Our Good is Never Good Enough

Even a pastor has to unwind every so often, and one thing I love to do is local theater. So when it was announced that Hillsdale Community Theater would be performing Miracle on 34th Street, I decided to try out. Auditions took place over two nights, and after Sunday night’s auditions, I was feeling great about my chances at a principle part. There weren't a lot of guys auditioning, and with my 10 plays worth of experience I felt looked like the savvy vet against a lot of newcomers.

Monday night I returned, to do some additional reading, maybe see the competition. Well I saw the competition and I no longer looked so shiny. My ten plays worth of experience didn't hold a lamp to the dozens and dozens these guys had. Their monologues were crisp, their reading on point. Suddenly, I am longer thinking about which lead part I will land, but wondering if I was good enough to even make the show.

This made me think a lot about something I read by Ray Comfort this week:

“A little girl was once looking at a sheep as it ate green grass. She thought to herself how nice and white the sheep looked against the green grass. Then it began to snow. The little girl then thought how dirty the sheep looked against the white snow. It was the same sheep, but with a different background. When we compare ourselves to the background of man’s standards, we come up reasonably clean. However, when we compare ourselves to the snow-white righteousness of the Law of God (the Ten Commandments), we see that “we are all as an unclean thing, and our righteous deeds are as filthy rags”” - (see Isaiah 64:6). From, The Evidence Bible.

You know sometimes when we work in the secular world, or live in a secular community it can be easy to look around and see how good we are, we don’t swear, download movies illegally or smack our wives. On top of that we attend church three out of every four Sundays, we help out at the local soup kitchen, and listen to almost only Christian music. Compared to the world, our lives may look shiny white. But God doesn't compare us to the world. Instead we are compared to his perfect law, found in the Ten Commandments, and once we have broken just one law, we are 100% guilty. James 2:10 tells us: “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”

We may look great when we stand next to the world, but when compared to God’s perfect standard, we look all dirty. None of us are good enough.

Lucky for us, although a director will never look at me and see Sly Stallone, if we have repented and turned our lives over to Him, when God sees us he can see the only one who meets his standards… Jesus.

The Good, Yet Troubling News

I posted an article on Facebook earlier this week.  The news story spoke of a young man who managed

Dairy Queen.  After seeing someone steal $20.00 dollars from an older patron, He refused to serve the thief, and repaid the patron out of his own pocket.  (I have linked to the story below.) 

Now as I stated several times, I am happy this young man did the right thing, and I am happy he has gotten to be recognized for his good deed.  Our country needs more people like this man.  But that is also my concern.  Why is this such a big story, and why is this guy receiving so much attention for just doing what each of us should do in that situation?

For an event to be news worthy, it has to be outside of the normal, or as Webster says, it must be of sufficient interest to the public to warrant press coverage.  If I eat cereal for breakfast or mow my lawn, this warrants no news coverage.   So why does someone doing exactly what they should be doing warrant this type of coverage?  Well, quite frankly if people acted as they should in life, it wouldn't.

We live in a country today where the majority of its populace will still claim its Christian heritage, yet few truly understand what this means.  Instead, lying, cheating, and stealing have become commonplace.  We are taught from a young age to look out for number one,  to put our happiness above all others.

On top of that, we have done away with right and wrong, and basic truth.  We spout a post-modern dribble that there is no absolute truth.  What’s right for you may not be right for me.  And how can I ever impose my beliefs upon you.  When morality stops being taught as right or wrong and only shades of gray, we end up with a culture where it’s a time to celebrate when someone does a good deed, and not just expected that people will.

Jesus gave us a rule to follow.  John 14:15 Jesus tells his disciples, “if you love me, keep my commandments”.  He didn't mess around with gray areas; He didn't worry about offending someone who didn't want to live by His truth.  What commands did Jesus speak?  First, that we should love the Lord your God with all your heart.  The second, we should love our neighbor as ourselves. 

I am happy for this young Dairy Queen employee, receiving all the attention.  However, it concerns me as well.  If the people of this country, who claimed the name of Christ, followed His teaching, then doing the right thing would no longer be a news worthy event. 

News Story: http://www.wbay.com/story/23478689/minnesota-dq-managers-good-deed-gets-attention

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