An old friend (through the lyrics to a song) reminded me of this quote today:
“Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
I’m pretty sure Emerson had Jesus’ words in mind when he wrote that verse, Jesus’ words from Matthew 5:29-30
“If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.”
Something to think about – people on the progressive side didn’t just land where they are by accident, it took conscious thought and action (even done in tiny increments) to be where they are. Choose this day whom you will serve.
Joshua 24:14-15
“Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
3 replies on “For good or evil, you make the choice TODAY!”
Would you mind summing up the point you are making in your own words?
Pretty self-explanatory, but sure.
“Little” actions in our lives can wind up becoming huge things in the end – taking a few paper clips from your workplace can eventually become full-blown embezzling, or continued lingering glances at a pretty woman who is not your wife can eventually lead you to actual adultery.
No one usually just blunders into big issues like treason or serial murder, there are incremental steps toward the disaster. Jesus used the example of adultery and used hyperbole to teach His disciples the severity of unchecked steps in the wrong direction; He never meant for them to actually cut off their hands or gouge out their eyes, but avoiding (amputating) the things that led to adultery could/would help them avoid the final destiny.
In the case of politicians, avoiding seemingly small things like after parties and private gatherings where alcohol flows freely would allow individuals to avoid potential future blackmail and compromising of one’s integrity. We’ve all wondered about certain politicians who’ve cast votes for the “other side,” when it seems completely out of character and anomalous to their voting record (Chief Justice Roberts).
They don’t just do these things out of the blue, they’ve taken baby steps in the wrong direction at some point.
Thank you.