First of all I would like to express my deepest appreciation of Mr Camp's engagement, zeal and fire in his presentation and support of the Biblical truths. How much his firm foundation means to me is really hard to describe in words. Thank You.
Now, to my humble thoughts.
We are being presented with choices in almost every awake minute of our lives. It does not matter where your world view is anchored - you still have to make choices.From the historical perspective one can clearly see that the amount of choices has been growing exponentially throughout the time. The first couple had but one choice to make - to eat or not to eat from the forbidden tree. I would not even attempt presenting a list of choices that are put before us today. It almost seems that the more sin has the power over us, the more choices accompany it.
Now, I do not mean that choices come from our sinful nature directly, but rather that the complexity of life conditions (this resulting from sin) creates this ocean of choices.
Look at our children. From the very beginning they are encouraged to choose; most of the child psychologists claim such development to be good. I wonder... Are parents really comfortable every time to leave the matter of choices to their children? Is it healthy to water down the borders and rules?
As it is now, we are practically forced into letting the child to steer and get lost... Otherwise a parent is labeled old-fashioned and intolerant, not following the humanistic science.
Think about it: when you know nothing about the possible outcome of your future decision, how can you choose between wrong and right? The only thing you will do is to follow your expectations, however faulty, and hope for the best, but this is no solid guarantee for success. Your carnal mind will most probably take you astray from the right path. And we know that this is usually the case, don't we?
But a child does not even know that, and left to his/her wishes chooses the most tempting alternative. Who is the father of temptation? We know that, too.
What I am aiming at is the danger of not following the given and firm guidance of the Bible in our lives. Some people would say that 'hey, you choose the simplistic option of taking an ideology that gives a preformatted solution to everything'. That instead of exploring the vast amount of possibilities we limit ourselves and our children. Well, let them who say so try to live a truly Christian life. I bet they would give up after one week.
Children need boundaries, they hunger for rules and decisions made for them by grown-ups (until a certain age, anyway :) ). They do not thrive in constant gardening of choices and shopping for decisions. They do not benefit in us 'letting go'. We do not benefit in letting our children grow wild.
But the same is with us. I do not believe for a moment that we are so much different than our offspring. We also need firm guidance to holiness and God. We are sinners, saved by Grace, yet still hopeless and rebellious. What Spurgeon says is so true! I know that what I wrote is not EXACTLY on the same topic, but somehow this sermon provoked this direction of my thoughts.
The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;
To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; To give subtlety to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck. My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse: My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood. Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives. So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof. Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets: She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at naught all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.
(Pro 1:1-33)
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