You and I are the source for all the bad stuff going on in the world. OK, maybe you and I didn’t personally start any of the wars. And maybe you and I didn’t personally abduct any small children and sell them as sex slaves. Matter of fact, you and I didn’t personally “elect” a vacuous, lame-brained puppet to the highest office in America either. (There’s a lot more to that last sentence than first meets the eye.)
But, the bad stuff happens because of you and me.
And ALL the rest of the people on the planet. Yeah, there’s not a good person to be found. Show me a good person, and I’ll show you somebody you don’t know as well as you think you do. Because every sentient person on Earth has done enough of the bad stuff to deserve the death penalty.
Yikes! That’s harsh.
Yeah. But true.
But NOT true because I say so (to borrow a phrase from parents back in the day). My assertion is true because the Creator of the universe, and all life, says so.
So, all hope is lost. Lower all sails. And abandon ship.
Wait! I just remembered. All hope is NOT lost. Because theCreator of the universe hates death. So, He’s not just about consequences for actions. He’s also about grace and mercy. And He offers tons of grace and mercy. Even to this world full of people who mostly hate Him.
And He does that for one reason.
Love.
But not a forced love.
No person on Earth will ever be cajoled, coerced, or conscripted into Heaven. Because true love, by its most profound definition, MUST be freely given.
But most people love themselves more than they’ll ever love the One who created them. Most people would actually rather buy into the bad stuff for a little while and then pay for it forever. I think it’s weird. It makes no sense at all. But I’ve done enough of the selfish bad stuff to understand its power to seduce.
But not one time, in my whole life, have I EVER thought God planned which bad stuff, or how much of it, I’d do. Let alone what all the other people would do, too. Nope. My whole life I’ve understood I’m responsible for my choices. And I’ve understood that when the bad stuff happened to me, I could trace most of it back to my choices and actions.
None of that understanding denies, precludes, or usurps God’s authority or sovereignty. Because He does have an ultimate plan of redemption. He just doesn’t plan my daily to-do list. Or yours. Or anybody else’s. He’s FAR too brilliant than to create us in His own image and likeness and still have to plan for trillions of possible decision outcomes. Yeesh. I find it impossible to believe He could see all that and say that it’s “very good.”
OK, I hope you’re now willing, if you weren’t already willing, to say bad stuff happens because of bad people and their bad decisions. Because when you know that God is not responsible for evil in this world, you can be a brighter light in this dark world. But if you still say “God is in control” or “It’s all part of God’s plan,” I say…
A Thousand Times No
Everything is for a reason.
God is in control.
Everything He turns to good
For His higher goal.
So do you want to thank Him for
Destruction and despair?
Is He the author of confusion?
You see it everywhere.
No, no! A thousand times no. No, no! A thousand times.
And no, no! A thousand times no. No, no! A thousand times.
Should you freely give forgiveness?
The Bible tells you so.
But what if someone’s unrepentant?
How does that one go?
Should they get to live in sin
And skip the judgement day?
Take a look at the Revelation.
What would Jesus say?
No, no! A thousand times no. No, no! A thousand times.
And no, no! A thousand times no. No, no! A thousand times.
And who are you to judge?
Your eyes can clearly see
That you’re no holier
Than him or her or me.
So should you shut your mouth
And skip the words of Paul?
Did he misunderstand
The Lord’s enduring call?
No, no! A thousand times no. No, no! A thousand times.
And no, no! A thousand times no. No, no! A thousand times.
© 2008
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