Opening a can of worms...

First, I want to start this post with my personal disclaimer..."that I really dislike writing posts like these." I know this is a "hot" topic & there will be strong feelings about it from all angles. I have felt God prompting me to write about this for the past couple of weeks. I had planned on writing it...just not today. Then I got a call from a friend who asked me about this topic. I think that was God's way of prompting me to write it today :o)

Not too long ago a friend asked me what I would do if the Orphanage that I am adopting from said it was okay by their standards to give money to people to get our files worked on more quickly & thus bring our children home sooner. First I want to make it perfectly clear that the Orphanage where my children are does not do that. This was purely a hypothetical question by a person seeking an answer & reason for my answer. This was/is my answer: No, I would not! Of course, that was the easy part. The hard part was explaining my answer...not for me so much but to answer in a way that would speak to this person's heart about the things of God.

Am I perfect? Absolutely not! Am I tempted? By many things all the time! So why can I adamantly say, "No, I would not give a bribe to get my children home sooner." Because God says it's wrong. But what if it's acceptable practice in the society? Just because it's "acceptable" doesn't make it right. It doesn't make it legal either. Most society's have rules against bribes even if it's "socially accptable." So in this case, not only would I be disobeying God, I would be disobeying the government as well. But other people do it! Once again I go back to...that doesn't make it right. Remember you mother saying to you as a child..."If Susie jumped off a cliff, would you?" I wouldn't back then & I don't plan to now.

Also, if I claim to be a child of God, which I do...shouldn't I be trusting in God to finish what he has called me to do? That alone should be enough to make me not want to do it but what if it wasn't? Well, what about the consquences that come from our sins & disobeying God? What if someone gave a bribe to get their children home sooner & for their disobedience their children died or they themselves died? I don't want to take that kind of chance.

But God has called me to adopt these children & they are my responsibilty to care for them & love them so I should do whatever it takes to get them home sooner. First of all God doesn't call us to disobey his Word. Secondly, serving & loving God is my first priority...above all else...above my children. Lastly, I have been caring for & loving my children for over a year & a half but have only been with them physically in person 3 weeks of that time.

Now lets forget about us for a moment & think about what kind of impact we make on society if we gave into the temptation to give a bribe. We are hindering a society from ever getting out of the bribery/corruption cycle. We are also placing the people who accept the bribes at risk for loosing their jobs & their ability to provide for their families. We are also diminishing our witness for Jesus to the world.

The following is a defintion of bribery & bribes from the Wikipedia. You can go to www.Wikipedia.org to read more.
Bribery, a form of pecuniary corruption, is an act usually implying money or gift given that alters the behaviour of the recipient in ways not consistent with the duties of that person or in breach of law. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or other person in discharge of a public or legal duty. The bribe is the gift bestowed to influence the recipient's conduct. It may be any money, good, right in action, property, preferment, privilege, emolument, object of value, advantage, or merely a promise or undertaking to induce or influence the action, vote, or influence of a person in an official or public capacity.

This is what God's word says about bribes:
"Extortion turns wise people into fools, & bribes corrupt the heart." Ecc. 7:7
"You rulers govern for the bribes you can get; you priests teach God's laws only for a price; you prophets won't prophesy unless you are paid. Yet all of you claim you are depending on the Lord. "No harm can come to us," you say, "for the Lord is here among us." Micah 3:11

and about business:
"The Lord demands fairness in every business deal; he sets the standard." Prov. 16:11
The following is from a chart in my NLT Life Application Study Bible
How can a person keep away from the evil system?
1. People must always be more important than products.
2. Keep away from pride in your own programs, plans, & successes.
3. Remember that God's will & Word must never be compromised.
4. People must always be considered above the making of money.
5. Do what is right, no matter what the cost.
6. Be involved in businesses that provide worthwile products or services-not just
things that feed the world's desires.

and about children:
"Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.
Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows in a warrior's hands.
How happy is the man whose quiver is full of them! He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates." Psalm 127:3-5
"I show this unfailing love to many thousands by forgiving every kind of sin & rebellion. Even so I do not leave sin unpunished, but I punish the children for the sins of thier parents to the third & fourth generations." Exodus 34:7
"Then David confessed to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord." Nathan replied, "Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you, & you won't die for this sin. But you have given the enemies of the Lord great opportunity to despise & blaspheme him, so your child will die." 2 Samuel 12:13-14

and about Christianity:
"Don't imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! No, I came to bring a sword. I have come to set a man against his father, & a daugther against her mother, & a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. Your enemies will be right in your own household. If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daugther more than me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you refuse to take up your cross & follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give it up for me, you will find it." Matthew 10:34-39
See the entire book of Job
"Obey the government, for God is the one who put it there. All governments have been placed in power by God. So those who refuse to obey the laws of the land are refusing to obey God, & punishment will follow. For the authorities do not frighten people who are doing right, but they frighten those who do wrong. So do what they say, & you will get along well. The authorities are sent by God to help you. But if you are doing something wrong, of course you should be afraid, for you will be punished. The authorities are established by God for that very purpose, to punish those who do wrong. So you must obey the government for two reasons: to keep from being punished & to keep a clear conscience." Romans 13:1-5"
The footnotes on Romans 13:1 says this: Are there times when we should not obey the government? We should never allow government to force us to disobey God. Jesus & his apostles never disobeyed the government for personal reasons; when they disobeyed, it was in order to follow God's moral standards. Their disobedience was not cheap: They were threatened, beaten, thrown into jail, tortured, & executed for their convictions. Like them, if we are compelled to disobey, we must be ready to accept the consequences.

and about choices:
"My child, if sinners entice you, turn your back on them! They may say, "Come & join us. Let's hide & kill someone! Let's ambush the innocent! Let's swallow them alive as the grave swallows its victims. Though they are in the prime of their life, they will go down into the pit of death. And the loot we'll get! We'll fill our houses with all kinds of things! Come on, throw in your lot with us; we'll split our loot with you!" Don't go along with them, my child! Stay far away from their paths. They rush to commit crimes. They hurry to commit murder. When a bird sees a trap being set, it stays away. But not these people! They set an ambush for themselves; they booby-trap their own lives! Such is the fate of all who are greedy for gain. It ends up robbing them of life." Proverbs 1:10-19
"As Jesus was going down the road, he saw Matthew sitting at his tax-collection booth. "Come, be my disciple," Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up & followed him. Matthew 9:9

and about compromise:
"Test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables & water," Daniel said. "At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king's rich food. Then you can decide whether or not to let us continue eating our diet." So the attendant agreed to Daniel's suggestion & tested them for ten days." Daniel 1:12-14
"But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him publicly, speaking strongly against what he was doing, for it was very wrong." Galatians 2:11

and about conformity:
"Do not pass along false reports. Do not cooperate with evil people by telling lies on the witness stand. Do not join a crowd that intends to do evil. When you are on the witness stand, do not be swayed in your testimony by the opinion of the majority. And do not slant your testimony in favor of a person just because that person is poor." Exodus 23:1-3
"So do not act like the people in Egypt, where you used to live, or like the people of Canaan, where I am taking you. You must not imitate their way of life. You must obey all my regulations & be careful to keep my laws, for I, the Lord, am your God. If you obey my laws & regulations, you will find life through them. I am the Lord." Leviticus 18:3-5
"And you will know that I am the LORD, for you have not followed my decrees or kept my laws but have conformed to the standards of the nations around you." Ezekiel 11:12
"I beseech you therefore, brethen, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world; but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, & acceptable, & perfect will of God." Romans 12:1-2

and about consequences:
"And to Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife & ate the fruit I told you not to eat, I have placed a curse on the ground. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. It will grow thorns & thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. All your life you will sweat to produce food, until your dying day. Then you will return to the ground from which you came. For you were made from dust, & to the dust you will return." Genesis 3:17-19

and about corruption:
"Now the earth had become corrupt in God's sight, & it was filled with violence. God observed all this corruption in world, & he saw violence & depravity every where." Genesis 6:11-12
"Only fools say in their hearts, "There is no God." They are corrupt, & their actions are evil; no one does good!" Psalm 14:1
"Mordecai, the Jew became the prime minister, with authority next to that of King Xerxes himself. He was very great among the Jews, who held him in high esteem, because he worked for the good of his people, & was a friend at the royal court for all of them." Esther 10:3
"Pure & lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans & widows in their troubles & refuse to let the world corrupt us." James 1:27

and about the cost of following Jesus:
"Then one of the teachers of religious law said to him, "Teacher, I will follow you no matter where you go!" But Jesus said, "Foxes have dens to live in, & birds have nests, but I, the Son of Man, have no home of my own, not even a place to lay my head." Matthew 8:19-20

and about trusting God:
"Soon I will die," Joseph told his brothers, "but God will surely come for you, to lead you out of this land of Egypt. He will bring you back to the land he vowed to give to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob." Genesis 50:24
"Take this child home & nurse him for me," the princess told her. "I will pay you for your help." So the baby's mother took her baby home & nursed him." Exodus 2:9
"Then they turned against Moses & complained, "Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren't there enough graves for us in Egypt? Why did you make us leave? didn't we tell you to leave us alone while we were still in Egypt? Our Egyptian slavery was far better than dying out here in the wilderness! But Moses told the people, "Don't be afraid. Just stand where you are & watch the Lord rescue you. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again." Exodus 14:11-13
"Because the men who explored the land were there for forty days, you must wander in the wilderness for forty years-a year for each day, suffering the consquences of your sins..." Numbers 14:34

Okay...I'm way past brain fade now so I will bring this post to an end. I hope that it speaks to your heart in a positive way.