My Inclinations
The Bible indicates we should not always follow the inclinations of our human nature. I know I cannot or I would be in big trouble. For instance, I cannot smack people for stating stupid ideas on social media. I also hope readers don’t follow their inclinations when they read mine. We probably would follow our inclinations more but we are afraid of the repercussions. I guess that is why we can say outlandish crazy stuff on social media. Readers would have to look us up to smack us. At my age, if I went looking for someone to smack, I would wander off in a different direction while looking for them and forget what it was all about when I found them. That is probably a good thing.
Now I know many of you are thinking about our inclination to do wrong things. Break the Ten Commandments, do evil acts and such. It seems Satan is always around to tempt me with those.
But I struggle more with another set. I have never been inclined to rob a bank but I have/am inclined:
1. To reduce questions to simplified black-and-white answers.
2. To revert back to rules rather than relationship in following Jesus.
3. To focus on behavior rather than heart.
4. To respond with judgment over grace.
5. To defend and protect myself rather than responding with understanding and love.
6. To reject those who see the world differently- Act differently- Are different from me.
7. To hang on to my prejudices rather than accept people as they are.
8. To be closed to new ideas or ways of thinking that come from someone else.
9. To take sides rather than find common ground.
10. To defend my “side” against all others.
These are the human inclinations I struggle against. I fail.
I need to repent!