Early this morning, I heard about Greenpeace activists storming the British Petroleum building in London, England, yesterday. They were reacting to the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico that killed 11 workers and unleashed a potential environmental disaster along the U.S. gulf coast. On St. Jame's Square, near Pall Mall, Greenpeace "campaigners" scaled the building and unfurled a banner with the words "british polluters" on it. On their web site, the organization makes it clear that offshore drilling, "oil addiction," and the extraction and development of oil and gas are offensive and undesirable. A read of their charter leaves one with the unmistakeable impression that they would consider the cessation of drilling and manufacture of petroleum-based products (like oil and gas) environmental nirvana (some content from greenpeace.org and "The Guardian," 5/20/10). With all that in mind, I could not help but ask, "How do these activists get to these protests?" Do they always walk or ride their bikes? Do they ever take a bus, car, or plane to these events?
Consistency may be a jewel, but it is a rarity! All of us struggle with making our message match our manifestation and making our declarations square up with our deeds. We are all better at telling others how to improve themselves, even if oblivious to our own path to betterment.
The Bible often speaks about the greater need for "self examination" than "brother inspection." Jesus warned against speck hunting in the other guy, even as we struggle to peer over the lumber in our own eye (Mt. 7:2-5). We can do this as parents regarding the way others rear their children (or we might have the audacity to try without the benefit of parental experience ourselves). We might be eager and desirous of correcting a fallen brother, blind to spiritual impediments that hinder our effectiveness in such "outreach." Hypocrisy is distasteful, especially when our brother or sister is guilty of it.
We do not want to see wildlife destroyed in the production of oil, but such radical response is often fraught with inconsistency. In our own lives, let us be careful not to own uneven scales. Instead, let us be charitable, patient, and spiritual in our attempts to help others (cf. Gal. 6:1; Eph. 4:32). We will be better respected and infinitely better received.
Consistency may be a jewel, but it is a rarity! All of us struggle with making our message match our manifestation and making our declarations square up with our deeds. We are all better at telling others how to improve themselves, even if oblivious to our own path to betterment.
The Bible often speaks about the greater need for "self examination" than "brother inspection." Jesus warned against speck hunting in the other guy, even as we struggle to peer over the lumber in our own eye (Mt. 7:2-5). We can do this as parents regarding the way others rear their children (or we might have the audacity to try without the benefit of parental experience ourselves). We might be eager and desirous of correcting a fallen brother, blind to spiritual impediments that hinder our effectiveness in such "outreach." Hypocrisy is distasteful, especially when our brother or sister is guilty of it.
We do not want to see wildlife destroyed in the production of oil, but such radical response is often fraught with inconsistency. In our own lives, let us be careful not to own uneven scales. Instead, let us be charitable, patient, and spiritual in our attempts to help others (cf. Gal. 6:1; Eph. 4:32). We will be better respected and infinitely better received.
--Neal Pollard
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