My friend, may I ask you a question? Is the standard for perfection for God very clear? Since God is perfect, is His holiness is perfect? And, therefore, His justice is without question–perfect as well?
My friend, life’s a story, welcome to This Passing Day. I’m M. Clifford Brunner?
Fairness is a doctrine that we've gone hog-wild with. As a culture we seem possessed by a sense of "all things being equal." Unfortunately, we're so captivated by a sense of justice at all costs, we often lose sight of the fact that a doctrine of fairness is itself subject to inequities by the very nature of the fact that it's only as perfect as those who decide on what is fair and what isn't. Last time I looked, perfection was a bit hard to find, whether in congress or on a judge's bench. The Bible, on the other hand, tells us that God is perfectly just; that He's holy and His perfection is complete (Psalm 93:5). The standard for perfection here is very clear. Since God is perfect, His holiness is perfect. And, therefore, His justice is without question–perfect. Why is it then that God gives some to be righteous throughout their lives while others, ignorant of or even defiant of God, find righteousness only at the end of their lives?
Here's a story: A man once bought a home with a tree in the backyard not knowing what sort of tree it was. When spring came, the tree grew leaves and tiny pink buds. "How wonderful," he thought. "I will enjoy its beauty all summer." But before he had time to enjoy the flowers, the wind began to blow and soon all the petals blew away. "What a mess," he thought. "This tree isn't any use after all." The summer passed, and one day the man noticed the tree was full of green fruit the size of large nuts. He picked one and took a bite. "Bleagh!" he cried and threw it to the ground. "What a horrible taste! This tree is worthless. Its flowers are fragile and its fruit is bitter. When winter comes, I'm cutting it down. As fall dragged on the man approached the tree, axe in hand, and stopped in his tracks. Throughout the fall the tree had continued to draw water from the ground and warmth from the sun and in late fall produced crisp red apples despite the man's threats. The man scratched his head and laid down the axe. He could still taste the bitterness of those little green fruits in his mouth as he selected one of the ripe, red fruits to sample. He bit into the fruit and it was remarkably sweet. "Could it be" he mused "that the best fruit often ripens later than you think?" (Misty Mowrey.)
It's hard as Christians to understand sometimes why God allows some to walk the narrow road of righteousness from youth on and others only find the path much later in life. From a standard of earthly “fairness” this may not seem all that just. Why should someone who has borne no fruit of holiness in their early lives receive the same grace that someone who has borne much fruit for many years? Perhaps, just as in nature God gives all creation a time in which to blossom and fruit, He has also done so for us. Ultimately it's not important when the fruit is ripe but simply that it is harvested.
We pray. Heavenly Father. It's hard to understand sometimes why You allow some to walk the narrow road of righteousness from youth on and others only to find the path much later in life. From a standard of “fairness” Lord, this doesn’t seem all that just. Why should someone who has borne no fruit of holiness in their early lives receive the same grace that someone who’s borne much fruit for many years? Forgive us Lord for feeling that fairness plays into this at all. Just as in nature, You give all creation a time in which to blossom and fruit, and You have also done so for us. Ultimately it's not important when the fruit is ripe but simply that You harvest it. In Jesus name we pray. Amen!
Therefore my friend, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry for itself; each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matt 6:34) This Passing Day. May this passing day honor our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and be a blessing to you and everyone you meet. Find a stranger and say hello. Don't let another day pass without your day blessing someone else.
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<thispassingday@gmail.com> From Beech Springs, God bless you for Jesus sake.