Friday, September 26, 2008

When good is bad?

Here is a thought from the book Jesus for President, which I have been kicking around. The book is great and I highly recommend picking it up.

"It's the beautiful things that get us. Perhaps the greatest seduction is not the ANTI-GOD, but the ALMOST*GOD. Poisonous fruit can look pretty tasty. Thats what is so dangerous about ideas like FREEDOM, PEACE AND JUSTICE. They are all seductive qualities, close to the heart of God. After all, its the beautiful things we kill and die for. And it's the beautiful we market, exploit, brand and counterfeit. WE FIND OURSELVES POSSESSED BY OUR POSSESSIONS... and enslaved by the pursuit of freedom. Nations fighting for peace end up perpetuating the very violence they seek to destroy. Serpents are slippery and slimy things. Most of the ugliness in the human narrative comes from a distorted quest to possess beauty. COVETING begins with appreciating blessing. MURDER begins with a hunger for justice. LUST begins with a recognition of beauty. GLUTTONY begins when our enjoyment of the delectable gifts of GOD starts to consume us. IDOLATRY begins when our seeing a reflection of God in something beautiful leads to our thinking that the beautiful image bearer is worthy of worship."

So does good have an expiration date?
Wallace D.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

i love your mind.

Unknown said...

Great passage. I like it.
I think it probably does.
Seems this passage keeps things balanced:

"Seek first the kingdom and His righteousness"

I find that when I'm seeking His justice and righteousness...the ways of His kingdom...of quiet love and bold grace...it's rather transforming and I don't get as hung up trying to do the sin management but I'm swimming deeper in something...rather than trying to hold all the ping pong balls under water.

I'm glad to have found your blog. Good stuff...thoughts I resonate with. Have a great day.