My background is science. One of the threads that runs through all of science is the search for truth……..the search for what is, as opposed to what we want. At what I hope is the close of a particularly acrimonious political season, the search for truth really appeals to me. The great truths of science wind up being called laws. They are so central to our world that you know many of them……. even if your background is not in a scientific field. You know the basics of the law of gravity. A dropped slice of pizza always lands gooey side down. The law of inertia is a bit less obvious. An object at rest will stay at rest unless energy is applied and an object in motion will not change its motion unless energy is applied.

So far so good.

Entropy is a bit tougher still. At its core, entropy is the law regulating disorder. The second law of thermodynamics basically says that a system will become less organized, more random, unless energy is applied. Anybody who has raised children has seen the practical application of this law……..in their bedrooms.

In practical terms, the second law of thermodynamics, the law of entropy, the law of disorder, says that you can make hamburger out of a cow………but, it is very hard to make a cow out of hamburger.

As we watch the world around us, we can see the natural growth of entropy, disorder. We apply energy to the system we live in constantly in order to keep entropy, disorder, at bay. The largest and most obvious arena in the fight against entropy is the environment. And we have made a lot of progress. The air is far cleaner today than it was when I was young. We expend a lot of money, energy, to make it so. If we stopped putting energy, in the form of effort, resources, thought, and money into the environment, air quality, water quality, and many other facets of the environment would deteriorate, probably rapidly.

Here is my point. Look back over your life…..at the world we live in. In spite of the energy we apply to the system we live in, during our lifetimes, disorder is growing: climate change, plastic in the ocean, contamination of our water supply, extinctions, and many more.

So far so good.

But, now, consider the secular humanist, scientific, creation story.

A giant explosion, a cloud of subatomic particples, the particles assemble themselves into atoms, the atoms assemble themselves into molecules, the molecules assemble themselves into cells, the cells become alive, they reproduce, they evolve into every living thing on earth, including Angelina Jolie. All of this occurrs in a closed system without the application of outside energy. All of this occurrs without the intervention of an outside intelligence.

All of this organization……..all of this decrease of entropy……. occurs in blatant violation of the second law of thermodynamics.

Returning to the present, experience tells us that today, the world is becoming more disorganized in spite of the energy we have applied to fight disorder. And yet the secular humanists, the scientists, tell us that this incredible, complex planet and everything on it came about by a string of trillions upon trillions of random, consecutive, cumulative, positively adaptive, interdependent…….. accidents. In practice, the scientists, the secular humanists, throw the second law of thermodynamics out the window. Their justification……..”there was a lot of time for all of the accidents”.

They are wrong. The second law of thermodynamics holds. You cannot use millions of years of time to reverse the second law of thermodynamics………you cannot use time alone to create order out of disorder. You can wait a lifetime, but unless somebody applies energy, and intelligence, to the system………your child’s bedroom is not going to become organized. In your heart, you know this.

To create order out of disorder in a closed system…….you must apply energy and intelligence………from the outside. You can quibble about the details……..but this is a good working definition of a “creator”.

This incredible planet is no accident.

It is the result of the application of energy, energy applied by an intelligent creator.

And he cares deeply.

For you.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

John, NIV

“I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the Lord, who does all these things.”

God, NIV

“Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 

God, NIV

Many years ago a rift developed between me and my oldest adult son. We were very different people. We didn’t agree on much of anything. There were many reasons behind it and they really don’t matter at this point. The question of blame really doesn’t matter. We weren’t talking……we rarely met. He was living in an apartment somewhere. I remember one day driving down the street of a nearby town and seeing him walking down the street………on his way to something. I can’t remember if I stopped or not.

But, I hated the distance that had developed between us. I can’t speak for him, but I suspect that it bothered him too. I began looking for some basis to begin building a relationship…….some common ground. I went down the list of my interests. I went down the list of his interests. I literally couldn’t find anything.

Then it hit me. We did have at least one thing in common. We both ate lunch. That was about it.

So, I tracked him down. This was probably before cell phones……at least before he had one. The question was simple.

“Can I buy you lunch?”

It turned out to be cheese conies at a local chili joint. We sat. We ate. We made small talk. I probably dropped him off somewhere afterwards. It wasn’t a big thing……..and yet it was. We began meeting for lunch from time to time…….and that went on for the few remaining years of his life.

I’d like to tell you that we became close……that our opinions and our interests aligned. That we became pals. That we lived happily ever after.

It didn’t turn out that way.

But we did meet for lunch. We talked. We laughed. We told stories. We repaired some of the damage.

And that, in the final analysis, has been extremely valuable.

Maybe you don’t have a relationship like this one. If so, you are blessed. Enjoy it. But if you do, consider asking the simple question.

“Can I buy you lunch?”

The other guy will probably be confused. He may be angry. He could even lash out or just hang up. But, he just might surprise you. And, if he does surprise you, you will have an opportunity to repair a relationship.

Use it wisely.

And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

James, NIV

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 

Paul, NIV

I keep a painting of Jesus in my woodshop. It was painted by a young girl who had a vision. It is a painting of a kind and friendly guy……a guy who taught us to love each other and to avoid judging each other…….to take care of each other…….even those who harm us. This is the Jesus who loved children. This kind gentle person is the Jesus whom we all know………my friend. This is a painting of the Jesus who suffered and died to save me. It is hard for me to wrap my brain around this Jesus…….but I try.

And I am grateful.

But, there is another face of Jesus…….one that we rarely think about. This other face of Jesus is even harder to understand……so hard that we just don’t give him much thought.

What about Jesus…….. before Bethlehem…..before the manger…..before the shepherds and wise men? What about Jesus during the old testament? What about Jesus during the seven days of creation?

What about Jesus BEFORE creation?

He was there……hard at work……all along…….. sometimes as one face of the Trinity……. sometimes by himself. When we think of Jesus, we tend to see the guy on the wall of my shop…….a gentle “Casper Milquetoast” sort of guy. But, he is also the creator. He is the power that brought everything into being. He was behind creation, the flood, the enslavement of Israel, the exodus, the return to the promised land, the babylonian exile.

He is behind the modern state of Israel.

Here is my point. Jesus knew all of this. Jesus knew his power. Jesus knew it all……..past, present, and future. He knew it as a child, as a son, as an apprentice woodworker, and as an itenerant preacher.

He knew all of this as he hung on the cross.

More importantly……..he knew his power. The Jesus who created everything could have come down from the cross, destroyed everything, avenged himself, and gone on about his business…….leaving mankind, and the entire universe, in the dust….. literally.

Jesus is kind, gentle, patient, and forgiving.

But, he is also powerful.

And, ultimately, he is in charge.

Ultimately, he will have his way.

Ultimately, he will get what he wants…….but, just exactly what is that?

Jesus wants relationship…….with me……. with you.

Which brings me back to the picture of the guy on the wall of my shop……my friend……..who just happened to create the universe.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

John, NIV

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John, NIV

I have a prayer list. I keep it on my cell phone. It’s a couple of pages long. I try to go through it every day………though some days I miss. This list is a bunch of requests. It is separate from my prayers of praise and thanks. It amounts to a long list of things that a long list of people need. There are people on the list who are family and friends. There are people on it who know somebody that I know. There are also people on it that I don’t even recognize……….I can’t recall how they got there. Many of these are people are friends of friends of friends.

I get up early and I pray for these people. And yet, sometimes, it gets a little mechanical. I wonder…….am I just reading a list? Sometimes it almost feels like work……..like a chore. Reading the Bible is easy. Prayers of praise are easy. Going down a long list of needs is harder.

And yet, the list is important. Before I even open my mouth, God knows every single item on my prayer list. I’m not telling him anything new…….I’m not telling him anything that he doesn’t already know. I’m not asking him for anything that he doesn’t care deeply about. I am not bringing God up to speed on conditions in his creation.

So……..what in the world am I doing?

The prayer list has two purposes.

The first is that it reminds me that I am my brother’s keeper. I am required to care for and look after my fellow man. I am required to care for those who care for me. But……..I am also required to care for those who despise me……..those who hurt me. And this is not easy. This is something that I have to be reminded of……..every day.

The second purpose is a little harder to get a fix on. If my prayer list is not uploading data to God……..then what am I communicating when I work my way through it?

I need to go back in my life to explain this. Our relationship with our parents is a reflection of our relationship with God. Often, to understand God, we can get a clue by understanding our relationship with our parents. My father died when I was in high school. My most cherished memory of my Dad was one night, standing by the washing machine in the basement. We talked……..it was nothing important…….small talk. We didn’t transmit any valuable information. What we were doing was sharing time. We were giving each other a little bit of ourselves……..bonding. And that is the second reason for the prayer list. It is a chance to spend time with your father……to share with him the things that are important to you………to bond.

I encourage you to keep a prayer list.

I encourage you to spend time sharing it with God…….every day.

If it seems a bit stale……don’t worry.

If you forget somebody……don’t sweat it.

God already knows every single item on your list.

He just wants to hear from you.

He just wants you to share a little bit of yourself with him.

It’s as close to a hug as you can get.

‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ 

God, NIV

do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Paul, NIV

The Lord is righteous in all his ways
    and kind in all his works.
The Lord is near to all who call on him,
    to all who call on him in truth.

David, NIV

At a recent Bible study, we were asked, “Why does God use broken people?” This question included a list of flawed people whom God used to accomplish his goals.

Moses, a poor speaker.
David, a murderer and adulterer.
Jacob, a liar.
Paul, one of the greatest persecutors of Christians.
Peter, who denied Christ three times.

The list goes on.

Finally I realized…….that the problem here lies in how we define “broken people”. Generally speaking, we define “broken people” as people who are more broken than we are…….people who are broken in ways that we find more offensive than the ways we are broken.

It occurred to me……..that God must use broken people to do his work……… because he has no choice. We are all broken. Intellectually, we have no problem with this idea.

But, in concrete terms…….how are we broken?

How am I broken?

I’d like to focus for a minute on our greatest individual failure…….the most glaring example of our individual brokenness. I’m challenging you to search out your own personal failure…… I’m challenging you to forget about the other guy’s brokenness and to take a good hard look at the biggest impediment standing between you and God.

This may not be much fun.

If you are a secular humanist……..an atheist…….then your greatest failure is your denial of God.

If you identify as a Christian……..but you keep your faith locked up in a box except for an hour every Sunday…….the rest of the week, you ignore God’s commands and pursue your appetites…….then your greatest failure is that you put your appetites ahead of God. This category may very well include the majority of Christians. Please don’t misunderstand me. The people in this category are Christians……..they are just broken……..just like the rest of us.

If you are a sincere, committed follower of God……of Christ, then it is very likely that your greatest failure is self righteousness. This category includes many if not most of the remaining Christians. How does this work?

We live our lives on a spectrum of “goodness”.

Satan…..really bad people……bad people……me…….good people……really good people…… God.

When we assess goodness, we almost always look at the people downhill from us on the spectrum. We focus on the flawed politician from the “other party”. We dissect his or her failures. We rarely look uphill…….at the “Mother Teresas” of the world. We do this, because this allows us to pontificate on how the “bad” people need to change. Looking uphill forces us to consider how we need to change.

And that is the lesson……..the challenge.

We need to spend our time working on our own brokenness. Because our only chance to grow as a person in general………and as a Christian in particular……..comes from whittling away at our own failures. Raging against the failures of others is great fun……but it is completely futile.

“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Jesus, NIV

Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. As it is written:

“There is no one righteous, not even one;
there is no one who understands;
    there is no one who seeks God.
All have turned away,
    they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
    not even one.”

Paul, NIV

So…..you say that God is not listening.
You say that he never speaks to you.
You say your prayers go unanswered.
You say you don’t experience a daily dialog with God.

Well, if you are expecting the clouds to part and a 20 story tall head to speak to you in a Charleton Heston voice, you may be looking for the wrong thing. God’s voice is “written on your heart”. When he speaks to you, it is usually in the form of a gentle “tug” on your heart. This happens to all of us…..just about every day. We sometimes call it our conscience. We call it our morals. We sometimes say, “Where in the world did that come from?” Sometimes it is inconvenient, maybe even costly. We often ignore it. We often ignore HIM…….but that does not mean that he didn’t speak to us.

True stories:

I knew a man who was an alcoholic…….l’m sure that one of the times that God spoke to him was the last time he drank. There was a tug at his heart. It said “Don’t drink the vodka, it’s bad for you!” “It’s bad for your family!”

A husband and wife got way behind on their gifts to the church……and I mean many years behind. They talked, and prayed and decided to make a sizable “catch-up” gift. This was unusual, maybe revolutionary, for them. They just felt that “tug” on their hearts. Some time later, the pastor told them that the church had been in budget trouble. He had been praying for help. They thought…..”no big deal…..it’s a pastor thing”. Then he told them about the shortfall that he was praying over…………it was the same amount as their donation……. to the penny.

A guy wakes up at about 4am to do his daily Bible reading. He sees a Facebook post about a friend whose husband is in the ICU. Responding to a “tug”, he drives over to the hospital at about 5am. His friend is out front, in tears……..her husband had just passed away.

The problem between you and God may not be that he is not speaking to you. The problem may be that you don’t recognize him, ignore him, or even defy him.

God is talking to you. He is talking to me.

The point is that God often speaks to us through a little “tug” on our hearts. Sometimes the tug is a response to our prayers. Sometimes it is a response to the prayer of someone else…… possibly a stranger.

God speaks to us…..he answers prayers……. sometimes ours…… sometimes the prayers of a stranger.

God IS listening…….God IS speaking……..am I responding?……are you?

So, my challenge is this. Pay attention to that little tug on your heart. Test it against the truths in the Bible……..because we are masters at taking something that we want and convincing ourselves that it is something that God wants. If it is consistent with the Bible, then act on it. God will use your act……even if you never see the results.

I believe that someday, in paradise, somebody that I have never met will walk up to me. They will give me a hug and tell me how their life was changed for the better………because of some act……..something that I don’t even remember doing…….. something that began with a little tug on my heart…….. something that God grew into something big.

I am certain that I have failed many times to act on that “tug”……but I am convinced that when we do respond to the “tug”, God will use it.

The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Moses, NIV

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

Jesus, NIV

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

Jesus, NIV

And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.

Isaiah, NIV

The image is Jesus…….working through a difficult, ambiguous decision……judging. Should the adultress be stoned?

In a recent post about the death of justice Ginsburg, I suggested a prayer:

“Lord, please bless and comfort the soul of justice Ginsberg and her family. Please guide our leaders as they choose a replacement for her. Give us a replacement justice who will love you, seek you, and follow you……….not me, not the Republican party, and not the Democratic party………but you.”

This prayer can be comforting but it can also be disconcerting.

What if God’s choice is the Trump nominee?
What if God’s choice is a Biden nominee?

First of all let me answer your first thought……and mine. The idea that we know God’s heart. In broad strokes, we do; but, in the details, we get lost. We know our own heart and we often paste our heart onto God. We tend to follow our own heart and attribute what we are doing to God. And, if that doesn’t work…..we just ignore God and do as we please.

I don’t know whom God would choose…..for president and for the supreme court……and neither do you. I know whom I would choose and you know whom you would choose.

Now, let’s return to the prayer…….and a hypothetical question.

If you knew with absolute certainty that God’s choice was the nominee of a politician that you despise, could you still pray for that nominee?

If you despise Trump, but knew that God wanted Ms. Barrett, could you pray that she be confirmed?

If you despise Biden, but knew that God wanted Biden’s choice, could you pray that RBG’s seat be filled by Biden?

Remember, as hard as this is, neither of us knows whom God would choose.

Take a moment and reflect, then answer the question. Understand….. This is a yes or no question. If you try to evade the question or qualify your answer, then your answer is no.

You see, this exercise actually has nothing to do with politics and the supreme court. Rather, it is an exploration of your loyalties.

It is a self-assessment of whom you actually worship….whom you actually follow…….whom you actually trust.

Do you trust yourself and your political party……..or do you trust God?

Whom do you follow? Whom do you worship?

I propose that in the hypothetical situation where you like candidate A and God likes candidate B………if you stumble over setting your desires aside and following God, then you trust, follow, and worship somebody other than God.

This is intellectually consistent…….if you are an atheist.

But, if you identify as a Christian, then you are in trouble.

If you are a Christian, but you cannot put God’s desires above your own, then you are putting yourself…… your desires……..above God.

Don’t feel bad……you are in good company. Probably half of Christians take their set of beliefs, attribute them to God, and then do exactly what they wanted to do in the first place.

To avoid this pitfall, if you are a Christian, you need to study God, follow him, and put these decisions in his hand……. especially when you discover that, on a specific issue, the “other” political party is correct.

Here is some bad news, no matter which party you support…….on some of these issues, the “other” side is correct.

On some of these issues, God is on the “other” side.

On some of these issues……… God is not on “your” side.

You must honestly ask:

Does God want more abortion…….or less?
Does God want more guns…..or less?
Does God want more social programs for the poor?
Does God want smaller federal government?
Does God want more or less taxes?
Does God want more or less regulation?

As you can see, your choice of political party, your decision as you vote, is far more complex than either party wants you to believe. You may have to decide which of these issues takes precedence. You may have to vote for the party that is closest to God on most of the most important issues.

What I can tell you is this. If you allow your interpretation of these problems to cause you to fail to follow God’s first two rules…… Love God…… Love your neighbor…….. If you allow anger and hate into your life over these issues, then you have failed as a Christian.

I would even go one step further. If you allow anger and hate into your life over these issues, then you have failed as a human being.

“Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”

A conversation between a religious scholar and Jesus about judgement, NIV

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”

Jesus, subordinating his desires to God the father, NIV

I am by nature a “fixer”.

Most men are……to one degree or another. Show a man a problem…….and he will respond with a solution……..usually in one or two sentences. For the most part, this works for me. For my wife…….. I’m not so sure.

The problem is that there are things that are broken that I cannot fix. Some times these are things that just cannot be fixed. Some times this is because of my limitations.

The friend with terminal cancer.
The committed secular humanist.
The life long drug abuser.
Global environmental deterioration.
The hatred that permeates our society.
The violence that we consume every night on our TV.
Fake information on the web and on the “news”.

I’m sure we could both add to this list.

One of the rules that I live by is this:

“When dealing with a problem……focus on the part of the problem that you can change (fix).”

But what if you….what if I…….cannot fix this one?

My next rule is this:

“Fix what you can…….pray about what you can’t fix…….don’t worry about the things you cannot change.

The Bible makes many promises. One of these is that God will make things right…….in the end. God will make things right……but on his terms and on his schedule. A great deal of the frustration that we experience arises when God doesn’t fix a problem on our terms and on our schedule. There are many people who have walked away from God because of this. There are many people who would rather trust science than wait on God.

An old fable:

There was a flood and a Christian prayed that God would save him. An army truck drove by announcing an evacuation, he stayed put and prayed…..and the water rose to his porch. A boat came by, he stayed put and prayed…….and the water rose to his roof. A helicopter came by, he stayed put and prayed…….and the water rose…….and he drowned. In paradise, he met Jesus. Jesus said, “Child, your faith during the flood was amazing!”
He said, “I prayed and prayed and you didn’t answer my prayer!”
Jesus said, “What are you talking about…….I sent a truck, a boat and a helicopter.”

God’s terms…….God’s schedule…….not ours.

Pray for the things that you cannot fix.

God will fix them……..but on his terms and on his timetable.

God is in charge……not you……not me.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Paul, NIV

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”.

Jeremiah, NIV

Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.

Luke, NIV

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”

John, NIV

The big story this week is the death of justice Ginsberg. You can like her, or disagree with her, but there is no arguing that she was a larger than life supreme court justice. In her opinions and perhaps even more so in her dissents, she has left an indelible mark on our nation and on our society. Her focus on women’s rights has forever changed the position of women in American society……..for the most part for the better.

As a Christian conservative, I disagree with many of her positions, especially on abortion. As a civil society, we need to be able to disagree in a thoughtful respectful way. Her friendship with justice Scalia is something that we could all learn from.

We are headed into what will likely be an ugly election. If the past predicts the future, then we are headed into an even uglier confirmation process. This is the sad reality. This is how our elected leaders behave.

As a Christian, during this period, I will need to work even harder than usual to adhere to my “mission statement”……. Love God and my neighbor.

Please join me in this prayer:

“Lord, please bless and comfort the soul of justice Ginsberg and her family. Please guide our leaders as they choose a replacement for her. Give us a replacement justice who will love you, seek you, and follow you……….not me, not the Republican party, and not the Democratic party………but you.”

Amen

“Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 

Jesus, NIV

“There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy.”

Jesus, NIV

Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Solomon, NIV

Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God;

Paul, NIV

We hear the word integrity a lot. I guess that we would agree that integrity is a good thing.

A life of integrity……a man or woman of integrity…….noble goals. But, just exactly what does integrity mean?

It means that all of the parts of a whole work together.

In people it means that all of the facets of our life operate together under a cohesive plan. In business we would call this plan our “mission statement”. I have heard it said that a really great mission statement is brief and covers everything. I once saw a photo of a car plant. Their mission statement was written in 3 story letters on the side of the building facing the parking lot. Every worker saw it on the way into work.

It said: ” Q 1 “
Short for “Quality is job one.”

This is not a car ad. I cannot tell you if the company has reached that goal. But, it is one of the best business mission statements that I have ever seen.

I believe that, if we are to live lives of integrity, we must have a personal mission statement. In reality people who do this are rare……..but you will know them when you see them.

Your mission statement should guide you through your life. It should shape every act……every decision that you make. The quality of your life, then, will be dictated by the quality of your personal mission statement. This is a big deal. It requires serious deliberation.

Bad mission statement……..bad life.
Good mission statement…….good life.

People of integrity have a good mission statement………and they follow it. I do not claim to have done this, but it is a goal.

What are some examples of mission statements?

Feed my appetites…….the most common
Be happy
Get rich
Get stuff
Take care of my family
Save the planet
Pursue truth
Do good

And my favorite

Love God and my fellow man

This was, in fact, the mission statement of Jesus.

Hard to beat.

My vision of paradise is a place where that is THE mission statement for everybody.

So, give it some thought…….a lot of thought.

See if you can find a mission statement that will govern your life. Then follow that mission statement to a life of integrity.

I promise you……… if you choose well, this will drastically simplify your life. This will lead you to the elusive goal that we all seek…….happiness.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Paul, NIV

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.

John, NIV

I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things I have given willingly and with honest intent.

Ezra?, NIV