January 13, 2016

Righteous Living

Righteous living, why is it so hard? Our pride tells us that we are slaves to no one. We convince ourselves that we are free agents, able to do exactly as we please. And then we return to the wretched habit we detest. We try to ignore the obvious: that this detestable habit is slowly killing us either physically, spiritually, or both.

The French Philosophe, Jean-Jaques Rousseau, once said, L’homme naît libre et partout où il est enchaîné, translated in English, Man is born free and everywhere he is in chains. Rousseau may have been thinking back to the Garden of Eden before sin came into the world. A time where man had his greatest freedom. Ever since sin entered the world, we seem to be inclined to make ourselves enslaved to one thing or another. Our appetites, desires, romances, careers, children, can entrap and enslave us if we are not careful and keep us from righteous living.

What is more, when we see someone else exhibit the same tendency it offends us because we are reminded of our own weakness. We are reminded that we are slaves to this wicked taskmaster, and that we have grown accustomed to its dictating our lives. How reluctant we are to admit to ourselves that we desire this thing more than the King who would gladly save us from it.

He that is kind is free, though he is a slave; he that is evil is a slave, though he be a king. —Augustine

Prayer, O Holy Spirit, descend fully into my heart. Enlighten the dark corners of this neglected dwelling and scatter there Your cheerful light.

Romans 6:16 (NLT)

Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.