Clear contrasts can be made.
On the one side, He rules in righteousness. He operates in love. The product of His rule is peace and that evokes joy in those who are ruled by Him. He inspires by His example of service. He offers every necessary help to live up the rule . He supports and corrects in grace and He is able to establish a path to tangible development. He does not accept compromise, but does extend mercy to those who fail. He puts in place clear commands and principles that help in understanding His rule and He exhibits it supremely in His character.
To counter that the counterfeit makes allusions to concepts like justice and peace. These are arbitrary terms with meanings that bend and flex to meet the demand of whoever uses it. It gives the perception of serving others, but it’s a cover for selfish ambition and people are used as steps to build personal empires and who are discarded when they no longer are of use to that goal. Terms such as freedom and liberty are bandied about with little desire for consistent commitment to the authentic expression of these concepts.
The idea is not to be taken up with the counterfeit to live in fear of it. The idea is to be devoted and take delight in what’s real. It’s to explore and learn and discover more about what is real. It is to meditate on the real and take pleasure in refreshing the soul about the real. Such is the affinity with it and its impact on relationships that the essence of its beauty can be picked up quickly.
Thus such is the familiarity and sensitive discernment to the real thing that the counterfeit is as stark as a blemish on an otherwise clean sheet.
(Photo by Dominik Schröder on Unsplash)
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 