The Auldridges

Have you ever heard that phrase uttered from the mouth of a child? Perhaps an adult? With Thanksgiving having come around again, I thought maybe I could help remove that vocabulary from your personal lexicon.

What does the word “fair” mean? The dictionary mentions the idea of being “in proper or legal manner” and the word “just”. We often think of fair as getting what we deserve. But what is it that we deserve? With our daily-life blinders on, we think of fair as getting a promotion or reward for a job well done. We think of it as “what comes around goes around”. If I do good, I should receive good. If someone breaks a law, they should receive punishment or misery.

But let’s remove the blinders of daily-life and view the world through the eternal perspective. Forget that we did one thing at work above that which was expected of us. Within the eternal view, what is expected of us and how have we measured up?

Ultimately we can answer the question of what is expected of us by asking the first question in the Wesminster Shorter Catechism. “What is the chief end of man?” The answer is that “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” Did you read that first part? We were created–the purpose of life is–to glorify God. To properly fulfill this chief end, God’s reason for creating us, is to always obey all His commands and do everything in a manner that is worshipful to Him. Have you done that since the day you were conceived? I haven’t.

So, having failed at the ultimate purpose of my having been created, what would then be fair? What do you do when something you have created fails at its purpose? You destroy it! That is what we deserve. It would be fair for God to reach down and wipe us from the face of the Earth, removing us from his presence completely and forever. And, interestingly enough, God would be glorified in that action through a display of His holiness and His wrath.

So, in the eternal perspective, do you still want life to be fair? I certainly don’t!

Thankfully, God has allowed for us to receive that which is not fair–mercy. God gave us Jesus Christ who did fulfill the chief end of man. Yet he was sentenced to death by God in order that we can receive mercy. That should give us a new outlook on life. Never again should I worry about being treated fairly. If I am treated unfairly in life, I should simply turn the other cheek. I’ll continue seeking to treat others fairly because Jesus himself told us in Mathew 22:34-40 that a portion of the law hangs on it–we should love our neighbors as ourselves. But never, for fear of being a hypocrite and bringing into question the mercy that I have received, should I be overly concerned with my own fair treatment. Seeking proper justice is one thing, but seeking self-righteous and judgmental recourse is simply ignoring the mercy we have received.

How is all of this related to Thanksgiving? The point is that we should all be thankful each and every day that our cups run over. You see, by simply waking up and drawing breath each day, our cup is full. We have received mercy and been allowed to live in the world, in the limited presence of God, with the promise that through faith in Jesus Christ we will enjoy the fullness of His presence someday. Anything more than drawing breath–any food, clothing, housing, or comfort we receive–is the running over of our cup. So praise God and give thanks for the mercy to have been created, and the time given to live long enough to hear the promise of mercy through Jesus Christ. Then thank and praise God for running your cup over on top of it all.

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