"I want it now, I want it quick!"

According to a recent article on komonews.com, the site for a broadcasting company based in Seattle, Washington, “One in three households in this country cannot pay off their credit card balance each month. So they roll it over, getting deeper and deeper in debt” (http://www.komonews.com/news/consumer/Credit-card-debt-still-a-serious-problem-in-the-US-299292671.html). Another article from the Wall Street Journal tells the story of a couple who “was retired and had $46,000 in credit-card debt” (http://www.wsj.com/articles/retired-couple-learns-to-manage-credit-card-debt-1429538108). Wset.com reports that “Virginians owe an average of just over $7,000 on their credit cards” and “The national average is around $5,800” (http://www.wset.com/story/28824942/study-va-makes-list-of-states-with-highest-credit-card-debt). No wonder an article by the Northwestern MutualVoice Team claims that “These days, it’s nearly impossible to live debt free” (http://www.forbes.com/sites/northwesternmutual/2015/04/13/saving-for-the-future-1-percent-can-mean-a-lot/). Clearly there is something seriously wrong. What in the world has brought Americans to such a desperate financial state?

In Respectable Sins, Bridges diagnoses the problem. He devotes a chapter to discussing it and outlining various other areas that it affects as well. The problem is, very simply, a lack of self-control. Bridges states that “in the same way that a city without walls [is] vulnerable to an invading army, so a person without self-control is vulnerable to all kinds of temptations” (109). He defines self-control as “a governance or prudence of one's desires, cravings, impulses, emotions, and passions” (110). While eating and drinking, temper, and finances are major areas in which we are often tempted to indulge these feelings, self-control should be applied to every area of our lives. However, we must realize that we cannot exercise self-control in our own strength. We need God's help. Galatians 5:22-23 says “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” (NASB). It is only by the power of God's Spirit that we can daily learn to be self-controlled. 

The Replacement Principle

Change. It is difficult. It takes work. But it is worth it. Andie Mitchell couldn't agree more. According to the following article, https://www.yahoo.com/health/weight-loss-win-andie-lost-135-pounds-and-gained-116654126457.html, losing 135 pounds was not an easy process. In fact, Mitchell stated that her “weight-loss journey...lasted 13 humbling months.” The weight did not simply disappear from her body. Rather, Mitchell had to discipline herself to make choices that would bring about the change she desired. Describing these choices, Mitchell states: “I started eating better: more fruits, more vegetables. I added salads to my life, swapped my usual snacks for a serving of nuts, and removed soda entirely. I committed to going to the gym five times a week and either doing group fitness classes, using the elliptical, or power walking. I joined Weight Watchers for a few months at one point...six months into my journey, I did the unthinkable: I started jogging...” In the end, Mitchell was rewarded by what she described as “the most exhilarating thing – thinness.”

In the Christian life, sometimes we find ourselves overcome by sin just as Mitchell was overcome by her obesity. One of the areas in which we tend to struggle the most is the area of sins of the tongue. In Respectable Sins, Bridges devotes a chapter to these and specifically discusses the sins of gossip and slander. In both the physical realm and the spiritual realm, change can only be accomplished through application of the replacement principle, or as Bridges calls it, the “put on/put off” principle found in Ephesians 4:22-24 (Bridges 160). These verses instruct us to “lay off the old self” and “put on the new self.” Just as Mitchell chose to put off bad habits of eating unhealthy foods and replace them with habits of eating healthy food and exercising, we must put off habits of gossiping, slandering, etc. and replace them with good habits of thinking and speaking that which is kind, true, and beneficial. As Ephesians 4:29 says “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear” (New American Standard Bible). The process will be difficult, and it may be humbling. In the end, however, it will be worth it and benefit both our relationship with God and our relationships with others.

Practice Makes Permanent

We've all heard it. The old adage that says that “practice makes perfect.” Some, however, would like to argue that instead, practice makes permanent. Either way, practice is necessary in order to change old habits and develop new ones. In his book Respectable Sins, Bridges talks about the fact that we all have a tendency toward being ungodly. He describes ungodliness as “living one's everyday life with little or no thought of God, or of God's will, or of God's glory, or of one's dependence on God” (54). Bridges asks a question that we all should be asking: “how can we become more godly in our daily lives?” (59). His answer is simple. We must practice godliness. He supports this idea by quoting a portion of 1 Timothy 4:7, which instructs us to “discipline [ourselves] for the purpose of godliness” (NASB). The version referenced by Bridges uses the word “train” instead of “discipline.” These words are closely related, and both are applicable to the developing habits of godliness. A recent article in the Derby Telegraph (http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/passion-Derby-ice-skater-aims-Winter-Olympics/story-26022757-detail/story.html) reports on a pair of young figure skaters whose goal is to compete in the 2022 Winter Olympics. The training, practice, and discipline necessary to reach this goal is rigorous. It requires daily commitment and sacrifice. For example, according to the article, “TWELVE-year-old Ellie O'Connell is dedicated to ice skating – so much so that she gets up between 3.30am and 4.30am every day to train.” Becoming more godly involves practice, training, and discipline. One way we can increase our godliness is to practice thinking about God, His will, His glory, and our dependence on Him on a daily basis. But we can be encouraged, because practice makes perfect – or at least, it makes permanent.

Dependent Responsibility

It is the 5^th of February. I am still recovering from a fun but exhausting month of participating in the production of Fiddler on the Roof at Lancaster Bible College, where I am a senior. In this heartwarming drama, the main character, Tevye, frequently thinks aloud about his faith, his family, and life in general. As he ruminates on major events and issues that are taking place in his life, he often says “on the one hand...but on the other hand...” In many situations, he finds a tension between two truths. Jerry Bridges, in his book Respectable Sins, points out a tension between two truths that exists in the Christian life. He refers to this as “the principle of dependent responsibility.” Bridges is referring to the fact that “we are responsible before God to obey His Word, to put to death the sins in our lives” but that “we do not have the ability within ourselves to carry out this responsibility” (41). As Tevye might say, on the one hand, we must stop sinning, but on the other hand, we cannot stop sinning. We need help. What a desperate predicament! But Bridges reminds us that there is hope. God has provided a way out of this impossible situation. By the power of His Holy Spirit, which He offers to us every single day, we can overcome the temptations we face and choose to do what is right. We have a responsibility to God, but we are also dependent on Him to enable us to fulfill that responsibility. The recent news story regarding Austin Tice, an American hostage who disappeared in 2012, demonstrates the principle of dependent responsibility. http://dailycaller.com/2015/02/05/parents-of-kidnapped-journalist-austin-tice-ask-for-help-seek-reform/. Tice's parents are doing everything within their power to ensure the safe and speedy release and return of their son. As his parents, it is their responsibility to do so. However, they are extremely limited in their ability to help him. The article reports that “Although Marc and Debra Tice are grateful for the generous support from RSF and other media outlets, they have expressed dissatisfaction with the efforts of their own government, and have a sense that they are on their own.” Tice's parents carry a great responsibility, yet also a great dependency on those who hold positions of power and authority. As I reflect on this story, I am filled with thankfulness that we have a Heavenly Father who, unlike our government, is not only all-powerful, but also “our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (New American Standard Bible, Isaiah 46:1). He does not leave us helpless. We can trust the one on whom we are dependent as we seek to fulfill our responsibility.

We live in a culture that has become almost immune to the idea of sin. It is described in terms that are vague and lacking in a sense of shame and guilt. An article posted today in the New York Times illustrates this fact. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/30/us/in-response-to-student-misconduct-dartmouth-to-ban-hard-liquor-at-parties.html?_r=0. One must look no further than the title to see the efforts of our society to make sin sound safe and tolerable: “Dartmouth Cites Student Misconduct in It's Ban on Hard Liquor.” According to the article, “extreme intoxication” and “binge drinking,” have lead to “sexual assults, fraternity hazing, and hospitalizations.” The article refers to the “serial misconduct” that is having a negative effect on the college and harming its reputation. “Serial misconduct?” Really? That is the name we are giving to behavior that is destroying individual's lives and ruining the reputation of an institute of higher learning? We must cease trying to pretend that all is well. Sin is real, and it is deadly. It is time to face the beast and call it what it is.