Posts Tagged: not fair!
“AM I BEING FAIR TO MYSELF?”
“The LORD demands accurate scales and balances; he sets the standards for fairness.” (Proverbs 16:11, New Living Translation)
“Not fair!!” (My youngest daughter whenever her older sister and brother beat her in a footrace)
I was thinking about fairness this morning, and it suddenly occurred to me that fairness is very important, but very rare.
The words for “fair” in the Bible are often translated with words like “just, justice,” and “judgment.” However, justice seems to me to be a word that is too narrow to really convey what the Hebrew and Greek words mean. “Fair” and “fairness” seem to be a fairer translation.
Throughout the Old and New Testaments, we are told that God is fair. It may not seem so to us. In fact, to tell the truth, God very often appears to be anything but fair. However, I need to distinguish between who God is and who God may appear to be to me.
Furthermore, both the Old and New Testaments tell me that I also need to be fair. Now, the Scriptures are getting plumb meddlesome!
Being fair to others is very hard work. If I let a person into my lane on the highway, I may be trying to be fair. But what about the people behind me? Am I being fair to them?
It occurred to me this morning that there is one person that I am particularly unfair to: myself. I frequently talk badly about myself. I am demanding. I want to be the perfect everything. I try to hold myself to a higher standard than I would anyone else—including God. Seriously! I would more readily allow for some sort of weakness in God than in myself.
Not FAIR!
But how can I truly believe in the fairness of God, unless I am at least trying to be fair to myself? If I don’t practice fairness, I tend to make God over into my own image. That is called idolatry. It is also called stupidity.
And if I am not fair to myself, how can I be fair to others? I can only act, based on who I am. If I am not practicing the fine art of fairness toward myself, how can I make a serious attempt at being fair to others.
So, today I am going to be fair to myself. To practice and to make progress in the spiritual realm, I need to practice all the virtues—fairness included—toward myself, as well as toward everyone else.
DOWN TO EARTH BELIEVER
- “Even a Sliver of Light” April 9, 2024“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 5:6, English Standard Version) I missed the total eclipse yesterday. There were a number of good reasons for this, but […]
- “The Process in Miracles and the Miracle of Process” March 11, 2024“2 Kings 5:1 Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. 2 Now the Syrians on one of their raids […]
- “The Power of Encouragement—Even for Old People” March 10, 2024“But encourage each other every day while it is ‘today.’ Help each other so none of you will become hardened because sin has tricked you.” (Hebrews 3:13, New Century Version) Yesterday, I was walking at a nearby park. There was a large group of young people some of whom were running while other young people […]
- “Endurance” March 10, 2024“For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.” (Hebrews 10:36, English Standard Version) “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us […]
- “The Limits of Non-Judgmentalism” February 24, 2024“Matt. 7:1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. Matt. 7:2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 7:1-2, English Standard Version) This morning, in my virtual 12-step meeting, we discussed the topic of judgmentalism. There were many wise […]
- “Delighting in Being Told What to Do?!?” February 23, 2024“Psa. 112:1 Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments! 2 His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures […]
- “Character is the Real Lesson” January 19, 2024I am often confused about what lesson I’m really supposed to be learning. For example, this morning I was trying to knock out several Spanish lessons. My intentions were a lot better than my internet connection. I’ve done three lessons. Or rather, I’ve done two lessons. One of them I did twice because the internet […]
- “The Year of Becoming Un-Planked” January 1, 2024Each year, I try to come up with one word or a short phrase for what I intend to work on in the upcoming year. 2024 is “The Year of Becoming Un-Planked”. What?!! What does that even mean? So glad that you asked! Jesus said to his disciples, “Why do you look at the speck […]
- “Searching for the Noble One” December 26, 2023My wife and I were reading Luke, chapter 2 on Christmas Day. Luke 2 talks about the shepherds being told to look for this very special child—in fact, this King—in a stable. I prefer the word “barn”. I grew up on a farm. I know what a barn is. A stable is entirely too biblical […]
- “That Don’t Impress God Much” December 14, 2023DTEB, “That Don’t Impress God Much” “That Don’t Impress Me Much” (Song by Robert John Lange and Shania Twain) Micah 6:8 (MSG) “But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be […]
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