Newtonian Bias (#43)

Three things escape understanding; four remain a mystery:

* Particles that arrive before they leave
* God’s patience claimed as permission
* Temptation called His leading
* A cold heart described as His peace

We know that the cause happens first, followed by the effect. But quantum mechanics exposes our Newtonian bias and details an absurd universe rebelling against common sense.

Likewise, at the beginning, we agreed to see things the Lord’s way. But walking by His Spirit defies common sense. Our world bias paints us at the center of creation and disposes us to favor counterfeits above reality. Distorted truth—far more dangerous than the obvious lies we preach against—misplaces our confidence. We renege, ever so slightly, on total surrender and imagine successful negotiations for a few small, reasonable terms. That blinds us to the trouble of divided loyalties. Choosing between Jesus and the Devil is easy. The hard fight lies in the subtle, half-conscious middle ground of mixed motivation. Locked heart chambers hide idols of significance, security, jealousy, and fear, allowing them only to be fed regularly but never brought to trial.

Fortunately, He said through James, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”