Skip to main content

Is It Wrong To Not?


  Is it wrong to not use an instrument of music in worship service? Is it wrong to not drink alcohol? Is it wrong to attend every church service?


  Now the opposite of these topics often draw many articles and lesson, as people are curious to find out the limits. But one rarely claims fault when one is not on the outer edge.

  In the book of Job when the text is describing the righteous nature of Job it says:

When the days of feasting had completed their cycle, Job would send and consecrate them, rising up early in the morning and offering burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, "Perhaps my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts." Thus Job did continually.
Job 1:5

  Did you catch that? Job was as concerned about the things that might have been done wrong as much as what was done wrong. Job wasn’t just counting up to what he had to offer to cover up his and his sons sins.  He wanted to be extra careful to make sure that nothing could have been done that might had been against the Lord. He was erring on the side of caution, sacrificing just in case, keeping it in the middle rather than hugging the edges.

  Many of these types issue have a right answer from the Lord if we will study them carefully, but I wonder if it says something out our mentality when we concentrate on trying to find the limits of what we can or can’t do rather than seeing to make sure we are right where we want to be.

  Rather than seeing how close to the edge we can get before we fall off, shouldn’t we be thinking about how we can make sure that we are well short of the line, so we know we are not falling to our doom. If I'm not sure something is right but I know something else that is why should I risk it? Why try to do less when I know how much is acceptable? Why do more when I'm not told it is acceptable to do so? Why get out of a place that I know is safe?


  Let’s do above and beyond in what we know is right, rather than seeing how close we can skirt the edge.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Until Midnight

    In Acts 20, there is the tragicomic event surrounding a young man by the name of Eutychus. He did what a lot of folks before and after him did, he fell asleep during a sermon. Unfortunately, he was setting in in the third story window at the time. So instead of nodding off and hitting the pew in front of him, he fell to his death. The good news was the apostle Paul was delivering the sermon and had the ability to bring him back.       I don’t know, however, if we can judge Eutychus too harshly. The sermon had gone on till midnight. Paul wouldn’t finish it up till daybreak. That’s a long lesson. I know some folks that might want to jump out of a window if I had a lesson that long, yet these Christians wanted to be there to hear Paul.   Don’t get me wrong, I’m not pushing for all night sermons but I think we might need to adopt these folks' dedication. They knew that Paul was only in town for a limited time only and they were determined to ...

The Mighty Gulf

  It is hard to get people on two sides of an issue to come together. Each has their own viewpoint, their perceptive, their own foibles, their own understanding.  To gain any common ground there must be something in common. Something or someone that can bridge the gulf between the two.   Could there be a greater gulf than there was between God and man? How could a holy perfect God find a way to connect to the fallen, imperfect mankind? How can one without temptation connect to those who are beset by it? How could limited mortal beings understand an omnipotent eternal God?   In 1 Timothy 2:5, we read, “ For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus .” The phrase mediator here describes a person that bridges the gap, a go-between. Jesus was one who could stand in both worlds. A perfect holy one who can understand our temptations, a man who would die yet live eternally, One who was God yet became flesh and dwelt among us. ...

How Dare You!

    Lewis Keseberg was tired of all the accusations against him so he filed a defamation lawsuit against Ned Coffeemeyer the man he saw as responsible for the rumors. The court found that Ned had indeed called Keseberg a “thief and murderer” without any proof but it didn’t rule very strongly in his favor by only imposing a fine of one dollar.  Maybe they were lenient because Ned Coffeemeyr had earlier rescued Lewis Keseberg from a terrible situation.  Maybe it was because the accusations while not proven were highly likely.  And maybe because Lewis Keseberg had admitted to eating people.   Lewis Keseberg was one of the members of the infamous Donner Party, a wagon train that got caught in the Siera Nevada mountain and resorted to cannibalism to survive. Keseberg wasn’t known as a very good person before those events and they certainly didn’t help improve his image. But to sue the very person who saved you seems to define the kind of person he was....