Wrong Way of Thinking Right

Surely this week's blog title is worthy of a country song. It is about the common man's struggle of trying to do the right thing when all his instinctive senses tell him that wrong is a better option. No problem with a little lie here and there, maybe just one drink, or possibly just look at a few of those pictures, or how about this: I just want to have fun! 

We can pretty much talk ourselves into anything, including bad decisions. We all like to quote Paul in Romans 7 and the struggle he faced which mirrors ours, trying to do good when evil is right there with us. Maybe we think we can praise the lord out of these situations, but it is likely that this is a battle we will have to fight more than once. Hourly, daily, sometimes for way too many months or years.

The root of it is that self will has run riot over us and our instincts. We want to do right but we have never learned how to let go of our sins, our past and our character defects. We have never worked as they say "a practical program of action". We have not come to that place that is defined in 2 Corinthians 7:10.......

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

Regrets, that's what fuels the fire of thinking wrong. We want to fix everything when only God can because of the severity of consequences we have reaped. Regrets make us long for things we maybe should have never had. Garth Brooks says "thank God for unanswered prayer" and for us it should say something like "I have regrets yet, I long to be fulfilled". Being sorry to God means that we have turned everything over to him, lock, stock and barrel, no regrets, and he will fill those gaping holes of emptiness inside our souls with his mercy, grace and love.

My Wrong Way of Thinking Right will become the right way of thinking wrong, which translates to all of the non-country western song fans that when I think of doing wrong I will instead think of how much HE made me right!

No death, no regrets, just a complete salvation of my broken spirit. That's about as right as you can get!