There are only a few really big questions in this world…..in my life……in your life.

How did the world begin?

How did life begin,

What happens when we die?

Mankind spends an enormous amount of energy and resources trying to find the answers. You can make the case that answering these questions is the ultimate goal of science, philosophy, and mysticism……religion. We are on a path. History tells us about a tiny part of that path. But, we feel a need to search out the more distant parts of the path. We do this to answer the overarching question……….why? Because, if we can figure out the why, we can make better use of our extremely limited time in this temporal world.

We seek out the why……..so that we won’t waste our time. And time is the most precious resource in this world. When we spend it…….it is gone…….and can never be retrieved.

The attempts to answer the big questions fall into two camps:

Science/secular humanism

Religion/mysticism

These two camps use different tools, different rules, and different assumptions. And, not surprisingly, they arrive at different conclusions. Forgive me……but I will try to condense both into a few sentences.

Science/secular humanism:

This camp uses measurable physical phenomena to explain everything. When they find something that defies measurement, they fill the gap with an assumption, based on the best measurements available. Many of these assumptions are good. Many are existential leaps……..unprovable explanations that must be true in order for the rest of the narrative to work.

The beginning of the world? There was nothing….space and time did not exist. Then suddenly, everywhere at once, space and time and an expanding universe came into being. Everything came out of nothing. They call it a “singularity”. They offer no answer as to how. They offer no answer as to why. This is the first major existential leap.

The begining of life? There was a puddle of simple atoms and small molecules (the primordial ooze). A random blast of energy struck it repeatedly and the atoms assembled themselves into progressively more complicated molecules which then began to reproduce and ultimately morphed into Angelina Jolie. There is no hard evidence documenting any of this. This process is also one of many of the existential leaps.

Where are we going? Nowhere. Because we cannot measure an afterlife…….it must not exist. Curiously, there is no existential leap here…….the place where we need it the most.

Religion/mysticism

The beginning of the world? A creator operating outside of the bounds of time and space called it into being for his purposes.

The beginning of life? The creator, God, did that too…..again, for his purposes.

Where are we going? God will either draw us back to him or cast us away.

This too is an existential leap…….an explanation that must be true for the narrative to work.

Which brings us to the overarching question:

Why?

Science/secular humanism gives us no answer. We are left to sort it out for ourselves. We like this a lot, because we get to create a series of why’s that serve our appetites. We can have a lot of fun…….for a very short time. But………the party begins with nothing and ends with dead black nothing.

Mysticism/religion gives us a clear answer. We were created to love and be loved…….by God…..by our fellow man. If we do this well, we will live a life of joy……first in this temporary world…….and then in an eternal paradise.

So………pick your existential leap.

But……know that you are choosing where you will land.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

God, ESV

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.

Solomon, ESV

what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Micah, ESV

Love

It is at the heart of the two primary commands of the Bible.

Love God…….Love man.

It is what God wants from you…….more than anything else.

It is the central reason for God’s creation……….of you.

Without question…….love is the most important thing in the universe.

The success of our lives…….the success of my life……..depends on love.

But……just what is love anyway?

Love, happiness, and satisfaction are linked. They are not the same. Love is the road that takes you to happiness. Happiness leads to satisfaction.

So here it is……….the secret of living a full, happy, and satisfied life.

Love

The heart of love is subordination……..the idea…….the act……..of putting another ahead of yourself. Think of the cross. I would go so far as to say that if you are unable to put the needs of someone else ahead of your needs……..then you are incapable of love. This is not an all or none deal. As we go through our day, we spend some of our energy meeting our own needs and we spend some of our energy meeting the needs of others. Love is a continuum. At one end is the sociopath…….the guy who serves his own needs with no consideration at any time for how his actions affect others. At the other end is the pure benefactor…….the woman who pours out her life taking care of others. Jeffrey Dahmer……..Mother Teresa. The rest of us fall somewhere in between.

The key to the success of your life…….is where you fall on that continuum. What percentage of your daily effort do you expend on caring for others……….what percentage of your daily effort do you spend gratifying your own desires?

Consider the woman with an unplanned……..unwanted pregnancy. In spite of the supreme court, she has two choices………she can gratify her desire to live as she pleases………or she can subordinate herself……..to her child. I propose that only one of these paths is the path of love. Only one of these paths leads to lasting joy.

There is an irony here that has to do with the linkage between love and happiness.

Love creates happiness.

Love creates satisfaction.

The closer you are to the “self serving” end of the continuum……the less happy you will be. The closer you are to the “service to others” end of the continuum…..the happier you will be.

It is just that simple.

Every day, you see people frantically working to satisfy their own appetites. The more that they have……the more that they want. But, it is never enough. Consider the CEO who has 4 houses, 6 cars, and a private jet………and who is negotiating for a raise. And while they seem to be having fun…..while they may have stuff………while they may be secure…….they are not happy…….they are not satisfied.

Every day you see people who radiate happiness. They may or may not have much in the way of stuff. But, they are happy………satisfied.

The key to understanding this conundrum is love. This should not be surprising. We were created by God for one reason…….to love. You can have a satisfying life without being loved……….but, you cannot have a satisfying life without loving.

You cannot lead a happy, satisfying life without loving.

To try to live your life without loving others………without subordinating yourself to others…….without serving others…….is to forgo happiness. It is a decision to trade happiness for feeding your appetites………to trade happiness for stuff and experiences.

It won’t work.

I believe that the central reality of paradise…….will be love. In paradise, we will spend our effort loving and serving others……loving and serving God.

And it will be fabulous………and we will be both happy and satisfied.

You might as well get used to it now.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Jesus, ESV

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong doing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.

Paul, ESV

And in the end…….the love you take…….is equal…….to the love you make.

John Lennon

There is no misery in not being loved,
only in not loving

Rod McKuen

Today’s post is for commited atheists and secular humanists. If you are a Christian…….and a sinner……this is not for you.

I know many really good people……..who are not Christians. And I am puzzled by what it is that is holding them back. The benefits are vast…….paradise, eternal life, and most of all the joy and fulfillment of being who you were created to be and of doing what you were created to do.

I ask myself……what would they have to change……what would they have to give up to become a Christian?

They must sense a downside.

So……what is the downside to Christianity?

Today I will explore the downside…..the cost of Christianity…….because there must be something in that list of costs that is stopping good people……not perfect people……from signing up.

So………what is it that Christianity asks of us…….that we resist?

Stop hurting people….(love your neighbor). If you are a drug dealer or a gang member, this could be it. But, the non-Christians that I know are not evil criminals…….in many cases they are better human beings than I am. This isn’t it.

Support the church with your time and money. We are all very busy and many of us are strapped for cash. Still, it’s hard to believe that a few bucks and an hour of two a week is the problem. This isn’t it either.

Sex……..this is a bit tougher. Sex is for husbands and wives. If recreational sex is a big part of your life or if you are committed to the LGBT agenda, this could be it. Still, passing up eternal paradise for a decade or two of sex seems a bit shortsighted.

Stuff……..we are a consumer culture. It is possible that we put so much energy into accumulating stuff that we have no emotional enegy left…..no room left……..for God. Again, this seems a bit shortsighted.

Politics………there was a time when, if you asked someone, “what are you?” ……..they would reply with their occupation…..or perhaps their faith. Today, the usual reply is Republican or Democrat. We have come to choose our political party as our identity……..or we have come to choose our identity as our party. That is the only reason that I can see that explains why most of us refuse to criticise “our” political party when they sell a policy that is clearly wrong…….and both sides sell policies that are wrong. I think that many people reject all…….or part……..of Christianity because it conflicts with their politics…….with their assumed identity. We follow Trump…..or Biden first……and only then do we follow God. Don’t get me wrong…..Trump and Biden will probably be in paradise……..but they will probably have an “obstructed view” seat……on the third balcony.

Subordination……this is getting closer. Christianity teaches us that we are not the boss here. Christianity teaches that whatever our desires are, whatever our appetites are, we are not the ultimate arbiter. We are not in charge. So……..we stand on our little piece of ground and shout at God…..”you are not the boss of me!” We are terrified that if we accept God as our master, our Lord……..that he will someday say to us….”sell everything that you own, go to Africa, and wait for further instructions.”

And I think……that when push comes to shove……that is the problem. We cannot humble ourselves. We want to be in charge. We want to be at the top of the “chain of command”. And we are willing to forego paradise……..and to risk hell…….so that we can be in charge.

So what would change for my friends? ………they would have to humble themselves…….I will have to humble myself.

“YOU ARE NOT THE BOSS OF ME!”

a six year old I once had to deal with, PSV. (pediatric standard version)……btw, she grew up into a fine woman

“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

God, ESV

Early tablet of the ten commandments

We don’t talk about it very much, but there is an idea that has assumed a central place in our culture. This idea is the “community standard”. In essence, it is what we, as a society, generally accept as appropriate behaviour. It used to be a consensus of the majority. And that is what it should be.  But…..I fear that it is becoming whatever idea that the vocal minority is selling this year.

Examples of the current “community standard”:

Graphic depiction of murder on our TV…..during prime time…..in front of school age children. 

Thinly veiled sex depicted between unmarried adults on our TV…..during prime time…..in front of school age children. 

Teaching the LGBT agenda in our schools and on our TVs.

Outlawing God and the Bible in our schools…….and, more and more, in our progressively “woke” business community, universities, and media community. 

Allowing Planned Parenthood to kill 3000 children a day …….every day.

The death penalty.

Tolerating urban homeless camps often populated by the addicted and the mentally ill without helping them.

A ridiculously low minimum wage that will not support a human being in our cities.

And many many more.

There are problems with the “community standard”:

It is no longer a majority consensus……..it is a reflection of the loudest voices shouting in the public square. 

It changes constantly……..and it is not improving. 

It reflects our appetites……..instead of what is morally right or wrong.

Like the frog in the frying pan, we slowly get used to it. Ideas that were once clearly wrong,  become tolerated, then become normal,  and finally become noble. Any one who complains or resists is assaulted…….first verbally and then physically. 

And worst of all……..it has become the code that we live by.

Is it any wonder that our society is in a state of progressive decay? This is most evident in the undeniable failure of our big cities.

And then there is the Bible. It is clear. It is constant. It is the owner’s manual……..written by our creator. It once served as our community standard……but no more.

Examples of the “Bible Standard”

Love God 

Love your fellow man

Don’t lie

Don’t steal 

Don’t murder

Honor your mother and father

Sex is for husbands and wives 

Don’t covet

Rest on Sunday 

Some will say it is narrow minded. I will concede that it is more restrictive and less fun in the short term than the “community standard “.

But can you honestly say that the community standard is building a better society than the Bible standard would……..if we only followed it? Can you honestly say that the community standard is improving our cities?

Portland, San Francisco, Chicago, New York……..these cities are the poster children for the “community standard” at work. And it is ugly.

“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land”.

God, ESV…….a quote from 2 Corinthians……..recently taken down by facebook for violating the “community standard”.

It is says a lot about our culture……….when our creator is excluded from the public conversation because he doesn’t follow……….the “community standard”.