Revised: 11/9/2024

What you see, what you perceive, and what you understand of the existence you find yourself in is fundamentally incomplete and inaccurate compared with the absolute truth of what is actually in existence in the world and universe around you. Deep down you know this is true, and this bothers you.

After all, how can we possibly presume to comprehend a reality that is infinite and eternal with such a ridiculously finite and limited mind? Our limitations and lack of comprehension can pester us into the most abject sense of insecurity and helplessness. This is not acceptable; and so, from the moment we first experience self-awareness we start analyzing and processing everything we observe with restless and unending tenacity.

Our cognitive sense of reality is always changing. One moment you might think someone hates you, and then the next moment be convinced that they do, in fact, love you very much! Wow! What a rapid and dramatic shift in one’s cognitive reality! For some, this disquieting awareness of the possibility of being so very wrong about so many things terrifies them. For some, this insecurity is so severe that they will rarely, if ever, admit that they are wrong.

If we are honest and humble, we will readily admit that everything we know or think we know is either incomplete or wrong. This being the case, we should all be eager to learn where we are wrong, how we are wrong, why we are wrong, and what we must to correct our misconceptions. We will also be actively asking in what ways can our ignorance best be remedied. Those who take this approach to seeking truth will have the most success in finding it. They will know how to prioritize, humbly consider (and reconsider) alternate points of view, evaluate the logic and merit of other perspectives, and adapt their thinking accordingly. And they will recognize that God gives us all sorts of experiences and places all sorts of people in our path to help us learn all that he wants us to learn.

It has been said that “all things testify of Christ.” In other words, everything in your life and in the universe around you presents realities and lessons to be learned in everything that they are and all of the realities they convey. The messages of truth and wisdom that we all constantly have piling up around us is truly infinite and eternal. We should all be very humble about this and grateful for it.  

For me, sometimes I just have to laugh at my own precarious existence, humbly admit that I am in way over my head, and then soberly seek the guidance of heaven to both learn and unlearn what is needful in whatever ways will lead me to greater and more correct teachings and understanding. I have found that taking myself too seriously is not humble or productive. Yes, we should take very seriously the tests, challenges, and opportunities directly in our way, but we need to constantly acknowledge both publicly and privately our own buffoonery.

It is so easy to be a doofus. It is so likely that, so often, when we think we are being high and mighty, we are actually being arrogant and pretentious. And so, being humble to the possibility of error, all the time, is very important. It keeps us grounded.

It’s good to be confident and sure of yourself, but you should always welcome criticism and correction because it is entirely likely that someone might have something to offer that contains wisdom, insight, or correction that you were not previously aware of. And those who truly love truth, will relish any and all additional wisdom, insight, and correction, no matter how negative it may seem. Those who do not seem things this way are doomed to learn some very hard lessons which could have been learned much sooner and with far less suffering and difficulty.

So often, corrective truth seems punitive. It seems so negative and hostile. And yet, this typical perception is the result of ego, dishonesty, and laziness. In reality, what we might call punitive truth is the most loving thing there is. In fact, what the prophets call the love of God, the wicked call punitive injustice, because they are not humble, grateful, or wise, and so everything they perceive is warped, twisted, and distorted from how God sees reality.

The reality is that seeking to know and comprehend punitive truth in order to know and comprehend punitive reality is one of the most sensible and rewarding things we can ever do.

Punitive truth is characterized by its perceived severity. Punitive truth tends to punish us if we ignore it. Like justice, punitive truth is in a sense blind. It plays no favorites. It does not care about your feelings. It simply is that which is. When staring in the face of punitive truth, be prepared to feel rebuked, censured, embarrassed and foolish. It needs to be understood, though, that when God reveals His punitive, objective, and absolute truth, He does so with the wise intent to enable correction, progression, and an eventual fulness of joy, not to punish you.

Punitive reality refers to that reality we would rather ignore. It encompasses the essence of everything which truly exists now, in the past, and in the future. The punitive reality is the reality we choose to ignore and reject because of our pride, dishonesty, unbelief, and love of sin. We should all seek to see the punitive reality that will make us better once it is perceived, understood, accepted, and then corrected by processes of repentance and faith.

Rather than pursuing punitive truth, or a heightened awareness of punitive reality, most people are content to formulate and settle for a semi-functional world view. I say “semi-functional” because in most cases it allows most people a continuance of their tenuous mortal existence from day to day, whilst on the whole it leaves the door wide open for an overwhelming flood of selfishness, dishonesty, cowardice, misery, corruption, and all forms of destruction and evil.

We ignore punitive truth and punitive reality at our own temporal and eternal peril.

The truth is that there is an Eternal God in heaven who comprehends all truth, who knows all things, and embodies all the perfections of justice, judgement, mercy, goodness, wisdom, and love. As such, the Eternal God has revealed to mankind those principles, laws, and commandments expedient for our correction and improvement.

When we seek to obtain, understand, and apply the truth revealed by God to his children, we are able to predictably benefit from the correction made possible by understanding and applying this truth.

The truth revealed by God establishes a basis for practical and predictable decision making. It enables predictively wise decision making.

My objective in writing this book is to teach those eternal and unchanging principles, laws, doctrines and commandments which are guaranteed to procure the blessings and benefits heretofore mentioned. When and as we come to understand and commit to upholding these things revealed by God to his children for the blessing, prosperity, and progression of his children, we can accordingly reap the blessings predicated upon obedience to these things.

Click here for Table of Contents

.