What if it is only causing someone else pain?
What if we are the cause ...we are being a pain?
What if it is not causing us any discomfort, nor do we see how it is affecting anyone else?
What if it is actually causing us a bit of comfort, and we see others share in that comfort?
What if most everyone is okay with it, except for those few (unloving Christians?) who stand firm and say God does not approve of certain behavior?
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We can go to a doctor for pain medication.
What if we need to go to a dentist for an root canal procedure? What would it sound like if I told the dentist I like the tooth; it's the only tooth that gives me happiness ...and I don't want the tooth removed. I then tell the dentist that he is causing me pain if he doesn't help comfort me. I tell the dentist that I want relief, and if he doesn't give me pain medication, I will go to a responsible dentist who will.
The dentist does give me the medication, but I am not satisfied long. I ask the dentist for stronger medication.
How many of us want to be medicated in our lives, not wanting to remove what needs to be removed. It might seem like pulling teeth when attempting to deal with us.
In this situation, if we are Christian, do we just look for another church ...one that agrees with what makes us more comfortable? Perhaps we could find a church which medicates us.
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Many have said that the worst pain is not physical pain. There are types of emotional pain that could arguably be much worse.
How do we deal with emotional pain? We can find others that we can confide in, and let them help us with the burden.
But the worst is not really pain at all. We often turn to others to share in other emotional issues that become a part of our lives. Some of the emotion comes from those so-called pesky Christians who seem to try to make us feel guilty for just trying to make our lives a bit more comfortable. But there are others who we can turn to, who will tell us of God's love, and that we should not feel guilty for finding a bit of happiness in areas that make other people feel uncomfortable.
I believe that guilt is not healthy to carry around with us ...but there is something worse. The best thing to do is to repent of any wrongdoing. Perhaps most people we know will not tell us it is wrong, yet if the Holy Spirit does not agree ...the guilt may be buried deep, but it will still be there. This is the worse thing ...to grieve the Holy Spirit, refusing to deal with the very thing we should be dealing with.
Justification is through Christ, not through justifying our own actions. It is a free gift, not giving us what we deserve, while getting what we don't deserve. That is God's mercy and grace. Why is this given to us? Simply, ...His love.
Jesus came to save us. We usually are in agreement with that. What do we think Jesus also wanted to impress upon us? He definitely had an impact upon the lives of the Apostles. But He also affected others. Jesus addressed much sin ...not providing a new ideology on what sin was, just what should be the response to it.
That's where sanctification comes in. We've heard of the three steps: Justification, Sanctification, and Glorification. Glorification is when Jesus returns, and takes us to the place He has prepared for us. Most of us like the part of Jesus taking the penalty of sin away, and certainly we like the description of being with God in Heaven. But we have fallen away from the middle step ...and if we try to skip steps, we likely will indeed fall (or fall in deeds). Sanctification means to be set apart; to be made holy ...not wholly ridiculous.
We are to be set apart in many ways. We are to be set apart in marriage, one man and one woman, holy and proper. Marriage is not sanctified by ourselves ...it is designated by God, and made holy. We are not to participate in activity that is set apart for marriage. We are to look to the sanctity of life ...and that includes forgiving, without forgetting how we should mature through God's leading.
Our oldest son was reading in his Health book ...about how thoughts lead the mind to choices and decisions which mold our actions and attitudes. Most of us understand how everyone does not have to endure the same level of stress. When we understand what someone has had to go through, we begin to understand what may have led to those choices and attitudes.
Stress, as the book defines it, is the challenge that faces us in life and how we respond to those individual challenges. The book goes on to say, that emotional control is as important as correct thinking. And we should never solely allow our emotions to dictate our behavior.
The book also gives us an acronym for how we should approach these many difficult decisions:
D ---Determine your choices
I ---Inquire of God
S ---Search the Scriptures
C ---Consider the counsel of followers of God
E ---Eliminate worldly thinking
R ---Recognize God's leading
N ---Never compromise the truth
The truth is: We are really missing the boat with failing to set ourselves apart. We are adrift, and setting ourselves up, not apart. As we drift, God becomes less and less a part of our lives. Where is the holiness? It is no small matter that we've allowed ourselves to become an immoral society. But what did we expect, as we have declared our standard to be in error, or simply not true.
If you don't believe the Bible is true, then what do you have to go on? What indeed!!
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