Obedience or Disobedience
The Boston Globe had a recent article about steroids in the current Olympics in China. Organizers continue to work to determine to keep The Games as clean as possible by testing, education, and discipline. The article also briefly referenced the 1988 Games in Seoul, Korea, in which sprinter Ben Johnson shocked the world two different times.
The first came in a head-to-head race with American and Olympic champion Carl Lewis. Johnson won the 100 meter race and destroyed the world record with the fastest time ever recorded – 9.79 seconds.
Johnson then shocked the world two days later when it became known that he had participated with the help of banned substances. All of a sudden, the champion runner was stripped of his gold medal (which went to Lewis), and he became the poster child and symbol of cheating in sports.
I would argue that Johnson was also a picture of an ancient principle from the Bible, the principle of sowing and reaping. To put into the language of the street today – “you do the crime, you do the time.” It is not just a bumper sticker slogan about crime and punishment. It is a statement about reality. Words, ideas, and actions have consequences. It is the basis of the way God set up the universe, the world, and His Kingdom, and how they are applied. Take a look at Leviticus 26:3-16. Two key truths are highlighted:
1. You obey God’s laws and you are rewarded. Verse 9 records God saying says to those who observe His laws, “I will look with favor and make you faithful.”
2. The opposite is also true. Verses 14 -16 say, “If you will not listen to me and carry out my commands…I will do this to you…I will bring upon you sudden terror.”
History tells us the people of Israel did not listen to God. The Old Testament records that a couple of captivities and many enemy attacks could have been avoided.
The Creator knows how we can best live life, and much of that is summarized in the Ten Commandments. Four commandments instruct people how to love and honor God, while the last six instruct people how to love others as themselves. We would do well to listen to the Creator in order to best optimize the time we have on the planet.
Ben Johnson thought he could get away with cheating at the highest level of athletic competition. What commandment are you considering breaking? What vice are you entertaining? What pain and trouble are you bringing on yourself (and even others) due to poor choices? Most people’s sin or wrongdoing is not broadcast all over the world and remembered for decades. Imagine how Ben Johnson’s parents feel about their son being labeled a cheater.
With that in mind, how will you live your life? Which do you prefer to hear: “I will look upon you with favor” or “I will bring upon you sudden terror?” Walk wisely. Obedience is all about love for God. Disobedience is all about love for yourself. Will you choose the path of obedience or disobedience? You cannot run from this question.
Love is a verb,
Mike
