Robert E. Lee had his choice of his command in the Civil War. The commanding general of the Union Army, Winfield Scott, told Lincoln he wanted Lee for a top command. With the Civil War looming, both sides wanted this top general to lead their forces.
So why did Lee make the wrong choice?
It wasn’t because he was on board with the Confederacy. Lee was against the idea of succession seeing it as rebellion and betraying the work for the founding fathers. He even recognized the issue for the war, slavery, “as an evil institution’, that was a cancer harming ‘not only to the black population but to the white as well ’ and believe the institution would eventually come to an end.
If he didn’t believe in the act and wasn’t set on the cause why did he betray his country?
In his own words, Lee said "I look upon secession as anarchy. If I owned the four millions of slaves in the South I would sacrifice them all to the Union; but how can I draw my sword upon Virginia, my native state?
He chose his beloved state over his country, his principles, and his own head.
Lee was not the first or the last to give priority to a loyalty over what is right. When it comes down to it, many that are presented with the truth of the Gospel, even though they know the truth of the matter and they want to be pleasing to the Lord, in the end, will refuse to obey because they feel it might betray a heritage.
"If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.”
Luke 14:26
The quickest way to a bad decision is to place feelings over fact, loyal to men over loyalty to God, what we want over what is right.
We have a decision as well. Don’t make the wrong one.
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