It's up to us

 A question I often ask is, what is the standard ? Everything we think or do must be compared to a standard. Without one how can we gauge our failures or successes ? When it comes to right and wrong my standard has always been the Bible. It is those standards that I compare my actions too. Do I meet all the standards required of me ? Of course I don't and no human ever will. It is good to try however. There is always room for improvement.

 I have been asked why God would allow certain things to happen in the world. He is all powerful so why doesn't he prevent bad things from happening ? Some people choose to use these things as evidence that God doesn't exist at all. I see it as evidence that he does. We only know bad as compared to good. The founding fathers of our country knew this. They knew that all humans were endowed with certain inalienable rights. Just where did those " rights " stem from ? They had to come from God. Man is not known for his benevolence toward his fellow man.  Humans have an agenda of their own. That is because our God, our creator, gave us all free will to choose the manner in which we live. We are free of interference from our God. That is not to say that we will not be held ultimately accountable for those decisions. We certainly will. It only to point out that we can freely choose between right and wrong. The society we live in will teach us ethics, and what is ethical behavior in that society, but we inherently know right from wrong. That comes from a higher power that any government here on earth.

 Bad things happen as the result of other men's actions ; the majority of the time anyway. It happens because of their choices, not God's willingness to " allow " it. Why then would God not stop it ? Well wouldn't God then have to prevent all " wrong " actions from occurring in the world ? If not, how would he pick and choose whom to help and whom not to ? He would have to compare us to a standard would he not ? Do any of us meet that standard ? No, we do not. So, there goes our free will. God does not want us to live as puppets. Instead of lamenting that God has allowed bad things to happen, man needs to abide by the standard. I offer no explanation for sickness other than it happens. We are mortal after all and will die one day. The best we can pray for is to be accepted into the next life. And that is purely a matter of faith. We shall be judged against the standard. Will any of us met that standard ? That is dependant upon belief. For the Bible does say, "for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, so that those that believe in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." As long as we believe and sustain our faith throughout our lives here on earth, that reward is promised. It really is up to us to fulfill the will of God. God can do whatever he likes with the snap of his fingers, that is what makes him God ! Quite a simple thing really. The difficulty lies in belief.