12-5-11

WHAT'S WRONG HERE!

The heart is deceitful above all things

and beyond cure!

Who can understand it?

Jeremiah 17.10

From within, out of the heart come evil thoughts...;

evils come from within

and make a man unclean.

Mark 7.20-23

Seventy-five years ago, our world was facing chaos and disaster.

An English paper invited readers to send their answer to this question:

“What's wrong with the world?”

The friend and mentor of C.S. Lewis, George MacDonald, wrote back,

“I am.”

MacDonald took Jeremiah and Jesus seriously!

“I am?”

Seriously?

Me?

Were Jesus and Jeremiah talking about me?

Seriously, now? Are you really serious?

Me.

 

Deceitful...beyond cure...evil...unclean?

 

Me?

Yes, Me.

And you, too.

Me, you, and currently a few more than

7,000,000,000 of us.

All of us—

Seriously...!

Do you think we might find someone among these billions

who is perfect?

 

How does our imperfection come about?

We know what goodness is.  We recognize it when we see it.

But Jeremiah says our goodness is seriously mixed up with serious short-comings:

Deceitful...beyond cure...evil...unclean.

Mixed up in me.

And in you.

And the other more than 6, 999,999,998 of us.

All of us fall woefully short of God's good intentions.