- Jun 29, 2019
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A lot to think about.
We are all under God, whether we know it or not, or whether we like it or not. The universe, including the earth, is God’s Domain. Some may say that the earth is Satan’s domain, but that has the same significance as a landlord saying his building is his domain. Maybe so, but it is because of God that the landlord and his building exist. Similarly, to an extent, Satan may assert that the earth is his domain, but that’s only to the extent God allows him to exist. The earth may be Satan’s domain to an extent, but if our faith is in God, then we are not subject to Satan. If people live in a land under the authority of a king, and the king himself is subject to an emperor, who do you believe will prevail if need be? The king is allowed to rule, only to the extent he doesn’t interfere with the emperor.
Likewise, Satan can do what he wishes, only to the extent he doesn’t interfere with God. If he tries to grab hold of a person whose faith is in God, Satan will fail to draw that person to him. Bu tin this respect, God allows us to have a choice: we can either allow ourselves to be drawn to Satan, or we can stand firmly with God. To a righteous person, Satan is like a bad neighborhood to avoid if you want to minimize your troubles. A truly righteous person will not stumble into that neighborhood.
What of an honest person? Who is an honest person under God? A dictionary defines “honest” as “telling the truth or able to be trusted and not likely to steal, cheat, or lie.” An honest person under God is one who tells the truth AND can be trusted and WON”T steal, cheat or lie, unless it’s to save himself and others from harm. With such a person, dishonesty may be the means in certain situations, but it isn’t what defines him. In other words, he doesn’t look to see how much he can score by being dishonest, under any measure.
Honesty encompasses equality and fairness. Equality involves treating people equally, from a vertical or horizontal perspective. The vertical aspect involves the second great command of Jesus, which is to love your neighbor as you would love yourself. Everything that you can expect for yourself in terms of treatment, you should presume that others expect the same treatment. If you expect to be rewarded or heralded for your endeavors under God, you should presume others expect the same thing. Love under God includes your faith in Him and what He stands for. The horizontal aspect of equality involves treating people equally under any measure you use, from charging the same amount for something of a certain weight or quantity, to whatever measure you apply in evaluating people. Proverbs 11:1 says, “A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight.” Proverbs 16:11 says, “A just balance and scales are the Lord's; all the weights in the bag are his work.”
Can there be situations where we are unable to treat people equally? What if there is only so much room for people who meet your criteria, forcing you to choose whom to pick and whom to send on their way? The element of fairness may come into play to a certain extent. One definition of fairness involves treating people according to what they deserve. If, for example a person is aware that, for instance, there are time limits to applying for admittance to something, or to be hired, and they are aware of the time limit, but they do not abide by the time limit, how much can you blame a person for not considering them, no matter how qualified they may be in terms of the criteria you set forth? And if there is simply no room for everyone, based on the criteria you laid out, you might consider additional criteria to further shave down the applicants to the point where those remaining can be taken in, to the extent you don’t risk losing those you’ve chose because of the lapse in time.
As for trying to cheat an honest person...Well, if you yourself are honest, you would not be looking to cheat others. And if you are honest under God, you would, in your life, have striven for and acquired enough wisdom to know when you might be taken in by someone to your detriment. Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Fools can be cheated, since they simply don’t know any better. Like dogs, they return to their vomit, expecting a different outcome.
We are all under God, whether we know it or not, or whether we like it or not. The universe, including the earth, is God’s Domain. Some may say that the earth is Satan’s domain, but that has the same significance as a landlord saying his building is his domain. Maybe so, but it is because of God that the landlord and his building exist. Similarly, to an extent, Satan may assert that the earth is his domain, but that’s only to the extent God allows him to exist. The earth may be Satan’s domain to an extent, but if our faith is in God, then we are not subject to Satan. If people live in a land under the authority of a king, and the king himself is subject to an emperor, who do you believe will prevail if need be? The king is allowed to rule, only to the extent he doesn’t interfere with the emperor.
Likewise, Satan can do what he wishes, only to the extent he doesn’t interfere with God. If he tries to grab hold of a person whose faith is in God, Satan will fail to draw that person to him. Bu tin this respect, God allows us to have a choice: we can either allow ourselves to be drawn to Satan, or we can stand firmly with God. To a righteous person, Satan is like a bad neighborhood to avoid if you want to minimize your troubles. A truly righteous person will not stumble into that neighborhood.
What of an honest person? Who is an honest person under God? A dictionary defines “honest” as “telling the truth or able to be trusted and not likely to steal, cheat, or lie.” An honest person under God is one who tells the truth AND can be trusted and WON”T steal, cheat or lie, unless it’s to save himself and others from harm. With such a person, dishonesty may be the means in certain situations, but it isn’t what defines him. In other words, he doesn’t look to see how much he can score by being dishonest, under any measure.
Honesty encompasses equality and fairness. Equality involves treating people equally, from a vertical or horizontal perspective. The vertical aspect involves the second great command of Jesus, which is to love your neighbor as you would love yourself. Everything that you can expect for yourself in terms of treatment, you should presume that others expect the same treatment. If you expect to be rewarded or heralded for your endeavors under God, you should presume others expect the same thing. Love under God includes your faith in Him and what He stands for. The horizontal aspect of equality involves treating people equally under any measure you use, from charging the same amount for something of a certain weight or quantity, to whatever measure you apply in evaluating people. Proverbs 11:1 says, “A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight.” Proverbs 16:11 says, “A just balance and scales are the Lord's; all the weights in the bag are his work.”
Can there be situations where we are unable to treat people equally? What if there is only so much room for people who meet your criteria, forcing you to choose whom to pick and whom to send on their way? The element of fairness may come into play to a certain extent. One definition of fairness involves treating people according to what they deserve. If, for example a person is aware that, for instance, there are time limits to applying for admittance to something, or to be hired, and they are aware of the time limit, but they do not abide by the time limit, how much can you blame a person for not considering them, no matter how qualified they may be in terms of the criteria you set forth? And if there is simply no room for everyone, based on the criteria you laid out, you might consider additional criteria to further shave down the applicants to the point where those remaining can be taken in, to the extent you don’t risk losing those you’ve chose because of the lapse in time.
As for trying to cheat an honest person...Well, if you yourself are honest, you would not be looking to cheat others. And if you are honest under God, you would, in your life, have striven for and acquired enough wisdom to know when you might be taken in by someone to your detriment. Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Fools can be cheated, since they simply don’t know any better. Like dogs, they return to their vomit, expecting a different outcome.
