It Seems OK

I am writing with kids in mind, my kids, your kids. I think they won’t read this unless you ask. So, please ask! (I’m mailing a copy to my kids.)

How do you decide that something is OK? 

I am thinking about the things you do, the things you like, the people you call friends, and so on. How do you decide that one is acceptable (OK) and another is not OK?

Have you ever found yourself in a situation that you didn’t like…and you knew deep down that you had made a dumb decision? Perhaps you admitted it. Or perhaps you tried to hide your poor choice. Or, perhaps you tried to make your poor choice look like a good choice.

So…how is it that you ended up in that poor situation?

How did you go about making choices that put you there?

Perhaps it was not all your fault, but I’m not thinking about fault and blame; I’m thinking about choices. How did you make your choices?

In the real world (as adults like to call it) crucial decisions are made every day. Large companies hire number-crunchers called statisticians to analyze the information from the past with the expectation of forecasting the future. On the other hand, there is the gambler who goes to the horse races and bets on a horse named ‘Pickle Fritz’ because his mother canned pickles and his father’s middle name was Fritz!

The company is ‘objective’ in making its business decisions. When a person is objective he looks at the facts. He trusts concrete evidence to lead him to a conclusion. He relies on information that can be verified as reliable. Intelligence, reasoning, and research are key elements.

The gambler is ‘subjective’ in his decision. When a person is subjective he listens to his heart, feels it in his gut, trusts his feelings. He is easily swayed by emotion and easily influenced by coincidental connections.

Some people trust their lucky rabbit’s foot or a lucky number or a lucky cap (when their team is in the baseball World Series). They take fortune cookies and horoscopes seriously. They often ignore reason because their subjective thinking seems OK.

God warned the ancient Israelites about witchcraft, sorcery, divination, astrology and similar things. These were ‘arts’ used by kings and others to figure out whether one decision was better than another. In contrast God wanted His people to rely on Him alone.

This is where most adults in my past would draw a conclusion, adding an exclamation point: You cannot trust emotion; trust intellect!

Well, that’s half right. When it comes to morality and spiritual matters, intellect is just as faulty as emotion. Don’t let anyone trip you up by pitting intellect against emotion. Both are unreliable. You want proof?

How many scientists, archaeologists, geologists, etc. have found God through all their research: digging, plotting, probing, and prodding?

“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son....”
--Hebrews 1:1-2

This scripture is about revelation. God revealed Himself to mankind in various ways, most recently in the form of a human, Jesus of Nazareth.

People use revelation as a valid way of giving and receiving information on a daily basis. Here is a simple example, names being revealed:

“Hello, my name is Mark.”
“I’m pleased to meet you. My name is Fritz.”

Do you want to know God? Look at Jesus.

Do you want to truly know right from wrong? Look at Jesus.

Do you want spiritual understanding? Look at Jesus.

Do you want to know how to make good choices? Look at Jesus.

To some people revelation seems subjective. After all, you might not be able to trust the person who is revealing something to you.

Yes, that is the key: Trust.

So, does God lie? Has he revealed falsehood? Who is the father of lies?

Some people do not trust God, not because He is untrustworthy, but because they do not want to submit to God. They want do things their way and God stands in their way. So, they excuse their choice by subjectively claiming that revelation is subjective and cannot be trusted. (Brilliant!!)

Yet, God is trustworthy, so His revealed word is trustworthy. That means that as long as your Bible is a closed book, you will be making spiritual and moral decisions based only on what seems to be OK (as if you are so wise). You will not have the advantage of the divine revelation of God. Kids, I don’t want you to wake up to reality when you are old wishing you had not made yet another dumb decision. Open The Book…and keep it open. 

(And don't forget to tell your kids….)

Mark Stinnett (Dad)