Do you know believers who can see the devil in everything? The can see evil influence in politics and popular culture, in art and fashion and science and education. Could they be right? You do have an adversary who walks about seeking whom he may devour. Can you see me in everything? There is a doctrinal and theological basis for believing that every time you open your eyes you see something I made, and my presence is in every person. Do you recall the servant whose eyes were opened to see that those who were for us were more than those who were against us? This is still true.

Does quality matter to you? Do you expect to have to pay more for goods of higher quality? Have you noticed that some books are full of transcendent truth, and others are much less so? Yet they all cost about the same. So if value is quality relative to cost, you can choose higher value without having to pay a higher cost. The best of all that has been recorded in human history is available to you for a modest amount. The same argument applies to music and many other areas of life.

Do you hire skilled workers to do things for you that you don’t have the skills to do yourself? This could include anything from mechanics to construction workers to medical practitioners. Do you support your pastor? Do you see this the same way, hiring an expert to do something for you that you aren’t able to do for yourself? They watch for your souls, but this is not an appropriate metaphor. You should pay your pastor, but not to hire him to be spiritual in your stead. No one else can live your spiritual life for you, including your pastor. That is your privilege alone to fulfill.

Have you ever heard anyone say, I will only trust in God and believe in God; I will never trust or believe in people? Does this sound more righteous, or self-righteous, or bitter to you? There is a sense in which it is appropriate to trust and believe in me alone; people will disappoint you. Yet you cannot fulfill my destiny for you if you remain in suspicious isolation. You cannot form the human connections you need to be a part of my body or to engage in a cause greater than yourself if you refuse to trust people. You are well aware of the risks of believing in and trusting people.