Monday, December 15, 2008
Can a Christian be "petty"?
Once again I was confronted with making a decision to stand up for truth or let it alone. Shame brought me to my senses. A group of us were on our annual Christmas tree cutting. Two of us are believers. We were joined by a young lady fresh out of college who is a faithful Catholic. I saw this young lady's faith in action. Mary, (a ficticious name)a fellow believer who comes every year,once again cut down a small tree for her dining room table. About four feet in height. Every year Mary,who is a Seventh Day Adventist, cuts down an extra tree. And every year it bothers me. This year the young lady spoke up and told Mary what she did was wrong. It was stealing. I wanted to hug and kiss the young lady! I was also embarassed at my lack of courage to stand up to Mary over the years we had been cutting trees together. Mary's responce surprised me. "Cutting down a small tree isn't a sin." I could not hold it back, I spoke up. (finally). I told the young lady I was in complete agreement with her and that I admired and respected her faithfulness to God. I could tell I had made an enemy out of Mary. She said we were making a big deal over nothing. Later that afternoon I heard her blatantly use our Lord's name in vain. I could not help but wonder if perhaps she was no longer a believer and that is why she was acting so disrespectful towards God. I also found myself upset. Was I being petty? Did it matter to God whether or not I took an extra tree? If it wasn't wrong, why were they hiding it under the bigger trees? Is stealing only stealing if it is in a large capacity? Would Jesus say, "Oh, thats ok. it's just a small sin."? I don't think so. As a matter of fact, I think it is very clear that stealing is wrong and also unwholesome talk. Eph.4:28 says "He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. and verse 29 states, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." I cannot judge Mary, I can only humbly admit that I too can blend in with non-believers when I give Satan a foot hold. I am also once again reminded of how important it is to be in His word and around fellow believers who are mature in their faith and trying to live the way our Lord wants. I am not expecting perfection. But where do we draw the line of complacency and truth? Is it possible for a Christian to be "petty" when it comes to doing wrong, no matter the size of the wrong-doing?
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2 comments:
These things DO make a difference. And standing up for truth may isolate others from us,but it is our calling that we cannot back down from.
May we all have courage?
I agree that little things do make a difference, and we have to stand up for what we know is right, even if it isolates us from others.
We have to hold ourselves to a high standard and obey God in the little things (what some might call "petty" things) as well as the big things. Small sins can grow. Compromise often starts small. But we are required to love God with our whole being, and that means pleasing Him in everything. That is a tall order, but we should make that our goal.
When we compromise on something little, we train our minds to compromise. Then we give Satan a foothold to tempt us in a greater sin. Each sin might be only a little more serious than the one before, so each one can seem small to us.
Consider the tree that was stolen. It was small. Had that tree been allowed to grow, it eventually would have become a large one. Now it won't. In its future effect, it was a large tree that was stolen.
We don't always have to correct people for their faults. That is always a judgment call. But we have to be alert to the point at which our friends' bad examples begin to pull us down and tempt us to compromise with our obedience to God. When that happens, if we correct them and they don't receive the correction, we have to do what we have to do to keep a right relationship with God, and if that means divorcing our friends, that is a price we have to pay (Luke 14:25-34, Matthew 10:37).
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