To Sin or Not to Sin? That is the Question

To sin or not to sin, that is the question:

Whether ‘tis nobler in the spirit to refrain

The temptations of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of man’s desires

And by opposing end them.  To die—to live,

As Christ’s; and by that life to say we end

The heartache and the thousand natural shocks

That flesh is heir to:  ‘tis a consummation

Devoutly to be wish’d.  To die, to live,

As Christ’s.

Temptations are out there, and just as prevalent are the excuses we use to override what "we know to do."  Even the consummate religious pedagogue, the Apostle Paul, lamented that "the good that I would do, I do not."

Let's face it.  It's hard to be in this world and not succumb to the tests Jesus so handily managed in his wilderness face off the with "Master of this World."  We, too, are often the most vulnerable when we feel alone – not only because we are without support, but also (ouch!) without witnesses.

Who wouldn't defend the hungry opting for ill-gotten bread?  But is this bread really a stone in disguise?

What about a little power? It's difficult to avoid the temptation to pull yourself up the ladder by pointing out someone else's foibles. Just not the right choice.

Then there's the piéce de résistance of proving you are God's chosen because your life looks like you have "got it all together."  Job had these thought too; and it didn't work out too well for him until he changed his perspective a little.

In the final analysis, know God loves each and every one of us, even people who may be very different from ourselves.  He's always on our side, even when we are clinging to hope–faith in God's saying He will never leave or forsake us–rather than flailing out in our own attempts to stay afloat.  This is the answer to every temptation.

Like Hamlet, distinguishing between being and not being is often a question hard to clarify.  "Ay, theres the rub"–what diverts us from our true course.  Knowing what is right is a hard enough task, but doing what is right takes more than mere mortal power; it takes the love and grace of God.