Do you know a good person who does not know Jesus? She isn't religious, yet she gets along well with others. She's quick to hug, encourage, and sit quietly with friends who are struggling. Everyone loves her, but she doesn't yet love Jesus. How do we explain this?

She may be a prime example of what theologians call ″common grace.″ God the Creator bestows natural blessings on everyone. In her case, she may have received extra helpings of kindness and generosity. We thank God for her sunny personality–we need more friends like her–while we pray that she will come to love the One who made her so loveable.

Of course, she might also be nice because she doesn't yet have a reason not to be. It's easy to smile when the world smiles back at you. It's not until we feel threatened that we show our true selves. If we love ourselves most, we'll lash out at those who want to take us down. If we love Jesus most, we'll pray for grace to forgive and ″do good to those who hate [us]″ (Luke 6:27).

There is an unbreakable bond between our relationship with God and our relationship with people. Our love for God determines our love for people. Malachi lists a number of sinners that blatantly abuse others: ″adulterers and perjurers . . . those who defraud labourers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice.″ All these abusers have one thing in common: they do not fear the Lord Almighty (Malachi 3:5).

Why does idolatry inevitably produce injustice? Because idolaters ultimately worship themselves. They are god, and they use their idol to get more of what they want. No one worships an idol for its own sake, but only for the power or pleasure it promises them. It's a short step from using idols to using people. Indeed, it's impossible to live for ourselves and not harm others.

The influence runs in the other direction too. An idol asks more from us until it finally demands more than we can give. So, we steal from others to give to the idol, to keep the goodies coming. In this battle of the gods, both us and the idol fight for dominance until we destroy each other. Neither of us is God, so we both fall.

When we're in a rut, there are many things we can't control. But we can control what's most important–we can choose whom we'll worship. Fear the Lord Almighty.