August 10: Of Disobedience, Rights and Rationalization

Ezra 10:1-44
1 Corinthians 6:1-20
Psalm 31:9-18
Proverbs 21:3

   Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God?  Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

- 1 Cor 6:9-10

   "I have the right to do anything", you say - but not everything is beneficial.  "I have the right to do anything" - but I will not be mastered by anything.

- 1 Cor 6:12

With free will, God gave us the right to make choices.  He did not, however, give us the ability to dictate consequences.  The list of sins in the first passage above is an abridged one, created in response to the challenges of the church in Corinth.  And yet, I look at that list and am rudely surprised at how it still applies to me.  I think how often I spoke ill of other people and justified it with the right to free speech.  I think about the times I exercised my right to the pursuit of happiness, by chasing money, justifying it saying it was for my family's benefit, even when it had became an addiction and well after it had clearly taken over God's rightful place in my life.  

Whatever rights I might have had, whatever justifications I might have invoked, my slander hurt people, my pursuit of wealth hurt the family for whom I was working so hard.  Slander mastered my tongue - it was so easy to speak ill of others; and greed mastered my time and my heart.  

Father it is pretty straightforward: I sin when I exercise the free will You gave me to break Your laws.  I look for ways to justify what I want, and delude myself into thinking my justifications actually matter.  All they do is make it easier to break Your laws again in the future, making my sinful desires my master.  Help me to realize that your laws are immutable, and You set them there out of Your perfect love for me.  Help me to end my rationalization.  Remind me of the psalmist's words: to do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.