The green gecko promises me I can save 15% on my auto insurance if I will go with Geico. State Farm promises a 40% saving on car insurance. But I am not sure it is 40% of what. Allstate promises 45% savings for safe driving and 30% if I bundle my car and home. I’m sure that doesn’t add up to 75%. And Flo, the lady with the bright red lips, promises me the cheapest insurance is with Progressive. I believe them with the same measure of trust as I do the political ads that fill our screens.
Who to trust is one of life’s great questions. Corporations, institutions and individuals are primarily self-interested entities. We can’t help it. Self-interest is at the heart of our being. In the past 12 people in Colorado were heartlessly slaughtered. It dominated, rightfully so, our airwaves. It was a horrible national tragedy. But I could not miss the fact that at the same time 1200 people were heartlessly slaughtered in Syria and I heard one fifteen second mention on our news. They were not us. They were them. I do not wish to distract from the loss in Colorado. It was beyond horrible. I merely want to illustrate our humanness, our self-focus.
It is no wonder that Paul says in I Corinthians 15 “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven.” Fortunately he goes on to explain that we will be changed and this corruption will put on incorruption. It is the only way God can trust us. As we are, we are not fit for eternity. We must trust Him to do it for us. I know you have a sweet grandma but even she is not trustworthy until she is changed.
Written by Roger Bothwell on July 26, 2012
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org