O Brother...

I was watching O Brother, Where Art Thou? last night on TV. It's a story that is loosely based on Homer's Odyssey and is a movie I never get tired of seeing again and again.

The scene that struck me last night was when Everette, Pete and Delmar had just robbed a bank with Baby Face Nelson. After the escape, the three of them were sitting around a campfire when Delmar spoke:

"Well, that was some some fun though, wut'n it, George? Almost makes me wisht I hadn'ta been saved. Jacking up banks! I can see how a feller'ed derive a whole lotta pleasure and satisfaction out of it. Whoo, doggies!"

Delmar had been baptized in an earlier scene and was determined to walk the straight and narrow now, but he still couldn't help the attraction he found in finding "a whole lotta pleasure and satisfaction" in the wrong ways.

Many Christians have more in common with Delmar than they may want to admit. They believe that when a person becomes a Christian there are a lot of "Whoo-doggie!" experiences they have to say no to despite how enticing those potential experiences might be.

They miss the point altogether. The Law (religious rules) tells you the things you can't do, but along with the prohibition it throws gasoline on the flames of desire to do those very things. In fact, the Apostle Paul said that sinful passions are aroused by religious rules. (See Romans 7:5) Grace does just the opposite. It gives us the desire to live a godly lifestyle and also the power to do it. (See Titus 2:11-12)

If you find yourself at times almost almost "wishtin' you hadn'ta been saved" so you could enjoy the things other people seem to enjoy, I challenge you to "grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ" and you'll find more "Whoo-Doggie" in life than you can imagine!