Less than Zero

What is less than zero?

What is emptier than emptiness? What is darker than darkness? What is deader than death? What is less than zero?

Zero is the same as
Nothing Nil Zilch Zip Nix

The Question is what is less than Zero?

This was a question that was impressed upon me the other night. In the darkness I began to ponder this and roll it around in the chambers of my mind. The following is just an outflow of these thoughts.

To understand what is less than Zero, let me tell you what Zero is. a. A cardinal number indicating the absence of any or all units under consideration. b. An ordinal number indicating an initial point or origin. c. An argument at which the value of a function vanishes. Zero is the absence of value.

Below are few quotes I found on Zero.

“The introduction of zero into the decimal system in 13th century was the most significant achievement in the development of a number system, in which calculation with large numbers became feasible. Without the notion of zero, the descriptive and prescriptive modeling processes in commerce, astronomy, physics, chemistry, and industry would have been unthinkable. The lack of such a symbol is one of the serious drawbacks in the Roman numeral system. In addition, the Roman numeral system is difficult to use in any arithmetic operations, such as multiplication.

In the case of the original Babylonian system a zero was simply represented by a space. Imagine if, in our decimal system, instead of writing 104 (one-hundred-and-four) we were to write 1 4 (one-space-four). It's easy to see how this can lead to a certain amount of confusion, especially when there are multiple zeros next to each other. The problems can only be exacerbated if, like the Babylonians, one is using a base-sixty system and writing on clay tablets in a thunderstorm. After more than 1,500 years of potentially inaccurate calculations, the Babylonians finally began to use a special sign for zero. Many historians believe that this sign, which first appeared around 300 BC, was one of the most significant inventions in the history of mathematics. However, the Babylonians only used their symbol as a placeholder and they didn't have the concept of zero as an actual value. Thus, clay tablet accounting records of the time couldn't say something like "0 fish," but instead they had to write out in full: "We don't have any fish left."

The use of zero as an actual value, along with the concept of negative numbers, first appeared in India around 600 AD. Although negative numbers appear reasonably obvious to us today, they were not well understood until modern times. As recently as the eighteenth century, the great Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler (pronounced "Oiler" in America) believed that negative numbers were greater than infinity, and it was common practice to ignore any negative results returned by equations on the assumption that they were meaningless!

Zero must be distinguished from nothing. Zero belongs to the integer set of numbers. Zero is neither positive nor negative but psychologically it is negative. The concept of zero represents "something" that is "not there," while zero as a number represents the lowest of all non-negative numbers. For example, if a person has no account in a bank, his/her account is nothing (not there). If he/she has an account, he/she may have an account-balance of zero.

The Babylonians invented it, the Greeks banned it, the Hindus worshiped it, and the Church used it to fend off heretics. Now it threatens the foundations of modern physics. For centuries the power of zero savored of the demonic; once harnessed, it became the most important tool in mathematics. For zero, infinity's twin, is not like other numbers. It is both nothing and everything. "

What is less than Zero?

It would seem to be obvious, and that would be a negative value is less than zero.

A value of things that is not positive.

What would you rather have, a Savings account with $20,000 or a Credit Card with a Balance of $20,000?

Each in it’s own right is a lofty and significant number to me. One however is empowering, the other is debilitating. The point is this, I would rather have zero, flat busted broke, than have less than zero.

God can work in a void and darkness, but what can he do in a place of the unimpressed and uninterested?

What can he do, when people’s lives are full of everything but God? Schedules that are keeping them running to and fro, and never pass GOd or collecting the blessing available to those aware of their need.

So often it is only when they look up and find themselves in a great despair that they begin to search for God and it requires of them to make many adjustments to even make room for God.

They must become empty first before God can even help them. The following seems to illustrate this.

LASCARI, Sicily (Reuters) - Giovanni Greco sent himself, literally, to an early grave. Greco, 63, was so keen that his future mausoleum would be a perfect fit that he liked to visit it ensure the builders were making it just right. But his latest visit proved to be his last. According to local media reports, Greco was making his regular trip to the construction site in the small cemetery in his hometown of Lascari at the weekend.

He climbed a ladder to get a better view of the top of the mausoleum when he slipped, hit his head on a marble step, and fell into his own tomb

A grave is not an uplifting thought, but an empty one speaks that someone is still alive, For this void to be filled, is testimony to a grave that prevailed.

We will all rest our heads in a cushioned coffin one day. What it will mean, to us and those that knew us will vary greatly depending on who we were and what we did. Some will die and some will be glad they did, others will die and all will miss them.

What is less than zero?

An Empty Grave is Zero. If you died without God, that is less than Zero.

A world full of sin is a zero, you being full of that world is less than zero.

We may within ourselves present this world of little value. Six Billion souls, and what are you among so many? Some are just another zero walking around. Neither adding to nor taking away, and in this state of mind there is hope. However for many, their lives are being added to in a negative way that will only exacerbate the terrible situation they are in.

We are living in a world that thrives on the Concepts of “Less than Zero”. We are able to see this by the great appeal that is made to our fleshly desires to have things. “No Payments for 90 Days.” Zero Interest.

Let me tell you something, all this stuff that sounds free is just another heavy weight that is being added to your life. People are living in Big Houses, with Empty Hearts. Driving Fast Cars, with slow minds. Expensive tastes with cheap values.

You can turn your interest around.

You must let Go of what holds you and empty out that which fills you.

Those Deep Feelings of Bitterness, Hatred, Regret, Despair, and disappointment

MUST be poured out.

You must become EMPTY of the NEGATIVE flow and power, for GOD”S POSITIVE BLESSINGS to Flow and empower you.

You don’t pour clean water in a dirty glass. You don’t put clean clothes on a dirty body.

There must first be a purging for there ever to be a pouring.

Before you can ever appreciate the power of addition, you must first understand the concept of subtraction.

To appreciate ZERO, you must first understand Less than Zero.

It would be better to have an emptiness or void than to have a fullness of something that is hindering and distracting.

If you don’t know the answer it is bad, but if your answer is wrong, that is worse, because it requires more effort to teach the answer because you must first unlearn what you know that is wrong.

You have a Baby. They know zero. You have a teenager. They know everything, however many of their conclusions are faulty.

It is easier to teach someone who wants to learn than to teach someone that thinks they know everything.

Less than Zero.

We read in Genesis Chapter 1, that God found a place that was without form and void, with Darkness the overriding description. Void is the lack of anything, emptiness.

In this place of emptiness there was the opportunity for God to fill it with his spirit, his word and his work.

God works in a place of need. He will never help anyone who doesn’t think they need his help. God cannot help those that don’t believe in him. God cannot help those that don’t need him.

God can only help those that see their desperate need for him.

Subtraction is a concept I don’t prefer, but subtraction is necessary for me to see the power of addition. I can appreciate the power of multiplication when I understand the power of division.

As I grow in an understanding of God and his Mathematics, I will grow in confidence and understanding that, “..no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.”

The final point is the Prodigal Son. He left his Fathers House full. Full of his fathers’ money, full of his dreams and desires. It was not until he was empty of all these things that he made a decision what he would do. When he arrived to that Value of Zero, he made a choice, that he would rather be a zero in his fathers’ house, than a negative value in the devils hand.

The Devil laughs at us and questions our ability and commitment. He points out our weakness and failings and will tell you, your nothing. “What can you do?”

The answer is found in David’s words,

“ Arise, O LORD, disappoint him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword: From men which are thy hand, O LORD, from men of the world, which have their portion in this life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure: they are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes. As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.” Ps 17:13-15

“LORD, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth. Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody men: In whose hands is mischief, and their right hand is full of bribes. But as for me, I will walk in mine integrity: redeem me, and be merciful unto me. My foot standeth in an even place: in the congregations will I bless the LORD.” Ps 26:8-12

You don’t have to be Less than Zero!

With God, He can transform you into his priceless treasure.

In Him, By Him, Through Him!

Scott A. Phillips
www.inbythroughhim.blogspot.com