New BLOG stuff - Every Inaction, is an action!

Well, I thought I'd stop the life story. I'll stick it into a book. You can buy it if you are really interested. lol Here is a little thought for the day. With CNY upon us, and everyone feeling happy, I thought I'd talk a bit about some Chinese Philosophy I took into church once. Through their ignorance (or lack of wanting to listen) I was burned pretty badly by this. We were at church one day, at Friday Night Fellowship (teenage group activity night) and talking about somethings from the bible. I decided to chuck in something I learned, and wanted to pass on. (This will teach me to get into Buddist and Taoist teaching). "Every inaction, is actually an action", I told them, expecting everyone to go, "Ooooooo, such wisdom." Nope, they all went, "Huh?" So I had to explain. I told them, "By not doing something, you are in fact, doing something. Like NOT helping someone who needs help. You have made a decision, and acted upon it. So, it is better to do the right thing, rather than choose not to do the right thing." (CRUNCH! I had suddenly hit thin ice!) Two guys were sitting there with a bible, and immediately told everyone to ignore what I just said. "The Bible", they started, "Specifically states ..." and they then quoted the part of the bible which basically says "that it is better not to do something if you are not right with God, than to do it" (Yes, it's a paraphrase between the inverted commas, not a direct quote). I tried to explain, that I was talking about something else. That verse was sepcifically in the Bible, because people should constantly be checking their intentions for doing things. NOT because God/Jesus wanted you to NOT do things. They wouldn't accept my arguement and just kept quoting that verse. It made me feel quite embarrased, and I was unsure if anyone actually understood what I was on about. A few people came up to me afterwards and said they understood what I had meant. They assured me, a few others understood it too. So all was not lost. Months later I cornered one of the guys who had basically shouted me down with that Bible verse. I explained the situation of that night, and went over the logic again. He admitted I was right. Of course, I now have a Biblical verse to back up what I am talking about. James 4:17 "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." Placed in context, we see that the verse regarding it being "better not to do" something was specifically aimed at getting your intentions right. NOT to stop you doing anything. Adding the verse from James, we see that NOT doing something condemns you just as much. The reason is simple, because like I was trying to explain years ago, every INACTION is in fact an ACTION. It was a choice you made/make, and one which the consequences will need to be lived with. The example I used to use at the time (though a bit far fetched), went like this: You are standing near a cliff. Suddenly, you hear cries for help. Someone is hanging from the top of the cliff. You suddenly decide, "Great, I can get my photo in the paper and be a hero", and race off to help the person. Suddenly, you remember that Biblical verse, and decide NOT to help that person because you're heart is in the wrong place. The person falls to their death. What was the correct thing to do? As I tried to explain years ago to the Fellowship, the correct thing to do, would have been to save the person, even for the wrong reasons. It is true, that in Gods Eye's your intentions were WRONG. (Which is why it says it is better for YOU not to have done the deed. Not that it is better for everyone.) I threw this example at them, and said, "Would it not be better to have performed the deed, saved the person, and then re-evaluated your intentions? You can always change your mind about getting your face in the paper and being hailed a hero. You can't unsplat the poor guy at the bottom of the cliff. On top of this, when you stand before God, how can you explain that you didn't save the person because it was better for YOU not to do it. Isn't this the most selfish action you could have performed?" The Biblical verses need to be viewed in context. Do the right thing (as in James 4:17) and also, make sure your heart is in the right place. It is possible to do both. It is a sin to turn your back on the right thing to do, just because you think you are doing what is best for yourself. Now, don't we all feel a lot better?