the sins we like and the ones we don't.

Please allow me to sum up my thoughts about sins like this:  If we sin and we hate the sin and feel bad about it, I think the Holy Spirit is working on us.  It might not mean that we will ever completely rid our life of that sin, but at least we don't enjoy the sin.  Contrast this to the sins we do enjoy.  If the enjoyment overshadows the guilt of the sin, wouldn't you think that we will continue to commit the same sins over and over?  The Scriptures tell me that people who persist in the same sins over and over won't inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.  So the question for you and I today is, "What sins do we love?"