motivation over methodology.

it is becoming more and more clear to me with each new day that the perspectives of man are hopelessly and inevitably skewed. it seems that we fundamentally view all things the wrong way and constantly require correction and redirection. perhaps this is illustrated most profoundly in the arena of religion, personal beliefs and God. each religion contains a set of values and beliefs that they maintain to be fundamental. these foundational doctrines override all other life in that they are paramount for divine acceptance, eternal salvation, etc. etc. in the system of christianity, this is illustrated best by the stories of two men, a businessman and a thief. the businessman holds no religious beliefs, does not attend any form of weekly service, but supports his family and gives to those in need when he can. the thief is a devout believer and holds the attendance of weekly services above all else, even is career as one who steals from others. after a lifetime of giving and good deeds, the businessman dies and is sent to hell. after a lifetime of thievery and crime, the thief walks proudly into heaven where he is rewarded for a life of faith. now, what strikes you about this story? is it the seemingly 'unfair' punishment the businessman receives or is it the reward given to the criminal? i dare say this story illustrates man's perspective on the matter, but what of God's?

the first book of samuel in the jewish tanakh contains this perspective..
"the LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
(i samuel 16:7b)

in it's context, this verse is actually written as a quote from God to the prophet samuel as he is viewing the sons of jesse in hopes of finding one to select as future king of israel. samuel, for all of his righteousness as a prophet, still gets it wrong when he surveys the tall and strong and handsome older sons of jesse. God, however, has the youngest, slim and scrawny son, david, in mind. indeed it is later said of david that he was 'a man after God's own heart.' and yet in his history as king, david is also guilty of committing a list of 'sins' that is quite intense.

"Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

how does this alter the interpretation of the businessman and the criminal? well, in looking at the criminal, nothing changes really. though he is guilty of a life of sins, much like david and, i daresay, all of us, he is rewarded. and yet, for the businessman, everything changes because he is to be rewarded as well for, although he did not adhere to what Man judges, his loving support of his family and his giving to those in need illustrates his heart, and that is what God judges.

given that no two hearts are exactly the same, one must make the conclusion that as God judges the heart of a person, He shall judge them individually and subjectively within the context of their own motivations. though it may fly in the face of established religious belief, it seems to me that God cares very little for the methodology of a person. perhaps the questions of which 'way' is wrong and which 'way' is right should be replaced with the questions of which 'why' is right and which 'why' is wrong. instead of applying a global solution to how life should be lived, each one should search out his own heart and find what it is that motivates them. even though the appearance might shock Man, it is ultimately a judgment God, and God alone, is able to make.