Rationalization
My memory verse for today was I Samuel 15:22, "So Samuel said, "Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams." I had some time to meditate on it as I drove home from the missions conference. It has been a favorite verse of mine for a long time, but the Lord can still show me new things through those old favorites.
It occurred to me that what Samuel was referring to was our tendency to rationalize our sins. We think up a reason it is OK for us to sin. Many times, it involves rationalizing. It goes something like this: "I am a good person, and I go to church, so God won't mind if I do it this once." Or it could be like this: "I am a Christian, and I help a lot of people, so God won't punish me for this little sin." Can you see the error in that logic? Sin is sin. God does not excuse sin. He expects us to obey, and our obedience is so much more important than other things we may do. Once we fall prey to this type of rationalizing, we tend to sin more and more. It is the same things the Israelites did when the went to the Temple, but they also cheated people and worshiped idols. God hates it.
Therefore, we must be focused on obeying God, not on doing what we want to do. We must not think that we will get a pass for being a Christian. In fact, the Bible tells us that God is even harder on us as His children, because He chastens the ones He loves like a good Father.
Tomorrow, I intend to read I Samuel 18-21.
It occurred to me that what Samuel was referring to was our tendency to rationalize our sins. We think up a reason it is OK for us to sin. Many times, it involves rationalizing. It goes something like this: "I am a good person, and I go to church, so God won't mind if I do it this once." Or it could be like this: "I am a Christian, and I help a lot of people, so God won't punish me for this little sin." Can you see the error in that logic? Sin is sin. God does not excuse sin. He expects us to obey, and our obedience is so much more important than other things we may do. Once we fall prey to this type of rationalizing, we tend to sin more and more. It is the same things the Israelites did when the went to the Temple, but they also cheated people and worshiped idols. God hates it.
Therefore, we must be focused on obeying God, not on doing what we want to do. We must not think that we will get a pass for being a Christian. In fact, the Bible tells us that God is even harder on us as His children, because He chastens the ones He loves like a good Father.
Tomorrow, I intend to read I Samuel 18-21.