Measurable Evidence

 

"What gets measured gets attention.” The first time I read that phrase it was on a six-inch ruler at a Kiewit job site. Each of our immediate family worked for Kiewit at one time or another - even I had a temporary position. I wanted to use that quote with another, from BigThink.com:

But extrapolating beyond the limits of your measurable evidence is a dangerous, albeit tempting, game to play.

My next thought was to find the source for the Kiewit quote - which brought me to a page about Lord William Thomson, Lord Kelvin, who actually said:

When you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind; it may be the beginning of knowledge, but you have scarcely, in your thoughts, advanced to the stage of science, whatever the matter may be.

Measuring is a valid business process.  It is an asset to be able to measure. Measuring evidence is a key phrase, I used it myself when testing software. But what happens when something is immeasurable?

From Job 38:4, God gives Job a mass of unanswerable questions, beginning with:

Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. (Job 38:4 KJV)

The next verses, then chapters, show us how immeasurable God is. The answer Job gives is what I also believe:

Then Job answered the LORD, and said, I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee. (Job 42:1-2 KJV)

We see our God as omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, as well as being eternal. He cares for His creation (check out John 3:16!) and provides:

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19 KJV)

God also takes care of those who follow His instructions:

But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: (2 Corinthians 9:6-8 KJV)

Christians cannot measure God. As the Big Think quote said, we should not extrapolate when explaining what we believe He is. The Bible describes God and His dealings with mankind. Our belief in Him comes only from His word and how He works in our lives. We love Him based on faith, which comes from:

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17 KJV)

Christians also know what happens without faith:

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11:6 KJV)

Faith is mentioned twice in the Old Testament – Deuteronomy 32:20 and Habakkuk 2:4. Worth reading, then read Hebrews 11 and see how faith plus work can show measurable evidence of our faith in God. Or Esther, where God’s name isn’t mentioned, nor is praying to Him, yet through Esther’s faith He provided “enlargement and deliverance”for the Jewish people.

Although God is immeasurable, is there visible evidence of our faith in Him? James felt very strongly about that:

Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? (James 2:17-20 KJV)

This blog exists to continue what John wrote:

But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. (John 20:31 KJV)