22Nov16

James 4:17
So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

I hear the same thing from people all the time when I talk to them about things going on in their lives. It starts something like this: "I know what you're going to say Chaplain. But..." It's a speech that is rehearsed because it's one they've been having with their own conscience for a while and found the ways to justify their actions to themselves. The problem is that they KNOW that what they are doing is wrong before they ever talk to me. They've already violated that moral compass in their lives. Now it's time to make excuses. But, you know what they say about excuses... everyone's got one. Excuses don't get far with God because He sees right to the heart. He knows that at some point you didn't do the right thing simply because you didn't want to. You didn't want to because it seemed to hard, or the reward seemed too sweet, or you just didn't trust God. What do I do for these people? I say a short prayer, take a deep breath, and remind them (sometimes for an hour or more) that they already know the right thing to do. I become a physical reminder. This morning I'm reminding you that you know the right thing to do... do it. No matter how hard it may seem. No matter how sweet the reward may seem. God will provide the strength; you just have to make the decision in the moment. As Shia Labeouf would say, "Do it! Just do it!" the right thing.