Ends vs. Means

Ends vs. Means
All a man's ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart. (Proverbs 21:2)


We can rationalize anything we do. We can always come up with a good reason why we did what we did. But the real question is this: how do we know when a decision is the right one? And if what that decision costs you is worth making the decision?

Ultimately, through His power and authority, our freewill and the Holy Spirit working in the life of the believer, God is in control. He is playing out this drama, this grand act on a stage that seems so vast and intricate to us, but is really well within His ability to handle. So broad and infinite, and yet He is concerned with me and my struggles, my failings, my hopes, my fears. So when we weigh decisions, we have to weigh the consequences not just on the immediate level but on the eternal level as well.

Even in the light of that, all our ways seem right to us. Think about it: Do you ever say "Ok that would be the best thing to do...let's do this instead." No, everybody makes what they feel and think to be their FIRST AND BEST DECISION every time, all day, every day. And in retrospect, many of our decisions turn out to be stupid, selfish, sad, or sinful, but hindsight is always 20/20...

Thus, for the believer, God is going to look at our motives, He is going to weigh our hearts, to reveal what we were thinking, why we made the decisions we made. Now this all happens in the light of God's all-knowingness, so there will be no mistakes: God will get it right, every time, all day, every day, till we stand before Him for judgment.

For God, the end (the salvation of sinful humanity) justified the means (the sinless life and brutal atoning death of Christ). Now we have to decide: if we live our lives for an end (seeing as many people come to Christ before He returns for us) what means are we willing to go to? Knowing that God will weigh our hearts, we must find the same selfless love that God showed in sending Christ and reflect that in the lives of first our family and friends, then everyone else.
Not that any of this is easy, but this is the direction we need to be moving in...

Pastor Mike