It is built into the life of human beings that they must make decisions (choices). This is especially related to the concept of problem solving. God expects us to devote time, thought, energy and application to solving problems. Masses of the population live without an awareness of the obligation to help others through problem solving, and to use the skill of problem solving to avoid some further potential problems. The nation at this writing is going through a period when the national government is at impasse on creating and managing a national budget that includes debt reduction. The failure to address the issue becomes an unwanted choice by default. The choice not to work out the problem creates a silent choice for future problems that may not be soluble except by massive depression, with a suffering society and threat to world balances. The current problem is in an unmanaged set of circumstances that does not really solve anything, but introduces other problems in addition – such as public discord that robs the citizenry of the pursuit of happiness. It then becomes the pursuit of survival. One wonders why adults leave problems to their children who will inherit not only the problem, but the residues of it.
This is a major issue in spiritual matters. Decisions related to God and eternity, are not made by millions upon millions of persons. In reality, they are made by personal and social default. Evasion is a decision either made deliberately or made by us simply because no deliberate effort to decision for action is made. Persons say they do believe in God, but will work things out later; or they believe but do not apply the off-hand statement to the reality of their lives; or they simply put the matter on the shelf for some future time period, perhaps when they grow old – and so the generations go by without rising above the physical survival of natural life. That is animal life, enhanced by the fact that humankind is a thinking animal capable of more than the earth offers. By omission of spiritual problem solving, a human being takes life as a limited experience – entering the stage of nature from one end, strutting across the stage and departing on the other end. This is the figure of Shakespeare. Most persons appear to live out their lives with earth, and, by default, miss heaven. A person doesn’t have to be bad to miss heaven. All that needs to be done is nothing – default. That will work negatively as well as God-hatred, or living a gross and indefensible life. Our lives are dependent upon the yeses in our lives – and the evasions of them.
This is a major matter in the world, the evasion of spiritual obligation. We likely would not reject a doctor at the door if we are ill, or the grocer if we are hungry, or the plumber if the pipes are clogged, or a friend for fellowship, but we may leave Christ at the door of our lives. He reminds us that he is there and knocking. The door must be opened from the inside. Every person is given the dignity of his or her own decisions, and will carry the consequences of the life that grows out of decisions made and not made. The not made decisions may be the most important of all. We decide to marry or not marry, to gain an education or pass it by, to work or evade work, to follow the rules or disregard them, and so the story may be lengthened. Every one of the options is a decision of either yes or no. Neglect is an automatic, no.
Even though evasion applies to virtually every context of our lives, none can be more important than evasion of spiritual issues. Scripture reminds us to take on the matter of decision making to determine the course of our lives. In the text above, the Apostle Paul had presented a magnificent defense. It made Felix tremble, but he put off grappling with the spiritual issue. Uppermost in his mind was to receive a bribe from Paul to be let off. Paul would have none of it, appealing to Caesar. The main purpose of the ministry of the Christian – the pastor, missionary, layperson, is to call anyone who will listen to take up the responsibility to respond intelligently to life issues, but especially to the matter of relationship with Jesus Christ as that relationship is made redemptive for human beings. The spiritual doctor is always at the door of our lives – to be invited in. The latch, the knob, the lock is on our side of the door. The parable is simple and applies with the same meaning in any culture. Jesus said: I stand at the door and knock. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020