Open mindedness

This is a good thing…….isn’t it?

The current term for open mindedness……..is tolerance. Tolerance is putting open mindedness into practice. And it turns out, that in practice, open mindedness and tolerance are almost synonymous.

We want to be open minded…….people tell us that we need to be open minded…….but why?

So…..today’s question……is open mindedness good or bad?

I propose that open mindedness/tolerance is nether good nor bad. As with many other things…….it depends.

It depends on whether the idea that you are considering……is true or not.

It depends on whether the act that you are tolerating is good or evil.

And that is where we get into trouble.

Our current society does not seems to value truth very much. And that becomes a problem for open mindedness. Without truth, open mindedness and its cousin, tolerance, become logically untethered.

Mitigating climate change is an idea that may save the planet. It can also be a fools errand. It all depends on whether the greenhouse gas theory is true.

Abortion is either a tool for self determination among women……or murder. It all depends on whether the humanity…….the soul……..of the child is true.

God…..the trinity…….is either the creator and head of the universe…..or a giant hoax. It all depends on whether the Bible is true.

And this is where our culture gets into trouble.

The trouble is that our modern culture has largely replaced the truth…….with our appetites. We tend to believe things that allow us to pursue our appetites……our desires. Whether they are true or not is secondary…….if we ever consider the truth at all.

So…..in the absence of truth………how do we sort these things out?

We support/opppse abortion because we want sexual freedom/want to save children.

We support/oppose the green new deal because it will save the planet/wreck our economy.

We accept/reject God because we want paradise/we want to be in charge.

The simple answer is that…..without truth…..we cannot navigate this morass.

The only way out of this logical thicket is the truth.

The answer is to stop pursuing our appetites and to search out the truth. The answer is to subordinate our appetites to the truth.

Here are some guidelines.

If your plan for living consistently steers you toward satisfying your appetites……..you are probably kidding yourself.

Listen to your heart………you may have beaten it down over the years…….but the truth is still in there.

Be skeptical when you pursue something because you really want it. The truth is often that tiny voice that says “don’t”.

Love and relationship are true. If your appetites damage love or a relationship……stop.

Finally, ask your heart………is 70 years of life…..preceeded and followed by a black void…..all that there is…….or is there something more…….is there a part of you that lives on after your death.

The solution to the open mindedness/tolerance conundrum is this:

Ignore your appetites and search dispassionately for truth. Be prepared to listen to the little voice that says “no”.

The Bible is the most widely accepted moral code on the planet………it is a good place to start………far better than your appetites. And God will toss paradise in……..as a bonus.

I am the Lord your God,
who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
“But my people did not listen to my voice;
Israel would not submit to me.
So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts,
to follow their own counsels.

God, 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 wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.

Paul, ESV

Great ideas……great goals.

But, the simple truth is this:

Justice and mercy are often in conflict. Often……if not usually……..justice and mercy are polar opposites.

And yet…….both justice and mercy are clearly important in the Bible……..both must be important……to God.

Justice: the guy who hurt me……or my family……or my friend……..gets the punishment that he deserves.

Mercy: when I mess up…….God forgives me.

Justice is driven by the unbiased application of the rules.

Mercy is driven by the undiluted application of love.

Justice is the central theme in the old testament.

Mercy is the central theme of the new testament.

Justice, in the old testament, is often achieved by the death of the wrongdoer.

Mercy, in the new testament, is achieved by the death…………..and resurrection………..of God himself.

From God’s perspective, old testament justice was pretty cheap. One lightning bolt…….a dash of fire and brimstone………..a quick stoning……and done. New Testament mercy, however, is an entirely different kettle of fish. The price of God’s mercy was…….is……..unimaginable. God watched his only son……..a son whom he loved……..die a death that redefines gruesome.

I have to believe……..based its cost to God…….that mercy is more important to God than justice. At least I hope so. Because……..I am in no position to face God’s justice………and neither are you.

When I think of mercy, I am usually focused on me and God’s love for me. When I think of justice, I am usually focused on the other guy………and the rules.

I don’t have a clue how God balances these two ideals in eternity……and, fortunately, that is not something that I have to sort out.

So…..instead…….my thought for today is:

“How do I……..how do we……balance justice and mercy…….in this broken world?”

Clearly, there are people in this world who are so evil that they must be kept in cages to protect the rest of us…….justice.

But, the vast majority of the time, I believe that mercy is a better problem solving tool.

I have decided to leave justice, in this world, to a deeply flawed criminal justice system as it struggles to sort and punish evil. In eternity, I will leave justice to God.

In a word……..justice is not my business……..justice is above my pay grade.

In my life……..I will focus on mercy. I will hope for and trust in God’s mercy in his dealings with me. And, I will apply mercy in my dealings with my neighbors……….as much as is possible.

I think that a good first step……..is to pray for the politicians whom I disagree with. Maybe after that I can find the strength…….and mercy……to pray for the truly evil people on this planet.

This will not be easy……….but I doubt that it was easy for God to watch Jesus on the cross…….the cross…….where justice and mercy meet.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Jesus, ESV

Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

Paul, ESV

Mercy triumphs over judgment.

James, 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

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.

Max Ehrmann, Desiderata

We live in a society that once was open……..even welcoming…….. to Christianity. Now, however, more and more, our society is hostile to Christianity. The number of places where our faith is simply not allowed grows every day. We have largely been run out of our schools and universities. Our government, at best, gives us a small corner and tolerates us…….as long as we stay in our corner. At worst, the laws of our nation are used to marginalize us. The media is becoming more and more hostile. I quit watching a popular crime drama years ago because Christians were consistently portrayed as angry judgemental hypocrits.

This animus toward Christians seems to center on a small core of people who are openly hostile to us. But our neighbors and our government seem to be OK with it. At the very least, they are silent.

The first irony is that our detractors are the same people who tell us we need to be more tolerant. They tell us that we must be more open to new ideas………as they silence us in the schools. Today, in our schools, it permissible, even encouraged, to teach young people that your sex is whatever you want it to be. Anything that you do in the sphere of sex is OK. But, if you try to teach the idea that you are valued and loved by God, your creator……..just as you are, our government will punish you……and the school that allowed you a platform.

But, as bad as this is………this is not the greatest irony.

For us, as Christians, our future, our eternal destiny, is absolutely secure. We will spend our eternity with our creator…….our father……Abba. Our most vocal detractors……..the people who would silence us in the public conversation……..do not have that assurance. At best, they try to silence us because we annoy them. At worst, they are troubled by the possibility……..that we might be right. In between are the rest of our neighbors who sit by in silence………who are tacitly OK with selling the transgender agenda in our schools but are comfortable with excluding salvation by faith.

So…….the truly great irony is this:

We have nothing to gain or lose by promoting our faith in the public square. We win…..one way or the other. The only possible winners from our attempts to “sell” our faith…….to evangelize…….are the very friends and neighbors who actively……..or more often passively try to silence us. The truly great irony?…….Our most aggressive detractors are those who have the most to gain from our efforts.

Our most aggressive detractors……..our most angry and vocal critics…….are those who have the most to gain from our efforts to sell Christianity in the public arena.

So…….what to do?

When I face a dilemma, I usually go back to the basics.

Love God……love your neighbor

Love God…….tells me to keep selling him to those around me. After loving God and loving my neighbor, this is my next most important job.

Love my neighbor……..tells me to do it with care and kindness. Do it in a way that they will clearly understand……that it is a gift…..to and exclusively for…….them……that it profits me not one bit. Love tells me to sell salvation by faith…..even if it costs me.

That is, after all, the lesson of the cross.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Jesus, ESV

“everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?”

Paul, ESV

But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

Peter, ESV

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

Isaiah, ESV

We deal with fear every day. Usually, it is small things; but, often it is the fear of a major disaster. Fear is our natural response to risk. And risk is the possibility of an impending problem……..possibly a disaster.

Human nature is complex. There are many things that we do very well. Assesing risk, however, is not one of them. We tend to give more weight to risks that are near……and less weight to risks that are more remote. We do this even when the remote risk is the more dire. We are more worried about being late for work than we are worried about our employer closing down.

We also have a penchant for simply ignoring risks. There are many reasons: We just don’t want to do the work needed to avoid the risk. The risk runs contrary to our politics……..contrary to the people we have chosen as leaders. Perhaps dealing with the risk requires us to do something that we don’t want to do…….or stop doing something that we want to do.

Because we do not prioritize…….we do not stratify……risk well, we fear inaccurately.

I have often said, “If you are going to worry…….at least worry accurately “.

So……here is an exercise in worrying accurately. Make a list of the things that you fear today…….the risks that you face…….the things that you are worried about…..today.

Bills
Your children
Covid-19
The mid term election
Car troubles
Black mold in your basement

These risks share a common feature……..they are temporal. They are limited to our physical world. They are limited to our lifetimes. Every one of them will be gone…..resolved, in a few years……when we die. For me, these risks will simply expire…….in about 20 years. It may be longer for you. It may be shorter for me. But, these risks will all go away…..soon.

Because these risks are self limited, our fears about these risks should also be limited……..by time if nothing else. These risks…..and our fears are entirely temporal.

Now consider one more risk. This one is more remote. And this one, unfortunately, is not limited……by time……or by anything else.

Hell

The fact that hell is eternal means that this risk is infinite. The fact that hell is irrevocable means that it cannot be fixed.

I propose that an irrevocable, eternal, infinite risk belongs at the top of your list of risks……..way ahead of any temporal risk.

I propose that hell belongs at the top of the list of things that you fear.

In fact, the gap between hell and the number 2 risk on your list is so great that compared to it, all of your other worries……all of your other fears……are inconsequential.

The Bible gives us cyrstal clear guidance on the topic of fear. Over and over it tells us not to worry…..not to fear temporal risks.

Then…….over and over………the Bible tells us to fear God. And we really don’t like that. We want God to be a kind……gentle, soft focus kind of guy who bails us out of trouble…….and he is. God is the God of paradise. But……God is also the God of hell. The Bible repeatedly tells us to worry……..about eternal risks…….about hell.

God rules hell……..not Satan. Satan knows what is coming for him……and he is terrified……Satan has his risk stratification nailed down cold. He is worried about one thing……..hell.

So……ironically…….there is something that we can learn from Satan. Like Satan, we really only have one thing to fear………hell.

When the Bible repeatedly tells us to fear God, it is a reminder that we are barreling toward a fork in the road……..a fork that God, not Satan, is in control of. One day we will round a corner and there it will be. No time to brake. No chance to decide. The decision at that point is up to God. And God’s decision will hinge on a single decision that we have already made. Do we humble ourselves and accept God’s sovereignty……..or do we wear the crown ourselves.

So, if we get our risk stratification right, we take steps today to be sure that we are lined up for the safe side of the fork in the road……the fork that is our ultimate destiny…..our true destiny.

Or…….we could just ignore or deny the risk……and hope that we are right.

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell……..So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

Jesus, ESV

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

David, ESV

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on.”

Matthew, ESV

I know a woman………she and her husband packed their family up and flew halfway around the world to spread the word of God in a country that is not nearly as comfortable as America. They run their lives on a plan. It is a surprisingly complicated plan. The hoops that they have had to jump through to get to……and to stay in their new home country are mind boggling. But, the plan is a good plan and the plan is working.

I’m a big fan of making a plan and following it through. I too made a plan and followed it through: college, med school, residency, then 35 years with one practice, and finally…….a comfortable retirement. In many ways she and I have followed the same strategy. But, there is a key difference.

She is following God’s plan……..and I am following mine.

Every step along the way, I have asked the question, “will this decision, this choice, promote my interests?” Every step along the way, she has asked, “will this decision, this choice, promote God’s interests?”

And I have come to understand that this dichotomy is a major threat to Christianity. It is a threat to the heart and the soul of the Christian. Christianity asks us to run our plan by God and to conform our plan to his plan. Human nature tells us that we can figure it out…….without God’s interference. Human nature tells us that our plan is better than God’s plan. It is no accident that our plan happens to lead us to a pleasant, comfortable place. Sometimes God’s plan does not…….at least not right away.

And so…….we put ourselves in charge. We execute our plan. And when our plan conflicts with God’s plan……we push God off into the corner. The danger here, is that after pushing God off onto the corner for long enough, we stop thinking about him…….we stop talking to him……we stop asking his advice. We stop allowing him to interfere with our plan. Oh, we let him out of his corner for an hour on Sunday……if that…….and then tell ourselves that we are “a good person”.

I’m not saying that you have to pack up your stuff and head to Africa. But, I think that we could all profit, if we would spend more time talking to God……listening to God……..and asking his advice. I think that we could all profit, if we worked harder to conform our plan…….to God’s plan.

The culture will say that I am sucessful…….and that she is not. The culture rewards me with a position of status….and her……not so much. But I can’t help but wonder if that calculus will hold up…….after we cross over to eternity. I have a sneaking suspicion that……in eternity…….in paradise…….our positions will be reversed.

So, perhaps a little late in the game, I am bending my plan…….just a little……..to bring it a bit closer……..to God’s plan.

“So……the last will be first and the first last.”

Jesus, ESV

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Jesus, ESV

So……..I woke up early this morning……4:30am?!?…….no point in trying to get back to sleep. I figured that I’d go out on the patio to watch the sunrise and do my Bible reading for the day. As it turns out, this is a fairly lengthy process: build a fire in the fire pit………pull a shot of espresso…….froth some milk for the crema……..wipe off the dew. While I was at it, I fired up the robot vacuum to clean up the mess from last night’s dinner party.

So I’m standing at the espresso machine working on my latte………and all that the robot wants to do is vacuum the square yard of floor that I’m standing on…….over and over and over.

I had some unkind words……..for the robot……..as I prepared for my morning devotional……..my morning conversation with God. I verbally savaged a machine in preparation for a conversation with my creator………the guy who has blessed me with a lifestyle that very few people in our current world enjoy………a lifestyle that Jesus didn’t enjoy.

And then it hit me.

I am an ungrateful snot.

You may or may not have an espresso machine, or a robot vacuum, or a patio. But, compared to the 8 billion people on this planet…….as an American……..you are blessed. Your lifestyle, just like mine……is in the top 1 or 2 percent.

We have, you and I, been blessed…….individually……..and as a nation. And we need to start acting like it……..individually………and as a nation.

So my question is this:

When was the last time that you felt sorry for yourself? When was the last time that you complained about your life?

For me………it’s been at least 15 minutes.

When was the last time that you shared your individual blessings with someone who was struggling? When was the last time you asked your congressman to send more aid to Africa……or Bangladesh?

For me……..it’s been a while.

I worry that I……..and my nation……..have become ungrateful…….and self absorbed. We once sought God……as a nation………and I worry that we have lost that. As a nation we need to invite God back into our public life.

As an individual……………I need to spend more energy saying “thank you lord”…….and less energy saying “why me?”

One of God’s many promises is that if we seek him……he will bless us.

Another of God’s promises is that if we bless others, he will bless us.

“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

Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.

Solomon, ESV

Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

Jesus, ESV

I’ll call him Joe.

He is my friend. You almost certainly know someone like Joe…….you may be Joe.

Joe is a committed atheist.

He believes in science, Darwin, life, and death.

I believe in God, life, death, and paradise.

We share the belief in life and death. Our disagreement is fundamentally this:

Science and Darwin………..God and paradise

Dead black nothing……..eternity

Where we came from…….and where we are going.

Two different belief systems.

Our lives are the result of either an accident or a conscious, intentional act of creation……by an intelligent creator…….a creator who loves us and who wants us to be happy. We are either going somewhere…….or we are going nowhere.

Joe and I are both nice guys. With few exceptions, you can count on us to do “the right thing”. You could call us both righteous men. We both operate on a basic moral code. And, in fact, our moral codes are almost identical. In a word….we are good people.

But, in this one area, our belief systems are mutually exclusive……..and that means that one of us is wrong. Much like the Michigan/Ohio State football game. 50,000 passionate sincere people in red and a similar group in blue sit down together on a Saturday afternoon believing…….hoping…… that their team is going to win. Half of them will go away disappointed.

And so it is with Joe and me. We will both die someday…… probably in the next 10 or 20 years. And one of us will be disappointed. Either the lights will just go out for both of us……..or we will face eternity. And there is the rub. My eternity will be defined by joy and love……… Joe’s eternity will be very different. At best he will miss out on the joy and love.

I am comfortable with my future……both the next 10 to 20 years and what follows that. I am very uncomfortable with Joe’s future. I believe that God is uncomfortable with Joe’s future as well.

What to do?

For me………there is no risk for being wrong. For Joe……the risk is catastrophic. Because of the eternal implications, I want Joe to change his mind. I worry about Joe………a lot.

There are dozens of strategies that will not work:

Guilt
Nagging
The threat of hell
Quoting Bible verses
Leaving tracts in public restrooms
Spray painting “Jesus loves you” on somebody’s wall.
Miracles
Angels
Demons
Don’t you want to someday see Aunt Thelma again?
Reports of answered prayers
Healing

But…….there is one trick that can work.

I have heard it said that the surest sign of the presence of God…..is joy. And this is absolutely true. If you are a believer, then you will be joyful……no matter what the circumstances……NO MATTER WHAT. That joy is the surest way to draw others to God. You can count on the fact that people will act in their own best interests……almost always. If you are a Christian……you will be joyful……..non-christians will sense your joy……..and they will say to themselves. “I don’t know what he has……..but I want it”. Paradoxically, the more dire your personal circumstance……..the more powerful your witness of joy will be.

Your joy is the key to changing Joe’s mind. In a curious way, your joy is the key to Joe’s future.

If you are a Christian and you are not joyful……..then you need to look under the hood………because you are missing something.

And so are all of the “Joe’s” in your life.

These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

Jesus, ESV

‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’

Jesus, ESV

When I was younger, my sons would ask me questions and I would answer as best I could. As I get older, I find that, more and more, I answer…….”I don’t know”.

In a word…….the more, I know, the more I realize how ignorant I am.

As an individual, I have come to realize that the body of knowledge that is beyond my understanding…….is vast. This is also true for mankind collectively.

How we use the knowledge that we understand is fairly straightforward. We create tools. We build things. We entertain ourselves. We spread our family. Unfortunately, we also destroy things……and each other. Nonetheless, for better or worse, our use of the knowledge that we understand makes sense to us.

But what about the things that we do not understand? How do we handle the things that we do not know? How do we handle the things that we cannot know?

If you plot human knowledge as a curve over time, the curve rises ever more sharply. This curve is a measure of what we know. But, indirectly, it is also an indication of what we do not know. Either it will someday flatten out…….and we will know everything……..or it will continue to rise. Either perfect, complete wisdom is achievable…….or it is not.

And this concept divides us.

Some of us work very hard to expand the envelope of what we can understand. Some of us do not accept a reality beyond our knowledge. And some of us seek the answers in the spiritual realm.

The really big answers to the really big questions are either within our reach…….or they are not.

Where did we come from?

Why are we here?

Where are we going?

Origin, purpose, destiny.

We ask science to answer these questions…….we send telescopes into space. But, every answer leads to more questions.

I don’t believe that the curve will flatten out.

I don’t believe that knowledge is finite.

I don’t believe that we will ever achieve complete wisdom……..in this world.

There is a vast body of knowledge that we do not understand and, unfortunately, the really big, really important answers are a part of that hidden knowledge.

So, I explore the spiritual realm.

The best guide that I have found on this journey……..is the Bible. I trust it because it resonates with the things that are in my heart.

A creator…….a father…….who loves me.

A need for relationship……..love.

A concrete, immutable, truth behind it all.

A hierarchy…….God> me> family> society> earth.

So…….ultimately…….I put my trust……..I build my future……on what I cannot know……..yet.

For my fellow travelers………who put their trust in what they know………in what humanity collectively knows……I have to ask:

“How is that working out for you?”

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

…Solomon, ESV

For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

Paul, ESV

Two men.

Joe, is a lifelong criminal. He is sexually promiscuous, doesn’t take care of his family, cheats on his taxes……and on just about everything else, uses drugs……….and to top it off…….he parks in the handicapped parking spot.

Tom, is a dedicated husband and father, he coaches little league, does volunteer work, loves his family, pays his taxes…….and when he says something…….you can count on it.

On the way home from a drunken brawl, Joe crashes his car, killing the other driver. As he sits there bleeding to death himself, he has an epiphany, accepts Christ, repents, dies and spends eternity in paradise.

Tom is very busy…….doing good. He has never given God a second thought. He knows that he is a good man……..everyone says so………his life’s work speaks for itself. One day he drops dead from a heart attack…….and spends eternity in a place that is…….to be generous……not nice.

And that is just not fair.

I used to tell my sons, “where, in your contract, does it say that life will be fair?”……..because it doesn’t say anything of the sort.

Life is not fair.

This truth is undeniable………and yet we pursue it.

So…..what is “fair” anyway? Any 6 year old can explain it. The idea of fairness is deeply rooted in our hearts. The idea of fairness is universal. It must be important for us……..it must be important to God.

Fairness says that we will all be rewarded in exact proportion to the good we have done……..and that we will all be punished in exact proportion to the bad that we have done.

But, is universal fairness achievable?

I don’t have to tell you that fairness doesn’t exist in our temporal world. We see bad people thriving every day. We try to create fairness…………but unfairness is everywhere.

But, what about eternity?

Fairness is a good thing………but here’s the problem:

We are not promised fairness on the day we enter eternity. And this offends us. After a lifetime of trying to build a fair system on earth, we reach the gate to eternity and our concept of fairness is not the key issue. Just look at Joe and Tom.

The key metric in eternity is not fairness…….good vs. bad……….which, by the way, is a continuum with thousands of shades of gray. In eternity, the key metric is relationship……with God. And this metric is black and white. It is absolutely binary. You either have a relationship with God…….or you do not.

Some day God will say to you…….either:

“Well done, good and faithful servant!”

Or

“I don’t know you!”

You can pretty much divide humanity into two groups…….those who use good vs. bad to sort out the people and ideas around them………and those who use relationship, specifically love, to sort out the people and ideas around them.

To their credit, the first group is trying very hard to improve this temporal world…..with mixed success. The second group acknowledges a flawed world and looks to God and paradise to fix things…….somewhere down the road……meanwhile they are required to do only one thing…..love………love God……love man.

We are required to send love out into the world…….sometimes it comes back to us, often we never hear from it again, and sometimes it is repaid with evil.

And this too is unfair……based on the good vs. bad metric.

But, based on God’s metric……relationship……it is wildly sucessful…….in the long run. We love our neighbor. But, even if he returns evil for it……..we build our relationship with God.

I believe that a great many people reject God because the world is unfair, based on the good vs. bad metric. This metric is appealing because it is simple. We look at the good and bad around us, add it all up, and figure that we are pretty good……..at least we are better than the other guy. And, on our narrow spectrum of good vs. bad, that may very well be true. But, on God’s much broader spectrum of good vs. bad, we just don’t measure up. Our good simply is not up to God’s standard. It’s all a question of perspective.

The relationship metric, however, is equally simple. It is extremely generous. Relationship with God means eternity in paradise. And the best part………you actually are in charge…….you get to choose your eternity………no hubris here.

YOU CHOOSE YOUR ETERNITY.

In eternity, the relationship metric is the one that counts. So…….pursue good…….flee from bad…….these things are important……..but don’t get distracted. Relationship is what counts…….relationship with your creator.

My prayer……. is that you do not reject the relationship metric because you are angry about the obvious failure of the fairness metric. Because the fairness metric is phoney……a fantasy…….it has never been legitimate………it has never been real.

Good vs. Bad……..fairness…….. is not the key to what is ahead for you.

It is the relationship metric that will determine your future………your eternity.

The choice is yours.

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Jesus, ESV

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind”

Jesus, ESV

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

John Lennon