Ronald Gadberry No decision is without a degree of uncertainty for every choice we make opens the door to untrodden territory. And so it was for the first pair of decision makers. Adam and his Eve, huddled in despairing grief outside the gates of their once beautiful garden could not have imagined the tragic twists and turns the path they had chosen to take. Self, that arrogant and thoughtless entity, had risen from its dormant state to plague their descendants and will continue to do so until the last hapless victim will either succumb or be redeemed. However, time was short as time will be before the reaping began. Two sons were born to them, grew into men and in a terrible moment of relentless passion, Cain murdered his brother. Grim choice indeed. As was to be expected, the murderer was exposed, but sadly, the only regret he acknowledged was for the severity of his punishment.
Cains' Lament
Whither shall I wend my way?
And whither shall I wander?
'Twas dark the deed that dared the doing
'Tis darker yet the deed I'm ruing
My heart, it breaks, is still pursuing
Oh, whither shall I go?
To garden fair in ancient past
My deadly wound refers me
How dread the specters' shadow shines
His gift the best received e're mine
His death my raging heart inclined
Oh, whither shall I go?
Cain, the wanderer, fiend, when near
From him men run or quail in fear
Friendships hoped for fall to crumbling
Ten thousand ways my feet are stumbling
Pursued, pursued, relentless-- humbling
Oh, whither shall I go?
Beyond the flood no hint remains
Hath water pow'r to vanquish stains?
Nay, it but swallowed deep the mem'ry
Yet 'graved the ghastly deed in hist'ry
Descendants ghostly lodged in mist'ry
In infamy have fled
The name of Cain be dead!
Happily, our choices need not bear such tragic consequences, for a light has shined on us brighter than the sun shining in its strength (Revelation 1:16), for Jesus, our Redeemer has provided the light necessary to make informed,wise decisions. In fact, He has imparted His light to believers with the admonition "You are the light of the world." Decisions based on majority opinion is to run in the dark, for the world is immersed in darkness, governed by SELF, the undisputed villain and purveyor of anti-righteousness. A clear template has been provided for every choice we choose to make: THE BIBLE. It is unbiased, thorough and independent of human misconception. No need to run any further in the dark, no need to fear the consequences of SELFISH actions. But, if you are looking for answers from me, DON'T!
I had not been a pastor long before I experienced a most interesting and perplexing problem. One of our senior ladies was robbed by a pair of thugs, hired by a deacon serving our church, for that purpose. She identified the thieves who were subsequently arrested and jailed. When they appealed to said deacon for bail, he refused them help so they implicated him in the crime. He was arrested, brought to trial and the two men, in a plea bargain, admitted they not only been hired by him to rob her, but to burn houses he owned as well. Missing the point, he argued to me during recess: "If anyone gets in trouble for those fires, it will be them. I wasn't even there." What was the point he missed? HE WAS COMPLICIT! He was also audacious, for after his conviction, he brashly asked to have his position as a deacon submitted to the church for a confidence vote. It was not granted!
The Scriptures declare, "All have sinned. . . ." Perhaps our crimes are not on a par with his, but again according to Scripture, WE ARE COMPLICIT in the original sin committed by our first father Adam! So, if I should say, "If you are looking for answers from me, don't!," it is simply because I, as much as all others, am flawed.
Could I offer suggestions? Yes! But as with all self-help books and psychological tomes, I would be operating from a platform of theoretical assumption and nothing more. Are there good ideas out there? Of course! But, for those questions that impact our lives and eternity, there is only one voice speaking from which we may garner the wisdom and knowledge on which to found our hoped for answers. Are you stressed? Are you wrestling with problems in your marriage or with struggling children? Want to know the best way to handle your finances? Ask Jesus, THE WORD!
Perhaps you think JESUS' answers are limited to spiritual things like heaven and hell and how to get saved. Maybe the secular side of things are outside His purview and answers to those questions ought to be sought from people with experience!? Just remember that every person on earth is flawed and therefore their answers will be flawed too. DON'T FORGET, JESUS WAS WITH GOD IN THE ORIGINAL CREATION AND IS HIMSELF AN ETERNAL PART OF THE GODHEAD. Is it even possible that He would not have the answers you need? When men were sent from the authorities to arrest Jesus for His ANSWERS, they came back saying, "No man speaks like this man! He speaks with authority and not as others." (John 7:46)
Lest we have run, or are continuing to run in the dark, it's time to stop looking around for answers and look up to the One Who is qualified and actually has them. Solomon the wise wrote: "Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He's the One Who will keep you on track. Don't assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil! Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life!" (Proverbs 3:5, MSG).
Cains' Lament
Whither shall I wend my way?
And whither shall I wander?
'Twas dark the deed that dared the doing
'Tis darker yet the deed I'm ruing
My heart, it breaks, is still pursuing
Oh, whither shall I go?
To garden fair in ancient past
My deadly wound refers me
How dread the specters' shadow shines
His gift the best received e're mine
His death my raging heart inclined
Oh, whither shall I go?
Cain, the wanderer, fiend, when near
From him men run or quail in fear
Friendships hoped for fall to crumbling
Ten thousand ways my feet are stumbling
Pursued, pursued, relentless-- humbling
Oh, whither shall I go?
Beyond the flood no hint remains
Hath water pow'r to vanquish stains?
Nay, it but swallowed deep the mem'ry
Yet 'graved the ghastly deed in hist'ry
Descendants ghostly lodged in mist'ry
In infamy have fled
The name of Cain be dead!
Happily, our choices need not bear such tragic consequences, for a light has shined on us brighter than the sun shining in its strength (Revelation 1:16), for Jesus, our Redeemer has provided the light necessary to make informed,wise decisions. In fact, He has imparted His light to believers with the admonition "You are the light of the world." Decisions based on majority opinion is to run in the dark, for the world is immersed in darkness, governed by SELF, the undisputed villain and purveyor of anti-righteousness. A clear template has been provided for every choice we choose to make: THE BIBLE. It is unbiased, thorough and independent of human misconception. No need to run any further in the dark, no need to fear the consequences of SELFISH actions. But, if you are looking for answers from me, DON'T!
I had not been a pastor long before I experienced a most interesting and perplexing problem. One of our senior ladies was robbed by a pair of thugs, hired by a deacon serving our church, for that purpose. She identified the thieves who were subsequently arrested and jailed. When they appealed to said deacon for bail, he refused them help so they implicated him in the crime. He was arrested, brought to trial and the two men, in a plea bargain, admitted they not only been hired by him to rob her, but to burn houses he owned as well. Missing the point, he argued to me during recess: "If anyone gets in trouble for those fires, it will be them. I wasn't even there." What was the point he missed? HE WAS COMPLICIT! He was also audacious, for after his conviction, he brashly asked to have his position as a deacon submitted to the church for a confidence vote. It was not granted!
The Scriptures declare, "All have sinned. . . ." Perhaps our crimes are not on a par with his, but again according to Scripture, WE ARE COMPLICIT in the original sin committed by our first father Adam! So, if I should say, "If you are looking for answers from me, don't!," it is simply because I, as much as all others, am flawed.
Could I offer suggestions? Yes! But as with all self-help books and psychological tomes, I would be operating from a platform of theoretical assumption and nothing more. Are there good ideas out there? Of course! But, for those questions that impact our lives and eternity, there is only one voice speaking from which we may garner the wisdom and knowledge on which to found our hoped for answers. Are you stressed? Are you wrestling with problems in your marriage or with struggling children? Want to know the best way to handle your finances? Ask Jesus, THE WORD!
Perhaps you think JESUS' answers are limited to spiritual things like heaven and hell and how to get saved. Maybe the secular side of things are outside His purview and answers to those questions ought to be sought from people with experience!? Just remember that every person on earth is flawed and therefore their answers will be flawed too. DON'T FORGET, JESUS WAS WITH GOD IN THE ORIGINAL CREATION AND IS HIMSELF AN ETERNAL PART OF THE GODHEAD. Is it even possible that He would not have the answers you need? When men were sent from the authorities to arrest Jesus for His ANSWERS, they came back saying, "No man speaks like this man! He speaks with authority and not as others." (John 7:46)
Lest we have run, or are continuing to run in the dark, it's time to stop looking around for answers and look up to the One Who is qualified and actually has them. Solomon the wise wrote: "Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He's the One Who will keep you on track. Don't assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil! Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life!" (Proverbs 3:5, MSG).