Do you expect to go to heaven when you die? Do you think that you went to heaven when you were born? Do you think of this as a fallen world and see only problems? This is a negative and inaccurate view. Consider the conditions that you inherited that are favorable to life. The magnitude of gravity is just right for you. The atmospheric pressure which depends on it is perfect as is the composition of air.

How well do you receive criticism? Do you find it easy to receive correction when it is given graciously in love? What about when it is not? What about criticism that is mean and harsh? Do you find it easy to dismiss correction that is not given in love? Yet it may be just as valid as criticism that is. It takes a greater measure of grace to receive mean criticism, but I call you to a level of maturity that the only thing that matters is whether you will benefit from it. Joseph told his brothers that what they meant for evil God meant for good.

Do you consider it important to be a peacemaker? I said that such people are my children. In what situations would you be able to make peace? How many people does it take to make a conflict? Some people are conflicted within themselves but there is an underlying reality to the proverb that it takes two to tangle. But not just any two. It takes two ungracious people to sustain a conflict. If one gracious person is involved they will go the extra mile and turn the other cheek to avoid sustaining a conflict.

Do you read scientific books? Do you read poetry? Do you consider these to be the same thing and evaluate them by the same criteria? Don’t you rather evaluate them by the intent of the  author? No one has the same expectations for a scientific textbook and for poetry. How do you regard my word? You do well to regard it as true and to believe it, but is that the end of the story? For the distinction between a scientific book and poetry is still valid. Peter’s affirmation of me is still true, that I have the words of life. Yet they find their meaning according to the intent of the author.