The Myth of Good People, Dead and Suffering - Purity 1259
Purity 1259 01/27/2024 Purity 1259 Podcast
Purity 1259 on YouTube:
Good morning,
Today’s photo of a flock of geese or duck on an
unknown lake on what appears to be a frigid sunrise morning comes to us from an
unknown FB friend who shared this white, pink, and purple delight on social
media back on around January 4th of 2021. If this beauty is yours give us a heads up
and we will give photo credit where photo credit is due by updating the blog after
the fact.
Well, it’s Saturday and even though I rather enjoy
the upturn in temperatures and the soggy rain January we have received in upstate
NY over the last few days, I can still appreciate the beauty that comes from chiller
temperatures and the stillness of the near freezing conditions that seem to be
part of the beauty of today’s photo. Those trees seem to be frozen and even the
waterfowl in this photo are swimming, the snow on the shoreline of this lake
reveals that it's still cold outside. Today’s
photo is a paradox of sorts where the elements seem to contradict one another –
cold but not that cold, freezing but not frozen and that contrast has me
thinking of the paradox of appearances and reality when man tries to take control
over or craft a narrative around life that is more shadows and fog rather than
actual facts causing us to question our experience of reality as we are tempted
to “believe the lie” of accepting someone’s second hand report. Sometimes the truth of the details is left out
of the story people tell themselves and others causing us to accept an
interpretation of reality that is more myth than truth, causing us to live in
denial or unwittingly to believe a narrative that is more speculation or spin
doctoring than real.
This phenomenon of dealing with the cognitive
dissonance that comes from knowing the dirty secrets or actual facts of a situation
and seeing people deceived by a sentimentalized or factually modified version
of the events that portray people in a certain light or that gives the impression of things being a
certain way when they really weren't that way has really come to bear this week
as I have been reading about the dangers of being deceived in Dr. Neil Anderson’s
Discipleship Counseling and have seen people “telling tales” about certain
people or certain events that aren’t necessarily true.
The recrafting of reality is more common than you
might think. An example of this can
surround when someone dies. In our
grief, the difficult or less than flattering details that surround the deceased
are sometimes forgiven or forgotten as the fact of their departure causes us to
not want to “speak ill of the dead”.
This can also happen when someone who is less than kind suffers a loss
or tragedy that they are partially responsible for. “Poor Joe” or “Poor Jane” who have died or who are walking through
trials and tribulations may not have been so “poor” – they may have been quite
nasty in fact and they may have wittingly or unwittingly sowed the seeds of the
bad fruit that has sprouted in their lives.
While I don’t wish to kick anyone when they are down
or to soil the reputation of those who have gone into eternity “too soon” –( it’s
always too soon, right? Oh Poor Sam, was 91 years young.. seriously? – anyway..)
, I think that we do a huge disservice to ourselves for accepting false images
or ignore the facts of the case when suffering comes. Instead of believing the myth of “only the
good die young” or that people suffer the slings and arrows or outrageous fortune,
I feel that we would actually be honoring the dead and suffering among us by
keeping it real.
Joe was somewhat of a jerk. He rejected God, did
things his way, ignored common sense about life, and died in part by his own poor
decisions.
Jane may be suffering now but she too failed to
follow the Lord, failed to do what was right, failed to forgive, ignore facts
and common sense, failed to foster her relationships with love, and made
selfish or foolish decisions that have led to her current trials and
tribulations.
Poor Joe and Poor Jane are truly poor – not because
they are dead or are suffering – but because they were lied to – they believed
that they could live according to their own rules and live independently of God
– and now the testimony of their lives causes the discerning to realize just
how untrue the story of their being “good people” really is. If all I can say about someone after they
have died revolves around their personal preferences, hobbies, and how they
were “nice” or the “life of the party”, I shudder to think how they will fair
at the judgment seat of Christ. If people’s obituaries fail to mention faith or
Jesus as a part of their earthly lives, I fear they will be denied in
heaven.
Where do I get that?
From the words of Jesus. He said in
Matthew
10:32-33 (NKJV)
32 "Therefore
whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who
is in heaven.
33 But
whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in
heaven.
Yikes, makes you wonder about people whose obituaries
talk about their sports teams, hobbies, and general disposition, or who just give
a list of relatives but make no mention of our Heavenly Father or Jesus. And perhaps more scary is the fact that people
will miss that fact and think it was a “good obituary” when in fact it could be
all the evidence we need to tell us that this departed person is most likely in
hell.
Similarly, those who are suffering now may be more
worthy of our critical discernment than of our sympathy. Their story of woe
perhaps should be considered as a cautionary tale more than a tragedy. The adage of choosing to sin, choose to
suffer can be true in subtle ways that may not seem apparent to “good people”.
I am listing a link OpenBilbe.info’s 100 verses
about the consequences of sin (https://www.openbible.info/topics/the_consequences_of_sin)
, on the blog today to remind us that we should attempt to be right with God, but
beyond the verses that tell us that sin leads to death and separation from God,
I want to share:
James
4:17 (NKJV) which says
17 Therefore, to him who
knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.
And
Galatians 6:6-9 (NKJV)
6 Let him who is taught the
word share in all good things with him who teaches.
7 Do not be deceived, God is
not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
8 For he who sows to his
flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of
the Spirit reap everlasting life.
9 And let us not grow weary
while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
Now while this second passage points
to eternal life through sowing to the Spirit, let’s not miss what it says about
reaping what we sow in connection with the fact that it is sin to know what is
good and choose not to do it. The
corruption we reap from a life in the flesh – a life lived according to our own
rules, independently of God, not only has eternal consequences but can also
point to the corruption of bad consequences and suffering loss in the world of
the living. While some of us may not be
desperately wicked by relative standards, we when fail to obey the Lord’s ways
for our lives – those loving, selfless, forgiving, righteous, and holy ways –
we may very well reap a harvest of bitterness from our selfish choices.
Death doesn’t erase the fact that
people were sinful, selfish, or separated from God and neither does suffering loss
or tribulations excuse the failure to heed God’s word or to walk by faith in
the power of the Holy Spirit.
“Poor Joe” or “Poor Jane” should not
necessarily be remembered fondly or sympathized with because of their few positive
qualities in light of the reality of their lives of abject rebellion to and
rejection of God’s plan for redemption and righteous recommendations for living.
I don’t mean to play the “blame game”
but the “misfortunes” of those who fail to follow the Lord may not be so
outrageous. And portraying worldly selfish people with no regard for the things
of God in their lives as “good people”
in their death is not only a lie but is an active campaign against the
gospel of Jesus Christ. While only God knows the eternal destinies of those who
go into death, if someone’s life doesn’t confess Jesus before men, we can realistically
expect that “Poor Joe” or “Poor Jane” are suffering in hell regardless of the
sentimental platitudes that family and friends speak on their behalf.
I know these are really cheery thoughts for a Saturday
but deception is the game that Satan plays and when we fail to consider the
truth of someone’s life or the suffering that results from a life lived apart
from God and His ways, we join in league with the spiritual forces of darkness
that would like to lull us to sleep and to believe the lie that “all dogs go to
heaven” or that God accepts people based on their merits or through an all
inclusive universal grace that puts the evil with the good and the godless with
the faithful.
Our lives matter. Our choices matter. And while we shouldn’t
accost the grieving with the hard truths regarding those whose dye has been cast,
we shouldn’t believe the lie that those who lived without God on earth will be
with Him in heaven for eternity.
And likewise, while we shouldn’t disparage those who
are suffering because of their failures to live a life that was blameless, we
should encourage them to learn from their mistakes and lean on the Lord to guide
them in the way they should go for the road into the future.
Remember to challenge the “stories” that the world
is telling you and to not only reject the lie that are being said, but be ready
to tell people the truth and to do it with love.
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For
those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide,
I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/ .
Today’s
Bible verses come to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By
John G. Kruis.
(
While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick
Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late
author’s work. (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Scripture-Reference-Counseling-Kruis-ebook/dp/B00CIUJZT2?ref_=ast_author_dp )
This
morning’s meditation verses come from the section on Communication, Gossip, and
Lying.
Proverbs 10:19 (NASB)
19 When there are many words,
transgression is unavoidable, But he who restrains his lips is wise.
Today’s
verse is the third of five passages of scripture that fall under the fifth point
of our counseling reference guide resource’s section on Communication, Gossip, and
Lying.
5. Be quick to listen,
slow to speak.
Today’s
verse tells us that there is a danger to saying too much. The more words we
speak the more likely we are to say something that isn’t necessarily true. We
like to tell our side of the story to support what we believe and in our zeal
to support our narratives we may embellish certain aspects of a situation to
paint things in a different light or we may choose to leave out certain details
that aren’t flattering or useful to our agendas.
So
Proverbs tells us to restrain our lips to be wise. One piece of advice regarding speaking that I
recall from my walk through life – in other words I forget the source material for
this advice or there are many – is to think before we speak and to ask
ourselves some questions about what we are about to say before blurting it out.
Is
what I am about to say:
True?
Helpful? Necessary? Or Kind?
If
the answer to those questions is “No”, we should probably exercise our right to
remain silent or ask ourselves what the consequences will be if we don’t speak
and pray to the Lord to guide us in the way we should go.
Many
words may lead us into transgressions so examine what you “need to say” and
rely on the Lord to show you when to remain silent or when to proclaim the
truth with love.
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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I
always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to
assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from “According to Your
Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament” By Stephen F. Olford – A
Collection of Devotional Journals: 1940-1941.
As always, I share this information for educational
purposes and encourage you all to purchase Olford’s books for your own
private study and to support his work. This resource is available online
for less than $10 at many sites.
MORNING READING: MATTHEW 19
“If you want to be perfect, go, sell
what you have and give
to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and
come, follow Me.” – Matthew 19:21
The Lord's desire for this young man was that he might
prove not only the good and acceptable will of God, but also the perfect will
of God. “If you want to be perfect.” What then had the young man to do?
William Cowper had to say from a heart experience:
The
dearest idol I have known,
Whate'er that idol be
Help me to tear it from Thy throne,
And worship only Thee.1
What
the Lord wanted from this young man was not his riches so much, but the
unreserved surrender of his heart and body. Instead, he chose the fleeting
treasures of time in place of the pleasures of eternity. He denied himself the
possession of eternal life for the temporary enjoyment of earthly riches.
Continue to remind me, Lord,
to strive for Your perfect will in my life.[1]
---------------------------more
tomorrow------------------------
Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage
Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the
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at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts
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These teachings are also available on the
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Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and
to be encouraged.
My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian
encouragement via her Ask Seek Knock blog (https://tammylynask.blogspot.com/ ), her
Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on
Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)
“The views, opinions, and commentary of this
publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to
reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries,
or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication,
and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the
author may represent.”
Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship
[1]
Stephen Olford and Heather Olford, According to Your
Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament, A Collection of Devotional
Journals 1940-1941 (Nashville, TN: B&H Books, 2008).
