Tag: self-reflection

on being nice

Recently I watched a Chinese soap opera portraying a spoiled little imperial prince. He treated all the servants like dirt and had no respect for his elders’ authority. I was thinking how different he is from kids in our era, who are expected to be nice and multicultural and polite. But then I thought it must’ve been because these princes were raised for a specific purpose: their education consisted in how to rule the kingdom and stay alive. Their education had nothing to do with getting along with other people. They literally had no reason to be nice.

Which made me think back to my niceness vs kindness debate, which I’ve briefly touched on before. Why are we nice? Is niceness for its own sake worth it? Often we are nice because, let’s face it, you won’t get far in life if everyone hates you. Continue reading “on being nice” →

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on small dreams

“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.” – 1 Cor 13:11-12

I’ve been thinking recently about the Bible’s promises of inheritance. If I (alongside all Christians) am co-heir of Christ, the image of the invisible God, firstborn of creation, king of all creation, then all his riches, his grace, his righteousness are mine. That’s a sweet deal.

Then why does life still feel decidedly unawesome? Continue reading “on small dreams” →

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on being content

“I have learned the secret of being content in any and very situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” – Philippians 4:11-13

Recently two things have been on my mind: what it means to be free, and why is it that certain sins seem perfectly acceptable to certain quarters of Christianity. I won’t go at length about how both have played out in my head but here’s how I think they’re linked.

The key to freedom is being content. Freedom from wanting more and more is not gained by getting stuff, but to finally take a step back and say that’s enough, I’ll enjoy what I have. The same applies to jobs, popularity, experiences in life – get while you can but at some point you realise that the desire for more will not be satisfied by getting stuff. Continue reading “on being content” →

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on friendship and brotherhood

Brotherhood, camaraderie and friendship are important values to me. So today during a business meeting I thought about the different attitudes to friendship and brotherhood I’ve encountered:

Jesus takes a very counter-cultural attitude to friendship – it can be a hindrance to following Jesus (Luke 14:26). Brotherhood is not determined by blood, or shared experience, whether hardship or pleasure; rather is it determined by a shared purpose in doing the will of God (Mat 12:48-50). There is however also something sacred in brotherhood, to love and care for one’s brothers is to do the same for Jesus (Mat 25:40). Jesus defines love as laying down one’s life for friends, while at the same time calling his friends to do the same for each other, and in so doing, become closer to Jesus (John 15:13-15). And finally Jesus insists that his followers should not love only their friends, but should show sacrificial love to enemies as well (Mat 5:43-48). Continue reading “on friendship and brotherhood” →

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on organisation and self-righteousness

I’m what you’d call a regimented and organised person. A control freak, even.

I like things to be in order, possibly for this reason the military is an area of interest to me. I am a creature of habit. I don’t like surprises, and kids don’t often find me fun. Friends and family can find me cloying at best and controlling at worst.

On the plus side it makes me a very responsible person, very meticulous, and it also makes my desk one of the tidiest and best organised in the office. Continue reading “on organisation and self-righteousness” →

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on self worth

Satan will tell you that your worth lies in how many zeroes your pay check ends in, or how many women you’ve held in your arms, or how many square feet your house contains.

If he’s feeling clever he will tell you your worth lies in how much time you spend with your family, or how many lives you’ve touched, or how many hours you spend helping other people. Continue reading “on self worth” →

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on our right to eternity

I’d been having trouble figuring out why exactly Christ’s sacrifice entitled us to oneness with God and eternal life.

I understood the concept and system and logic behind penal substitutionary atonement, double imputational justification, sacrifice, temple/tabernacle mechanics, etc., but it still escaped me why we should be allowed to come to God once sin was dealt with. Why does the removal of sin automatically place us with God? Why do we deserve to rise from the grave just because God raised Christ from the grave? Continue reading “on our right to eternity” →

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