“Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?” -Epicurus, philosopher (c. 341-270 BCE)

I don’t really wrestle with the questions that Epicurus had because the answers are much too big for me to wrap my puny brain around. Even if I could wrap my brain around it, would I be able to explain it so that others could understand, every one could understand? Imagine the people I could lead to Christ! If it was that easy, then the question would have died a long time ago, answered by people smarter than me.

So, this morning I wanted to refresh my mind on what Lee Strobel had said about the existence of evil, or what he had found out. But in searching that out on Google, my trusted search tool, I actually found something else. It was not so much the answer to why there is evil. My original prompt for writing this email. It was a refreshing look at my time here. It is below, after my rambling.

Where you and I are called is to a place where there is no evil. Whether or not I can tell someone where evil came from will not get them into heaven. Would it help them on their way? Possibly. Think about how many people that line the Streets of Gold had the same questions you and I have. The lack of answers was not a limiting factor to them spending eternity with God.

Hebrews 12:2 – “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Swine flu? The current economy? Evil?

Where should my eyes be fixed? Not on the question. On the answer from Sunday school: GOD.

In His service,
Keith

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Anglican Bishop Gavin Reid of Maidstone, England, tells of a boy in his congregation who shattered his back falling down the stairs at the age of one. For years, he had been in and out of the hospital. When Gavin interviewed him in church, the boy remarked that “God is fair.”
Gavin stopped him and asked, “How old are you?”
The boy replied, “Seventeen.”
“How many years have you spent in the hospital?”
The boy answered, “Thirteen years.”
He was asked, “Do you think that is fair?”
He replied, “God’s got all of eternity to make it up to me.”