"1 Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers."
- Psalms 1:1-3
Its just been on my mind once in a while, in considering many ways of living, and making choices personally to what should be appropriate in my life. I do realise one thing, which may not be a "universal truth", but I do think its worth pondering for awhile sometimes. That is it is really much easier to live out a lie, than to struggle to live out what you know is true. But yet in living out the truth, even though it is much of a struggle, it is the only way one can grow. If lives out more truth, and in doing so face up to more weaknesses and failures, then one will grow more.
What do I mean by this? I guess I have 3 examples that come to my mind quite immediately, which I will explain a little further.
I do know of several friends who do harbor much hatred and bitterness on their hearts, due to hurts that were caused by another(somebody trusted), or by a circumstance of disappointment, and I do see how it can affect them. On the inside they develop a kind of self-defensive personality, one of constant fear of even more hurt, and hide deep in a shell that they have designated for themselves. On the surface? Actually bitterness, hatred, anger can give people much willpower to do tremendous things, like that of human's esteemed achievements. But in each achievement, is there truly a gain? Not so much in that person's eyes or for a Christian, in God's eyes. For in each achievement and all that work towards it, because of the motive of the heart being towards hate, you in fact end up feeling more empty, feeling more hurt that you've caused upon yourself.
The second example goes along this, like that of ignorance of the problem. But as we know, if the problem was a genuine problem, ignoring it only causes it to come back at you in time, a time that you never can truly determine when. And not being able to determine when can be detrimental, because it could come at a time that you are already down, and break you down even further, and at that point you won't be able to ignore it any longer. I think that will be even more difficult to bear than if it were to be handled earlier.
The third example is this, that some just live their lives not too bothered about the lives of others. That definitely cuts off a lot of "troubles", because most problems come in once human relationships come into the picture, because of our fallen nature. So in cutting that down, you will directly lessen the problems that one will encounter quite abit. But this will be towards a more anti-social behaviour at the extreme end, which is not what the bible teaches us to do. For in learning to love God, in learning to love another, all this being the essence of the law, it always requires a second party. And being involved in another person's life, taking the trouble to look out for another person's need and to help meet it as much as you have been given by God, I think this is good, and when one truly live in this manner a few things result. Mutual encouragement, as God's love which in in your heart is seen more clearly through a human connection. You also learn more about yourself, your selfish ambitions and many other motives that somehow lie upon your heart and you will struggle with, and when you learn to struggle with them with the strength that God grants by His Holy Spirit, then one will truly grown up in the process.
I guess its also good to elaborate a little bit on learning to be "bothered" about another person's life. Its not so much as to be a "busy-body" or a "kaypoh" in Singaporean terms, but more so because in learning to dwell upon the word of God and learning to obey, you are compelled to act in love, to want to help another benefit and grow in his or her life. The growth hopefully towards having a deeper and closer relationship with God, one that helps them recognise who God is, which becomes ever more important when the more difficult circumstances come in life.
Yeah I guess thats about it for my entry today. I guess its not exactly comprehensive, or a formula that helps organise one's life, but I'm just here to talk about a way of life that I have chosen, to act in responsibility, in love, in discernment - all this coexisting with each other. Sometimes it does get rather difficult i guess, especially when you yourself are suffering much in your life.
In His love,
Jon
Some Scriptural references:
"14We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
21So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin."
- Romans 7:14-25
"38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
- Romans 8:38-39
