December 17, 2010
Healthy Choices
I have a friend with multiple health problems, including diabetes. He is a large man and has refused to change his diet saying, “I like meat and potatoes and I don’t care what the doctor says, I’m going to eat whatever I want to eat.” My friend called me telling me he was hospitalized last weekend with a significant heart attack. Although I’m concerned, I’m not surprised. There’s that part of me that thinks, ‘You really have brought this on yourself’. I’ve known people who are in a similar boat spiritually, but my feelings are different. I suppose it’s because of the eternal consequences involved. If an unbeliever were on his death bed I would have a hard time thinking, ‘You really have brought this on yourself.'
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Gail;
-----The truth of both situations is that they did bring them on themselves. Your friend certainly brought on his own heart problems by his own choices. But the unbeliever maybe did not bring on the death bed by his choices. Yet he brought onto himself the gloomy prospect he faces on it of a regrettable eternity. There is not much your friend can now do about his present heart condition by immediately changing his choices. But the unbeliever can instantly change his situation by merely changing his unbelief. It is a blessing that the most important matter of life can be effected by the easiest means.
-----Maybe that is why it is important to speak the truth to one another in love. Maybe it is important to do more than just recognize that someone has brought on a situation by his own poor decisions. If he can be completely convinced that what he is reaping is the harvest of what he sowed, maybe the door will be open to convince him that he has alternative seeds he can yet sow. The harvest of your friend’s alternative seeds will indeed take time. But the harvest of the unbeliever’s alternative seeds can be reaped immediately. In either case, convincing them each to sow beneficial seeds is the purpose of telling them that they brought their conditions upon themselves. And that purpose is certainly loving.
-----Our society makes much ado about the evils of exposing for others the links between their own consequences and their past actions. It calls it being judgmental, and it judges anyone who dares to do it. Of course, this social message is right when such links are exposed only to destroy other’s welfare or to somehow set yourself above others. But it is wrong when such links are revealed for purposefully elevating other’s well being. This “social propriety of silence” then becomes an impropriety as it destroys a process individuals have to support and edify one another.
-----And this process is not one that we just have. God gave to us who are alive in Christ Jesus this process for maintaining the elevation of that life we all have, “My brethren, if any one among you wanders from the truth and some one brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins,” (James 5:19-20) and, “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.” (Gal 6:1) So we should muster courage and love to speak the truth to one another. It will edify and build one another up if done carefully with gentle love.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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