Luke 18:19 — And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.

So Myra and I were driving back from our mini-vacation today, and passed a plant for a well-known baked goods manufacturer. They had a tag line on a sign outside: “The good is in the detail”. At first I thought it said “God is in the detail” which is what put me in mind of Jesus’s comment to the rich young ruler. But then I saw it more clearly, and it stuck in my mind. Because the good is in the detail and so is God — who is the master of detail.
When I look at creation, I see detail. God doesn’t paint all the leaves on a tree the same color, nor does he make all the leaves the same shape. Each has its own contribution to a perfect whole. Every wave in the ocean, every cloud in the sky — uniquely detailed. You, and me, every person God ever made, uniquely detailed and uniquely good if we will be the person God designed us to be.
Sadly, we people don’t have the same grasp of the importance of detail in delivery in the creation if goodness. To pick just one example, rubbing sorely on Myra and me today, there’s the hotel we stayed in this week. The brochure was fine, the public rooms were pretty impressive — our room, not so much. (Don’t worry, they’ll be getting some loving coaching over the next few days!). Even after prompting and chances to get things right that room never lived up to the promises.
There was, of course, one man who did live up to the promises and who knew that the good was in the detail. When Jesus made His comment to the rich young ruler He was quietly identifying Himself (not, as some people think, denying His godhead). I sometimes think Jesus might occasionally have been difficult to live with. He lived out the perfect life, in detail, in full sight of His disciples. They were not perfect, and from time to time must have been painfully aware of their failings.
This is where the challenge is for me. Jesus also said “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48). Guess what. I am not perfect. As I wrote a couple of days ago, I would like my life to be a witness, and I know that means “walking the walk” as well as “talking the talk”. To put it another way, that means living the Christian life paying attention to the details, every time, every day. I’m not that good … just trying.