Good Deeds

At Bible study last night, we discussed the following passage:

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. -- Matthew 5:14-16

We began talking about good deeds and the difference between good deeds done for God's glory and good deeds done for other reasons. A question was raised which got me thinking: "If the whole world was deaf and no one knew sign language, how could we ensure that God received the praise for our good deeds? We wouldn't be able to verbally tell people about Christ and how He is the reason for the hope within us."

Certainly a person can exhibit their faith without using words. In fact, many times actions speak louder than words. But if we don't/can't use words to tell people that Jesus is the reason we are who we are and why we live how we live, then how do we show people that?

Is there a way to distinguish good deeds done for the wrong reason and good deeds done for God's glory? If a nonbeliever sees a good deed, they don't automatically praise God. How do we motivate that praise, praise vertically directed toward God?

Barometers

I read the following story on the Internet. It's fictional, but it got me thinking:

Some time ago I received a call from a colleague. He was about to give a student a zero for his answer to a physics question, while the student claimed a perfect score. The instructor and the student agreed to an impartial arbiter, and I was selected. I read the examination question:

"Show how it is possible to determine the height of a tall building with the aid of a barometer."

The student had answered: "Take the barometer to the top of the building, attach a long rope to it, lower it to the street, and then bring it up, measuring the length of the rope. The length of the rope is the height of the building."

The student really had a strong case for full credit since he had really answered the question completely and correctly! On the other hand, if full credit were given, it could well contribute to a high grade in his physics course and certify competence in physics, but the answer did not confirm this.

I suggested that the student have another try. I gave the student Six minutes to answer the question with the warning that the answer should show some knowledge of physics. At the end of five minutes, he hadn't written anything. I asked if he wished to give up, but he said he had many answers to this problem; he was just thinking of the best one.

I excused myself for interrupting him and asked him to please go on. In the next minute, he dashed off his answer, which read, "Take the barometer to the top of the building and lean over the edge of the roof. Drop the barometer, timing its fall with a stopwatch. Then, using the formula x=0.5*a*t^2, calculate the height of the building."

At this point, I asked my colleague if he would give up. He conceded, and gave the student almost full credit. While leaving my colleague's office, I recalled that the student had said that he had other answers to the problem, so I asked him what they were.

"Well," said the student, "there are many ways of getting the height of a tall building with the aid of a barometer. For example, you could take the barometer out on a sunny day and measure the height of the barometer, the length of its shadow, and the length of the shadow of the building, and by the use of simple proportion, determine the height of the building."

"Fine," I said, "and others?"

"Yes," said the student, "there is a very basic measurement method you will like. In this method, you take the barometer and begin to walk up the stairs. As you climb the stairs, you mark off the length of the barometer along the wall. You then count the number of marks, and this will give you the height of the building in barometer units. A very direct method."

"Of course. If you want a more sophisticated method, you can tie the barometer to the end of a string, swing it as a pendulum, and determine the value of g [gravity] at the street level and at the top of the building. From the difference between the two values of g, the height of the building, in principle, can be calculated."

"On this same tack, you could take the barometer to the top of the building, attach a long rope to it, lower it to just above the street, and then swing it as a pendulum. You could then calculate the height of the building by the period of the precession".

"Finally," he concluded, "there are many other ways of solving the problem. Probably the best," he said, "is to take the barometer to the basement and knock on the superintendent's door. When the superintendent answers, you speak to him as follows: 'Mr. Superintendent, here is a fine barometer. If you will tell me the height of the building, I will give you this barometer.'"

At this point, I asked the student if he really did not know the conventional answer to this question. He admitted that he did, but said that he was fed up with high school and college instructors trying to teach him how to think.

Girly and Sappy

[Warning: This post gets kinda girly and sappy. I wrote this over a year ago, but never posted it...]

I was driving down the Baltimore-Washington Parkway the other day, (otherwise known as the "BW"), and I heard Brad Paisley's song "She's Everything" on the radio. I love Brad Paisley's lyrics; he's a great song-writer. As I was listening to this song, I couldn't help but think the lady in the song was so lucky. And it made me recall a recent conversation with a friend. It was the sweetest thing hearing him talk about his wife. He said things I've heard many people say before:
"I thought I was in love before, but I didn't really know what love was back then."
"I'd have never guessed I could ever feel this way about someone."
"I hope everyone finds what I've found, instead of settling."
"You just know."

Times like that I get hit by 2 emotions: a continued conviction to trust God's plan and wait for His will, and a skeptical cynicism that tries to convince me such love is too elusive and risky.

But maybe, just maybe, I will know what everyone else is talking about someday. Maybe, just maybe, someday I'll sing too.

He's a dirty pair of overalls
From a day spent out a'working
He looks great in untucked polos
He looks great standing tall by me
He's "I want a brand new laptop"
"Take me to a Best Buy"
He's "I can't sit still for very long"
Now and then he's silly

He's a pickup with a side step
With his country music blaring
He's a strong shoulder for me
And a safe feeling hugging
He's a confident intellectual
That I wouldn't doubt for nothing
He's addicting when he's passionate
And he's a natural when he's leading

And he's everything I ever wanted
And everything I need
I think about him, I go on and on and on
'Cause he's everything to me

He's a Saturday at Habitat
And an usher on Sunday
He's a guitar around his neck
And his singing's kinda goofy
He's a snowball fight with snowmen
"Baby come and get me"
He's a one girl kinda guy
And he sure knows how to get me

He's the faith I wish I could have
And doubts I have everyday
He's a picture in my own head
But he's gotta be out there somewhere
He's the hand that holds me close
When I'm scared and take off running
He's the answer to my prayers
And he's the song that I'm dreaming

And he's everything I ever wanted
And everything I need
I dream about him, I go on and on and on
'Cause he's everything to me

He's the funky face I'd love to see
Someday when I'm ninety
He'll make that wooden rocking chair
I want rocking right beside me
Everyday that passes
I'll only love him more
Yeah, he's the one
That I've waited so long for

And he's everything I ever wanted
And everything I need
He's everything to me
Yeah he's everything to me

Everything I ever wanted
And everything I need
He's everything to me

Recommendation

Go see Amazing Grace in the theater. I highly recommend it. And let me know what you think.