SOPs are rituals. Rituals reflect what is sacred to you. Leaders who open a meeting by thanking team members for their contributions, or who solicit others’ ideas before going on and on about their own brilliant thoughts, are showing deference to God, even if they wouldn’t necessarily think of it that way. Their value system reflects respect for other creations, rather than a worship of the self.
The core of evil is self-worship, meaning egotism. There is no independent being called “you” outside of the Lord, but everything in the world does tempt you to think otherwise.
Jewish people learn that the Messiah can only arrive when the evil nation known as Amalek is destroyed. However there is no nation called “Amalek” today. So how do we identify it? Frankly, by the bits and pieces of poisonous egotism salted to some extent throughout all of our personalities.
How do you destroy evil? Not by thinking, but rather through action. Not just once, although once is good. You have to take our spiritual sword out and stab it in the eye, over and over again. Is it hard for you to give charity? Are you inhospitable? Do you find it easier to gulp down your food than to stop and say Grace first? Are you nasty behind the wheel instead of pleasant, giving people the chance to pass if you can?
“Ritualistic.”
Ritualistic. The word implies doing something over and over again until it becomes automatic. Make it a standard operating procedure to ritually do good things. It isn’t anybody’s business how you do that. But I can guarantee you that when good becomes a habit, and you’re doing good with other people as a group, that’s when the world starts changing.
Music is a powerful ritual tool. You can pray to music. When the congregation sings together you can feel the whoosh of holiness. I did not know this but the Jewish prayers mirror the sacrifices that they used to do in the Holy Temple. There is nothing random about them at all.
There is a reason that our culture disrespects God. It isn’t really a culture of diversity. It’s a culture where if you say you disdain religion, people applaud you. I had a friend who moved to Hollywood and got involved in the business. I gave her an idea that involved religion. Forget it.
Drugs are provided to human trafficking victims by their pimps. It makes the victims go unconscious. Not just physically but also spiritually after a time. They need to not feel the pain of what is being done to their souls. Otherwise they would be rendered inanimate.
Nearly every trafficking victim I’ve read about has a deep belief in God. They are typically Christian. They have seen the worst that humanity has to offer. They are holding on to holiness because they know it is the way back.
The Army of God is personal. It may seem that you need muscles and guns. That is only for appearances. Goodness transcends the physical. What God wants is your partnership. You see Him in the world and you tell other people so that all can act in ways that reveal His existence.
Why does God want this for us? He does not need anything.
The secret is that His essence is to give. Watching us struggle and hurt each other actually causes rips in the world; it causes the Lord pain. He wants us to be free, and safe and happy.
The way out of all the misery is to see evil (self-centeredness) for what it is, and to reject that model of living, and then to move toward true selflessness and service. Goodness is real and evil is false. That is why when you act good, and do it over and over again, the clouds start to dissipate, and evil goes away.
Many people nowadays are sitting on pins and needles waiting for that thing to happen that they want. “When does Redemption arrive? Why is it taking so long? I can’t take it anymore.” I hear you and you aren’t alone.
The reason God delays the Final Judgment, I have read, is to give us an opportunity to repent. He asks us to to partner with Him and then He will take us the rest of the way.
Make your SOPs good ones.
___
By Dr. Dannielle (Dossy) Blumenthal. All opinions are the author’s own. Public domain. Image by JF from Pixabay is “free for commercial use, no attribution required.”
Bible Study Now 