Doing The Least Bad

"Jesus, I’m not as bad as that person..."

Maybe not in those words, but this just might be the phrase spoken around the world. How often do we compare ourselves to others? As a kid in Newark (Best city in the whole wide world!), there wasn't a basketball court you could go to that didn’t have someone shooting a basketball and exclaiming, "KOBE!" as they shot the ball. He was my generation's Michael Jordan and, therefore, was the standard of basketball supremacy. We all compared ourselves to him, and he was the standard upon which we judged skill.

Somewhere, between childhood and becoming an adult, we changed our comparative focuses. They went from desiring to be as good as Kobe, to not wanting to be as bad as the worse player. No longer did we compare ourselves to the best, rather we judged ourselves based on the worse.

Instead of doing the most good, we've settled for doing the least bad.
 
"Jesus I may not be the best, but I’m not the worse..."

That's got to count for something, right? Right? In the words of the old lady explaining Facebook to another old lady, "That's not how this works. That's not how any of this works."

Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding. - 2 Corinthians 10:12

When Paul wrote his letter to the Corinthians, there were several false teachers spewing their poison into any set of ears that would hear them. Paul needed the people to be weary of these people, because foolishness can be contagious. To prevent the spread of this ignorance, Paul knew the first step in prevention is identification. He was telling the people of Corinth that they will know the truth by the standard it's compared to. Paul boasted in Jesus, whereas these teachings set themselves as the standards by which all things are measured.

Like them, we compare ourselves to the wrong thing. In our minds, "If I’m not the poorest, then I'm not poor." When in reality, we are. In the same way, "If I'm not the worse, then I'm not bad at all." Even though we do a fantastic job of convincing ourselves of this, we know it isn't true.

So what then should we do?

Instead of straddling mediocrity, let us strive for excellence! Easier said than done, right? I know because #TheStruggleIsReal. Well, since we are changing perspectives, why stop now? We fear failure and disappointment. These fears make the decision to avoid striving for the standard of Jesus easier. Perhaps we should change our perspective on what we are afraid of failing to reach.

Perfection.

It's out of our reach. A place we can't get to. This is true for our earthly selves. Luckily for us, perfection isn't a destination or the last stop on a train. It's a moment-by-moment opportunity. Each of these moments is a chance to see how our actions compare to that of the one true standard, Jesus Christ!

Ecclesiastes 7:20 says, "Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins." because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). However, we are commanded to try because our heavenly Father is perfect (Matt. 5:48). 

Paul reminds us in Philippians 3:12-15 that this goal is worth striving for, "Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you."

A wise man once said, "If you're not first, you're last." Although he may have been a bit misguided, he still pointed out the truth that we should always strive to be the best version of ourselves that we can be. That's only possible if we dare to be like Jesus.

To be like Jesus, this hope possesses me.
In every thought and deed, this is my aim, my creed.
To be like Jesus, this hope possesses me.
His Spirit helping me, like Him I'll be.

Written by Lt. Darell Houseton
Newark Ironbound Corps

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Minority Report

Risky Business…Top Gun…Rain Man…Mission Impossible…The Last Samurai…Collateral

What do all these gems have in common? They all star our favorite couch jumper, Tom Cruise! Despite some of his more public shenanigans, he has regularly delivered on the big screen. In 2002, the film Minority Report was released. In short, of the three Pre-Cogs (future seers), the movie's revelation depended upon the report of one over what was reported by the other two. This minority report was the evidence needed for Cruise's character to topple the film's antagonist.

In Ecclesiastes 1:9 it states, "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun." This holds true again. In the book of Numbers, we find evidence of perhaps the earliest inspiration for a minority report:

Numbers 13:26-30:
 
They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. They gave Moses this account: "We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan." Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it."

Caleb and Joshua had come back to report to Moses and Aaron what they had seen in the land they had been sent to explore. Before they spoke, the other ten explores had the stage, and they started off pretty well. "...it does flow with milk and honey!" they reported. 

Unfortunately, as they continued, their joy was replaced with fear, and their words reflected their terrible thoughts. "…the people who live there are powerful…cities are fortified and very large." They saw the fruits of God's compassion, but only recognized the obstacles of the enemy.

It was brave Caleb who dared to interrupt. He silenced the people and courageously uttered that the Israelites should take up the land, because with God's support, he was certain that the task could be accomplished. His wasn't the popular opinion. His report wasn’t supported by the majority of the explorers. Ten of the twelve reported with shallow fear, whilst Caleb and Joshua reported from the depths of faith. They knew that for God, five to one was still great odds in favor of the almighty!

Often, we believe that if enough people agree on something then odds are it is right. In reality, often times when enough people agree on something, then there are just a lot of wrong people!

Dear Lord, in the multitude of ignorance let us hear your truth!

Written by Lt. Darell Houseton
Newark Ironbound Corps

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