Dealing with People Who Continue to Make Sinful and Foolish Choices

It’s bad enough when you see a friend or family member make an unwise or sinful decision and then have to live with the consequences. But, it really drives me crazy when it’s a repeat offense – they’ve made that decision before, failed and are now, back at it again. It’s not like it’s a pop quiz! Can’t they see the outcomes are both predictable and preventable?

I’m guessing that God occasionally has the same feeling toward you and me.

Why? Because every habitual sin you and I commit is both predictable and preventable. And, if I were God, I’d be just as frustrated with me as I am with a friend who knows what they ought to do, but won’t.

“If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.” James 4:17

When I ran my business and something went terribly wrong, I’d gather my management team. Together we’d analyze the problem, propose some solutions and decide how we could keep this mistake from ever happening again. And, occasionally it would happen again, so we’d tighten something else up to make a third time even less likely. The more pro-active we were, the better results we achieved.

So, why is it we don’t apply that same technique to personal holiness, particularly those sins we repeat over and over?