BEING THANKFUL FOR UNFAIR GOD

BEING THANKFUL FOR UNFAIR GOD

                                                               Tuesday, July 02, 2013
 
Matthew MKJV 5:43-48 You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy." But I say to you, Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you, so that you may become sons of your Father in Heaven. For He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax-collectors do so? Therefore be perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect.

Luke 10:23-29 And He turned to His disciples and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that you see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen them, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard them. And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tempted Him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said to him, What is written in the Law? How do you read it? And answering, he said, 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, and your neighbor as yourself. And He said to him, You have answered right; do this and you shall live. But he, willing to justify himself, said to Jesus, And who is my neighbor?

  God is not fair, and I am so very glad for it! For if God was fair I would get justice: Precisely what I deserve at all times.

  Jesus pointed out this wonderful truth about our perfect Father. Yes, perfect; being gracious and forgiving as opposed to rigid fairness. God Almighty is perfect! [Strong’s G5056 “perfect”: teleios, tel'-i-os; complete (in various applications of labor, growth, mental and moral character, etc.); neuter (as noun, with G3588) completeness: - of full age, man, perfect.]

  Looking at God’s Word I see that for me to expect life to be totally fair is immature, unrealistic, and ungodly; admittedly a Biblical precept difficult to wrap one’s mind around, accept and even harder to personally manifest in our present journey.

  Jesus clearly makes this point of God’s grace conflicting with our ideas on fairness.

  Consider the Matthew 20 vineyard account.    

  Then there’s Luke 15;11-32. We like to favor the central character as “The Prodigal Son”, but actually the main person is the gracious Father. Identifying with the wayward child, a story we love to accept, unless of course we are of the mindset of the Pharisees and scribes (vs.2) . . . or the dependable responsibly living elder son (vs.28-30) with infantile view of life.

  I much prefer living under God’s love, grace and mercy over His rigidly providing fair treatment. How about you?  EBB4