Obey God and Leave all the Consequences Up to Him
Every day I come upon accounts of the most wayward elements in society pressing individuals into boxes of conformity that violate their most deeply-held principles. I chanced upon an article today, published by the New York Times, that speaks to “The Moral Crisis of America’s Doctors” who believe they are suffering “moral injuries” because of the corporatization of health care and the pressures upon them to make decisions based on financial considerations that could be detrimental to the people in their care. Cited in the article are those who speak of “wounds sustained” as they are caught between the Hippocratic Oath and “the realities of making a profit from people at their sickest and most vulnerable.” https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/15/magazine/doctors-moral-crises.html
Then I was reminded of a friend’s recent blog post wherein he addressed concerns over students at many colleges operating like “Red Guards in China’s Cultural Revolution. Being unwoke,” he said, “is socially punished and breaking that culture of conformity will take reinforcement across the institution.” He was citing a Wall Street Journal article, “Harvard Has a Free Speech Moment: Fifty Professors Form an Alliance on Academic Freedom”)
“Most of the Woke Red Guard I encounter,” he added, “is asleep at the wheel of reason. They can bully. They cannot think. Or, in a Nietzschean move, they prefer bullying over thinking. But, perhaps there is some hope for the woke. At Harvard, Stephen Pinker (an atheist, btw) and fifty diverse Harvard professors, are forming a new faculty-led Council on Academic Freedom dedicated to the free exchange of ideas as a cornerstone of “reason and rational discourse.””
These professors confess, sadly, that Harvard has seen “cases of disinvitation, sanctioning, harassment, public shaming, and threats of firing and boycotts for the expression of disfavored opinions.” https://www.wsj.com/articles/harvard-council-on-academic-freedom-professors-free-speech-steven-pinker-bertha-madras-6ac96bc4
Then a friend telephoned this morning asking prayer for her daughter who had been invited to a Pride Month event, the attendance at which she believes would violate her religious principles. She is writing the supervisor in her internship program to tell him she will not be present. Courage. Moral fortitude.
I have seen many programs, articles and televised programs teaching children to stand up to bullies. The steamrollers in our society will continue gaining momentum if more adults don’t muster the courage to stand against silencing and pressuring, the infliction of moral injuries, and the attacks against our most deeply-held convictions.
Stanley admits, “Obedience can be a challenge, especially when we feel tempted to believe that we stand to lose more through our obedience than we might gain. However, obeying God is essential to pleasing Him—not just in times of temptation, but at all times. When God commands us to obey Him, He’s giving us a principle by which to live. He’s also setting a framework around our lives that forms a hedge of protection from evil.”
He asks, “Can you remember the last time you felt tempted to do the opposite of what you knew God desired for you to do? Most likely, a struggle erupted within your heart. The questions arose: Will obeying God cost me more than disobeying Him? Can I experience greater happiness by committing this sin than I would by obeying God? When we choose to obey God, we take the way of wisdom. His promises of blessing for obedience far outweigh any possible consequences. He asks us to submit ourselves to Him and leave whatever happens to His loving care. We must remember that God loves us and is committed to us. He commands our obedience, not because He is a strict taskmaster, but because He knows the devastating affect that disobedience and sin will have on our lives.”
His conclusion is that: “Obedience may not be easy—you may receive criticism from others or face fierce obstacles and opposition—but it will always put you in a favorable position before God. He will take care of all that concerns you; therefore, stay on the path of obedience and leave the rest to Him.”
