Ends vs. means
The guy Neil writes about who is promoting New Age stuff in a business class (school, not airline) had this to say: I just know it works.
Was the guy a Christian? I couldn’t tell from the story. What I did get was the sense that he was the kind of person for whom the ends justify the means. He wasn’t concerned with the strings that might be attached to what he’s doing; he just wants results.
In my pursuit of what’s good, there’s always going to be a temptation to use questionable means to achieve an end. Does God care? Absolutely. Jesus said that the person who is faithful in the little stuff will be entrusted with bigger things, as well (Matthew 25:14-30, mostly v. 29).
I also saw a familiar theme – that of depending on God to meet a legitimate need instead of meeting it myself or getting creative and looking for other means. I’m so glad that God knows what I need and is already at work to meet those needs. It’s a powerful truth in my life right now; a willful act of taking something I need, turning it over to God, and waiting on Him to meet it.
If someone’s heart isn’t fully submitted to God, they will find it easy to add other things onto their Christianity. They won’t have a problem with embracing the bad with the good, even though it will take away from their spiritual health. My job is to stay connected, stay submitted, and remember who it is that meets my needs.
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