THE TRAGEDY OF DOING NOTHING

Here's some fun for the day.......

TRIVIA:   (answer at bottom)
What country did french fries originate from?

BRAIN TEASER:  (Answer at bottom)
If you were running a race and you passed the person in 2nd place, what place would you be in now?

JOKE:  
Q:  What course in school is fruity?
A:   History, because it is full of dates.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:   
Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.

COMIC FUN: 

TRICIA'S TWEET OF THE DAY:
Live in such a way that if anyone were to speak badly of you, no one would believe it.

THE TRAGEDY OF DOING NOTHING

Today's post is on the tragedy of doing nothing.   I thought I'd take another look at one of the 'Villains of the Bible' to help with this topic.   I posted about Judas back in June with a topic of wasted opportunity.  There’s a lot to be learned from these shady characters.   Basically it’s a good look at what NOT to do.    They make a lot of mistakes and I can relate to that more than I can relate to having my act together and doing everything correctly.   I’m not saying these Villains are good guys and gals.....hey....they’re Villains.   But maybe by looking at where they messed up, we can avoid the same pitfalls that they fell into.   Let's look at Pontius Pilate today and see how we can avoid making the same mistakes he made.  

Pontius Pilate is best known as the Roman official that authorized the crucifixion of Jesus.    His story can be found in the Gospels of the Bible in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.    A quick gist of the story of Pilate is that Pilate knew Jesus was innocent of the charges brought against him but Pilate didn't stand up for Jesus.   The choice of doing nothing is what this post will be about today in regards to Pontius Pilate.  

LIFE LESSON:   It is a tragedy when we recognize the truth but fail to heed it because of our own selfish motives.

From the Scriptures we can tell that Pilate thought Jesus spoke the truth and was innocent.  Three times he said Jesus was not guilty.    However, while recognizing the truth, Pilate chose to ignore it and reject it.    Pilate tried to have everyone else make the decision for him instead of being a man of courage and standing up for what is right.   The problem for Pilate was that the issue with Jesus could cause him troubles with his job.   He had a mob wanting Jesus dead, but Pilate felt he was innocent.    Pilate's main motivation for doing the things he did was self-preservation.  He didn't want any issues with his job, so he continued to try to find an easy way out.  He chose not to take a stand for what is right.


LIFE LESSON:   It is a tragedy to compromise our beliefs and principles for the sake of being popular and going with the crowd.

Pilate made attempts to deal with Jesus several times.   He first tried to put the responsibility on someone else by sending Jesus to Herod Antipas.    When Jesus was back again with Pilate, Pilate tried a compromise to get him off the hook by allowing the crowd to choose to release Barrabbas (another prisoner) or Jesus.   Pilate was hoping the crowd would pick Barrabbas.   That way, the crowd made the choice and not him and he would still be secure in his job he could reason that the crowd made the decision and not him.  


LIFE LESSON:   Don't make excuses.   Take responsibility for your own actions and for the decisions you make.   Don't look for scapegoats.  

Pilate's next 'compromise' was to have Jesus flogged instead of putting him to death.   He thought this might appease the crowd, but it did not.   Finally, when he could see that putting Jesus to death would be the only way to appease the accusers, Pilate relented.   In doing so he also did a public 'washing of his hands' to try and still claim his own innocence in the situation.  



LIFE LESSON:  Washing your hands of a tough situation does NOT cancel your guilt.  It merely gives you a false sense of peace.


Had Pilate been a man of courage and character, he would have released Jesus regardless of the consequences.    The crowd roared and he buckled.   What would we do in a similar situation?

LIFE LESSON:   Don't look for the easy way out if it goes against what is right.   Have the courage to stand up for the truth.

Some Questions to ask ourselves.

How many times do we sit back and say nothing when we know we should speak up about something that is wrong?   

Are we more concerned with social rejection, ridicule or job security than we are concerned with the truth?

How many times do we know the right thing to do but choose not to do it?


We all face situations in life where we have the opportunity to speak up for what is right.   Sometimes in work or school, sometimes in restaurants or church....lots of places.     The tough part is that is usually not the easy way out.   We don't like to get involved.   It's much easier to sit back and think of the right thing to do than to actually do it.     We might be ridiculed if we speak up.   We might possibly lose our job if we speak up.   We might possibly lose a friend by speaking up and so often we stay silent.    I know I often wish I would speak up more than I do.   It's something I need to work on frequently.

Pilate had his moment in history and now we have ours.    What will we do with our opportunities and responsibilities?   Hopefully we won't stand aside and wash our hands of the situation as Pilate did.    Being people of courage and people of character is tough sometimes, but it's worth it because it's the right thing to do. 

Do what is right, not what is easy.




TRIVIA ANSWER:
Belgium

BRAIN TEASER:
You would be in 2nd place.   You passed the person in 2nd place, not 1st.


Until next time..........