One of the mysteries of life is why people choose evil. It normally requires the same energy to do good or evil but the results of evil are never good. There is always a day of reckoning, yet people choose evil. I read a story recently about a young man who was killed during the commission of a crime. His father was interviewed and indicated that he talked to the young man many times and tried to persuade him to live on another path, but his son chose evil and died in the process. This story is repeated every day.

For some people, it is about the environment they live in. Some never see a positive role model and the role models they see are the ones who are doing evil. They are popular, have money, and have a persona of success, but their apparent success is often short-lived and they end up either dead or in prison. Young people see the consequences, yet they make the same choice and end up in the same scenario. I remember speaking to a young man and telling him about my life and the choices I made, and letting him know he grew up in a decent family and would be better off getting a job, pursuing a lucrative career in a field he was skilled at, or starting a business. Unfortunately, he chose to be involved in drug and street life. Predictably, he ended up in prison in The Bahamas and the United States, and only after almost losing his life, did he make a change. My question to him was: What took you so long?

We struggle to find the answer, but it is clearly stated in the Bible that man is born in sin and has a natural proclivity to gravitate toward evil. It often does not make sense and the only logical conclusion to me is that sin is the reason for our disobedience and the consequences that go along with it. I think of husbands and wives who cheat on each other, many times for no good reason other than the pull of sin and pleasure. The problem is that as the Bible says, sin is pleasant for a season, but, in the end, it kills.

I am not throwing stones because I, too, was one who ended up in evil for no good reason. I was not born in the ghetto but, unfortunately, the ghetto was born in me and I ended up like others I spoke about previously. I remember hearing relatives, friends, people in the community asking why this young man with so much potential was on the streets. The reasoning for me was just as elusive as the reasoning for many young men today. The only answer I can think of is what the apostle Paul said when he stated that he wanted to do good, but evil was always present and there was a struggle.

Is there an answer to this question? Sometimes people are forced or coerced into evil based upon their environment. They are left with little or no choices. Others walk in with their eyes wide open, but they still do not see. Thankfully, there is something called redemption. There is something called a second chance. There is something called amazing grace. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I'm found. I was blind but now I see. I thank God for amazing grace because it was His amazing grace that saved me from my evil choices. Perhaps, there is someone you know who is choosing evil. We may not be able to force them to make a better choice, but we all can do our part in encouraging them to change their course. If you were saved by amazing grace, it's time to tell your story and help someone to find the grace they need to become what God always planned for them to be. Choose good today for a better life.

 
• Pastor Dave Burrows is senior pastor at Bahamas Faith Ministries International. Feel free to email comments, whether you agree or disagree, to pastordaveburrows@hotmail.com. I appreciate your input and dialogue. We become better when we discuss, examine and exchange.  

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