TOGETHER

Is the cause of thought truly served by the chaos of prejudice? Essentially, we know there are so many layers that reside behind smiles and eyes. This is basic to human nature no matter how we choose to speak of equality and fairness.

What is truly gained by making this truth out to be some kind of illusion that we foster though vain words and pretense is hard to understand at times. We strive to ignore the fateful union in this life between heart and sin. It is the bond of reality, the mar of our legacy that we love to avoid accepting.

Insert a mix of religiosity and what swells in the thinking is this presumption that spirituality and faith are somehow inoculations against the infections of sin. When this game is played to seriously, only fabrication can ever alter the reality of how dysfunctional such a view is for our essence.

I believe God’s repository in out life was that undercoat of sub-conscious and spiritual essence. We might on a conscious level ignore or lie about our behavior, but I don’t think it in any way keeps us from deep down knowing the truth.

Sadly we prefer the lofty fairy tale of our own goodness. We want to believe we are other than someone possessed of a dark side. That we can arrive to a point of life where sin no longer affect us.

One can always tell when such thinking prevails in some people’s lives. They will make sure you are aware of every so-called good deed they think they have performed. If pressed by an accusation over some error or sin in their lives, such people almost always divert attention away from their shortcomings by pointing out all the good they claim the do. Thus the dialogue is, “I’m not a bad person, even if I did do this one thing wrong because look at all the good I do.”

A deeper seed of image residing in that delusion is the one that someone regards deeds as a barter for sin. That one can in any way earn a single shred of forgiveness by one’s works. The only work that earns any forgiveness is the one perform by our lord and savior on the cross.

Faith, putting one’s trust in Jesus’ work at Calvary, is what brings the grace of God’s gift of salvation to our souls. Our works, which should be the expression of God’s spirit in our lives, are therefore not a source of boasting or pride. They are in reality what we should do out of obedience when his spirit leads. The joy ought to be ours for rejoice that we responded in obedience when so called.

To place one’s joy in the deed itself is such a temptation to let that deed somehow validate our self-worth, which thus makes it a selfish, self-serving act. Knowing the difference that it is faith and salvation go together instead of good deeds and salvation is a truth and wisdom whereby some enter the abode of God and are told “Well done good and faithful servant” or to be told, “depart from me for I never knew you.”