The Value of a Jerk

What an annoying jerk!

Last evening, I was sitting in a Starbucks waiting to meet with one of the guys, reading my book. My nose was buried in a chapter describing how the primary attribute of any person is not comprised of his faults, but from the image of God that He has placed in each one of us. The image of God, the book claims, defines us and gives us an inherent value that no amount of negative characteristics can wipe out.

As if on cue to test the theory, the table behind me was promptly occupied by a man, a woman, and the woman's daughter. The man surpassed annoying in less than 10 seconds, and built on his accomplishment from there. I began to wonder if the chapter referred to every single human being except one.

He interrupted, he was loud, and he clearly didn't listen much to others. He spoke to the girl, who looked to be about 11, in a manner less mature than she responded with. He complained about the trouble he was having with the unemployment office because they "claimed" he resigned his previous job, as he then went on to describe how he left the job of his own accord rather than get fired. (At least he didn't resign.) As he worked on his $4.50 drink (paid for by the woman), he whined that because of the unemployment office, he could not afford to take the woman out to dinner. Which he then immediately followed with a suggestion to the girl that the two of them spend the entire next day at the pool working on their tans. When the woman and daughter left, he made sure that the girl kissed him. I think the rest of the people in the coffeehouse heard my alarm bells going off.

It was therefore particularly difficult to get through that chapter of the book and give it any credibility at all. The chapter described people worse than this yahoo, but they (though real) were mere characters on a page to me. This guy was fouling my air.

Is it really true that everyone has inherent value just because they bear the image of God? Does this guy? Forget the monsters of human history - I need to resolve this idea with this guy before I can accept it as true.

First, there is the false assumption that my list of character flaws, annoying ways, and sins is somehow more meritorious than his. I'm not annoying in his ways, so I must be more deserving of this inherent value than he is. Even if I would score more favorably on some universal annoyance scale, it is false to say that I therefore have more of the image of God than he.

Second, this inherent value comes from an external source (God), while our horrible, annoying characteristics come from an internal source. If the value is external, and if that external source is unchanging, then everyone must have the same inherent, high value, no matter how unpleasantly the internal source spoils the environment it occupies.

Third, if I in any way limit the reach of the inherent value we receive from God's image, then I limit the reach of grace. I have no such authority.

So, the challenge for me is how to appreciate that jerk's inherent value. At this point, it's not his issue, but mine. The reason I have trouble with this is internal to me, independent of him. It's because I have yet to fully embrace how effectively God's image brings inherent value to everyone who bears it. It's because I have my standards that people must meet before I value them, placing a Law on them of my own device.

The chapter wasn't wrong. My attitude is.

Why I Don't Play the Lottery

$120 million after taxes. That's what one Georgia woman gained this week in the Mega Millions lottery. That makes you dream and wonder what you'd do with it - not just the indulgent things, but also the noble things. People you could take care of, debts you could pay, education you could enable, non-profit projects you could underwrite, all kinds of things.

Gambling, per se, isn't directly forbidden in Scripture. Buying a lotto ticket doesn't necessarily have to come from clearly forbidden motives - greed, addiction, or lack of wisdom with finances. What's a buck or two, especially if it's just for fun?

And yet, I still don't play the lottery. I am not saying that everyone who does so is wrong. I'm not telling you what you should do. We can discuss our reasons for our choices without judging the choices of another. I offer here my reasons for not playing for you to consider, ignore, disagree with, or critique.

I know me too well. I know that if I start playing the lottery, no matter how noble or recreational my intention, I will inevitably start having greedier and greedier wants. I will start wanting more stuff "when I win the lottery," and even without winning anything, would become a greedier person. I can't prevent myself from doing this. And then I would be buying just a little bit more into the lie that more stuff will make me more happy. Plus I also know that I would obsess, even just a little, on getting the results. I don't like what would happen inside of me if I played.

I know math too well. The statistical "expected value" of the lottery is negative. Yes, there are winners. But if you multiply the chances of the cost (100%) by the cost (negative $1 / ticket, for example) and then compare that to the chances of winning (mega-mega-tiny) multiplied by the benefit (jackpot), you get the "expected value," and the expected value for the lottery is negative. Why would I get caught up in something that has a negative expected value?

I know others too well. I would likely lose money. But if I did win money, I would win money by others losing money. I would much rather make money through win-win scenarios, or just even-trade scenarios. But gaining money through the lottery is necessitated by others losing money. That's not a game I want to play.

Furthermore, the excuse of "just think how much I could give to the church" does not impress me - that's almost always a self-delusion to excuse greed.

I'm not saying that there isn't a way to play the lottery in an acceptable manner. But I know that I can't play the lottery in an acceptable manner. So I don't play at all.

Does My Effort Matter?

God is sovereign. Completely. Everything is under His control, nothing happens unless He at least allows to happen, if not directly makes it happen. He has guaranteed the final score before the first pitch. The Bible says that it's not just that God knows what's going to happen, but that He's the one who will make it happen.

So, does my effort matter? I can't thwart God's plan. I can't change the outcome (can I?). I certainly can't alter God's eternal plan. The Bible seems to care a lot about whether or not I do certain things, but does it really matter, since I can't alter the final score that's been fixed from before the world began?

Among theologians, these questions are part of a much larger debate which (sadly) can cause division among brothers in Christ. But in real life for normal people, it really comes down to the very practical question: Does my effort matter? And if it does, how so? And if not, then why bother?

Does my effort matter? You probably anticipated this answer: yes and no.

In one sense, no, your effort doesn't matter. Sorry, but God's plan is not so fragile as to teeter on whether or not you do something. He's completely, totally, effectively, conclusively sovereign, and He will execute His eternal plan no matter what you do. His confidence for the outcome of His plan is not merely based on the fact that He knows how it all turns out - His confidence comes from the fact that He is God, and because He is God, there is no other possible outcome than His plan.

But in another sense, yes, your effort does matter. Consider:

• We can participate in God's plan: Technically, everyone is always participating in God's plan, either for it or against, either wittingly or unwittingly, because no one is exempt from God's comprehensive plan. But we have the opportunity to be willing participants working for God's purpose rather than against it. That's a privilege! When the end comes, we will have either been active participants in what God accomplished, or non-participants, or even antagonists. Personally, I really like the first of those three options.
• We can be the kind of person God is making us to be. By participating actively in God's purpose, we are being what God wants. To be a believer in Jesus Christ, but inactive in God's plan, is to be a living contradiction. Even though I can't change the final score, I can either live consistently with His plan or live inconsistently with His plan. What kind of people does God want us to be - those who live in concert with His purpose and plan or those who clash with them?
• We can glorify God. By living a life that reflects what God is doing in the world, we bring Him glory. God is glorified by whatever reflects His character. Applying ourselves to His purpose reflects His character, and therefore glorifies Him. Don't tell me that doesn't matter.
• We can be how God executes His plan. Yes, God is completely sovereign and will accomplish His purpose, but God accomplishes a lot of His purpose through people. His sovereign plan that existed before the world began includes those through whom He will accomplish His plan. Our actions matter because our actions are part of what God sovereignly uses to execute His plan.

Part of our problem with this question is that we have a very Western mindset, which is focused on results. Actions are meaningful only if they produce the desired results. We look at God's sovereignty and how He will get His results no matter what we do, and we conclude our actions don't matter. However, our Western way is not the only way to discover what's meaningful. Meaning is also found in being. By being a certain kind of people (who do certain things because of who we are), we have meaning in God's economy. In other words, God has value for us not only in what we accomplish, but in who we are. Being completely willing  participants in His plan is valuable, no matter how it may affect the outcome.