Now please note that I'm not trying to build a case against the idea that most people want to do the right thing most of the time. This may in fact be quite true. But take for example a piece of video that went viral back in March (right when the COVID-19 panic began to set in) that showed a woman in a supermarket with an entire shopping cart full of toilet paper. The video then revealed that another lady walked up to her and requested just one package of bathroom tissue, as the shelves were now bare. The first woman replied by denying this request, and attempted to keep the entire cart of toilet paper for herself. As you may surmise, an argument ensued.
I don't know how this transaction ended, but I can tell you that it certainly seemed as though the first woman was acting in a selfish manner at the time. No doubt she was probably frightened; scarcity does that to a person. There was no getting around it, however, the video showed what it showed. Crisis plus fear equals people acting reprehensibly sometimes. My point is this: many people, if left to their own devices, will often fall short of the glory of God. They may in fact demonstrate behavior that is 'less than holy' at times.
Now before I start to sound judgmental here, I want to point out that ancient Scripture also reflects our difficult situation all too clearly. Apparently people haven't changed much in a few thousand years, at least when it comes to certain things. We will focus our attention on the book of Proverbs for this lesson, as it has a lot to say about this type of behavior.
I think most of you will agree that certain life situations accentuate less than holy behavior in three general areas: jealousy, pride, and selfishness.
If we discuss jealousy first, we can look to Proverbs 14:30 which says, "A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones." We all know what it's like to want something. We understand what it's like to covet it so badly that we omit any piece of empathy for the person who has what we want, and we go straight to being jealous. Proverbs says here that this attitude can 'rot the bones.' It destroys our peace, and leaves us green with envy, never to recover that peace until we also acquire said item. Only the catch is, even if we get what we want, we aren't always happy with it (at least not for very long). That is how the human heart works sometimes - always looking ahead, and never content with the present. The grass always appears greener on the other side of the fence.
Second, certain circumstances can sometimes reveal within us a hearty bit of pride. Proverbs 3:7 says "Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil." It should be mentioned here that many theologians have attested to the fact that pride may have helped foster "original sin." Back in the garden of Eden, the devil tempted Adam and Eve with deception. But even before that, the devil himself was converted over from a good and holy being, to something prideful and repugnant. He considered himself so perfect and beautiful that he ought to be like God. Laughable to think about now, but it must have seemed like a good idea at the time. Regardless of that origin story - it's best that you and I harbor a humble heart I would think … don't you agree?
Finally, we must mention selfishness. That poor woman in the YouTube video may never live that event down. Her fifteen minutes of fame appeared on CNN. It was splashed across televisions and Internet browsers for a couple days at least. She had made up her mind that there was no way she was going to share even one package of bathroom tissue that day.
Proverbs 18:1 says "An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends and against all sound judgment starts quarrels." Indeed a quarrel was started that day at the supermarket. We know from Scripture that it is better to give than to receive, but do we actually follow through with that concept when no one is watching. Or more to the point, when we don't think anyone is watching. Oh how much easier it was to pretend to be good when there wasn't a camera installed in each cell phone. It's a more transparent world in many ways now; it holds us accountable.
The fact remains that God calls us to be better than all this, even in times of trial. He calls us to follow and trust in Him. Ezekiel is an old book from the Bible, and not often quoted nowadays. This all changed after an influential pop culture film entitled 'Pulp Fiction' was released almost two decades ago. In the film, one of the main characters is known for quoting certain chapters and verses of this Old Testament book throughout the movie. For now, we will focus on just one area.
Ezekiel 36: 26-27 says "I [God] will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your selfish heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws."
You see, that is the promise from Jesus … we are to be given a new heart. And this new heart can do miraculous things from time to time. It acts to change people's minds about whether or not mankind is moral. This new heart can provide leadership where it is needed, hope when it is called for, and generosity when necessary - even if things look grim.
A redeemed heart from God does nothing less than reflect Jesus instead of our own (often selfish) desires. Now don't get me wrong, people will still struggle with sin until the day our Lord comes back for the Second Advent. But I think a new heart means that we no longer have to worry all the time about whether we are acting holy enough or not. God fills in the gaps where we fall short. I suspect it was always meant to be this way.
It is okay to share some of your bathroom tissue I think, especially if you have an entire cart full of it. Try not to live in the fear that you will run out of something, but rather, lean into the promises of the Bible. Remember those Scriptures that talk about living an abundant life, even though things may sometimes seem dark all around us? Cultivate an Ezekiel kind of heart, and other people will start to notice. You will stand out in a crowd, as the born again Christian was always meant to.
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