NO GROUND FOR REPROACH

NO GROUND FOR REPROACH

Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world. (1Peter 2:12)

At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. (Daniel 6:4)

The  Christians of the early church suffered terrible persecution, that St. Peter in his exhortation, encouraged them to  do good, remain upright and blameless, even  when mistreated and insulted by their pagan neighbors. 

The  religious prejudice, and violent opposition  against the early  Christians are hardly  surprising. They refuse  to worship the pagan gods of their gentile neighbors that they were branded as atheists. Under the   reign of the powerful Roman Emperors, deity is accorded the Roman Emperor, and they refused to worship him, so they were accused of rebellion against Roman authority.

St. Peter believed that the best defense for Christians to survive in this situation is to do good. Peter advised his fellow  Christians to keep their conduct  honorable.  As Christians they worship the true and living God who commanded them not to repay evil for evil. The only way by which they could repel the evil that is spoken and done against them is to do what is good  and to live honestly so that regardless of the wrong things charged against them, by the unbelievers, their good conduct  will shine like lights, before the eyes of their persecutors. Like Daniel, they could not find in him any ground for reproach, for he was trustworthy, and neither corrupt nor negligent.

Peter capped his exhortation by this most inspiring statement: “And who is he that will harm you if ye be followers of that which is good? But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled.”

SHAKE THEM OFF AND TAKE A STEP UP

SHAKE THEM OFF AND TAKE A STEP UP

A couple of years ago my wife forced me to attend the high school graduation of our younger daughter, as she scolded me that she had been the only one doing this favor to our children, and it was the time for me to do my share of showing that I could be a supportive parent.

So off I went.

I was getting bored with the English and Chinese languages being spoken. I was waiting for some special guest as commencement speaker, but there was none. No politician, no high profile personality, no wealthy business guru.

I realized that the petite and brilliant Principal Miss Uy was all the students had. There were no lavish introductions.

Without much ceremony she spoke to the graduates and narrated the following story:

“One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally he decided the animal was old, that the well needed to be covered anyway and that it just wasn't worth retrieving the donkey. So he invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement, he quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well and was astonished at what he saw. With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up. As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off!”

With that story the school Principal, said, “My dear students, when you leave school and be on your own out there, life isn't going to be easy. Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. In order to succeed, don’t yield and accept all the dirt, shake them off and take a step up.”

I rose to my feet and gave a strong applause.

Image from sparkpeople.com

TAKING A MARRIED WOMAN

TAKING A MARRIED WOMAN

Genesis 20:1-18

Now Abraham moved on from there into the region of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. For a while he stayed in Gerar, 2 and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” Then Abimelek king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her.

3 But God came to Abimelek in a dream one night and said to him, “You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman.”

4 Now Abimelek had not gone near her, so he said, “Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation? 5 Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister,’ and didn’t she also say, ‘He is my brother’? I have done this with a clear conscience and clean hands.”

6 Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against me. That is why I did not let you touch her. 7 Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, you may be sure that you and all who belong to you will die.”

The Sunday before Thanksgiving I listened to the sermon of our Pastor who bewailed the prevalent theme of immorality often seen on television. He said he is alarmed by the popularity of storylines depicted on TV where one man’s wife is taken by another man in a so called love triangle. This reminded me of Abraham, the Jewish Patriarch, who allowed his wife to be taken by a king named Abimelech, to be his wife.

What happened here is interesting.

Abraham led a nomadic life after his call from God to leave his country and to go to the land God has promised him. In this episode, the great patriarch left his encampment in Mamre, and migrated to the southern part of Canaan. He lived between Kadesh and Shur. For awhile he stayed in Gerar a rich pastureland, ruled by a pagan king Abilemech.

Abraham was afraid of the king and the people of Gerar where he dwelled. He was filled with anxiety and he feared for his own life. His wife Sarah was a very beautiful woman. With foreboding he knew it was only a matter of time that someone would take an interest in  Sarah, as to do away with him, because he was her husband.  To spare himself he  introduced his wife Sarah as his sister, to the people Gerar. The king Abimelech, who believed Sarah to be Abraham’s sister took her to be one of his wives.

But God came to Abimelech in a dream. God spoke to this pagan king in a dream as He intervened to preserve Sarah’s virtue. God warned Abimelech that he would be good as dead because the woman he took was a married woman. 

Abimelech in his conversation with God in the dream, explained that he did not know the truth about Sarah’s relationship with Abraham who presented her to be his sister. Abimelech pleaded he had a clean conscience. God knew that this pagan king had a clean conscience and this was the reason God kept Abimelech from sinning. 

God instructed Abimelech to return Sarah to her husband. God further removed the curse upon Abimelech, his wife and his maids.

This is a sobering thought, in an age where unfaithfulness abounds and marriage is hardly recognized as sacred, but simply a contractual arrangement. Adultery is a sin. God did not mince words in declaring that a man is as good as dead when takes a married woman. As long as Abimelech had another man's wife under his roof, he was a "dead man" until he released her to go back to her rightful husband, even though he had not yet touched her. This was true for even a pagan king.

For Abimelech, the idea of having a new partner came naturally for he had concubines.  Perhaps because of his position and authority, getting any woman that caught his fancy was his prerogative. He was the king. He was a man of great importance.

And yet in the end, his lust led to an intense standoff with God. Only a clean conscience and a repentant spirit saved him from God’s judgment.

ON MEDITATION

ON MEDITATION

There are a few well meaning Christian friends who ask me about my leaning towards eastern philosophy and meditation. I would like to disabuse their minds.

I admit that before becoming a Christian I was particularly interested in the Eastern Religious forms of  Meditation.      After I became a Christian I was heavily influenced by the writings of Brother Lawrence, “The Practice of the Presence of God.”

The transcendental form of meditation in eastern thought is an attempt to empty the mind, to be detached from the world, and in the process to lose one’s self, and become one with the so called Cosmic mind.

The discipline of contemplative meditation, which, is hardly discernible, among Christians, except to a few who have embraced the monastic life, is not exclusively innate to Eastern thought or Philosophy.       

Meditation means “the act of focusing one’s thoughts: to ponder, think on, muse.”

Meditation is reflective thinking or contemplation, usually on a specific subject to discern its meaning or significance or a plan of action.

Meditation is synonymous with contemplation, reflection, rumination, deep thinking, or remembering in the sense of keeping or calling something to mind for the purpose of consideration, reflection, or meditation.

Scripture abounds with passages teaching, even commanding us, to Meditate:

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”(Philippians 4:8)

“When I remember Thee on my bed, I meditate on Thee in the night watches”(Psalm 6:36)

“I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Thy doings; I muse on the work of Thy hands.” (Psalm 143:5)

How is it then that this religious discipline of Meditation is hardly significant in the lives of modern day Christians?

One reason is perhaps the lack of understanding, teaching, or  practice of Biblical Meditation as an individual discipline, which shapes and directs the life of a believer.  Another reason, yet, may be the complete misunderstanding of the contemplative discipline as something unique only in Eastern thought, and religion, that, to even consider the practice, would  expose  the Christian mind to mystical or new age thinking. This position is understandable for it seems that a thin, line, divides the external meditative life of a Christian and  the eastern mystic.

As Christians our meditation is anchored on God’s Word, the Bible. Biblical Meditation is object oriented. It begins with the reading, re-reading, memorizing of God’s Word;  thinking, and reflecting. The object of reflection is God, His Word, and His revealed truths.

While Christian meditation may involve a greater degree of silence and solitude, unlike the Eastern tradition it does not mean sitting and focusing the mind upon infinity or  emptying  the mind so that  some cosmic force is summoned to fill it through repetition of some chant or mantra. The Eastern forms of meditation teach detachment from the world. The object is detachment.

Biblical meditation, involves becoming removed from the ways of the world, from worldly thoughts and influences, that we may abide with the living God through Christ. The object of Christian meditation is the worship of the true and living God. It is the discipline of walking in the spirit and not in the flesh.(Galatians 5:16) 

This is where Christian meditation diverges from the similarity.  Meditation in the Bible is an exercise in reflective thinking, divining Biblical truths, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, who indwells every believer. In this way God is able to speak to the believer through Scripture, and through the thoughts that come to mind which reflects on the Word,  filtered by the Word. A Christian who practices the contemplative life of meditation is ever mindful God’s reminder to his creation, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9)

WHEN TIMES WERE SLOW

WHEN TIMES WERE SLOW

I wish I could return to the time when life was slow, simple, and quiet, where I spent my youth in the farm. There was no electricity. Gas lamps lighted the house. Eating a meal needed time of waiting for cooking. Cooking was done  in a stone stove using firewood as fuel. No cold drinks but there was spring water held and chilled in earthen jars or  the “banga.”  No refrigerator, but only the “platera” (food cabinet) where  food was covered and kept. Television was unthinkable, though we had transistor radio, around which,  the family members gathered  listening to soap box drama.  

There were nights when I    sit by the window gazing in the dark watching the beautiful fireflies playing in the dark night air, their twinkling  lights  a wonder to behold.  

Deadlines and hurried appointments were virtually non-existent. Only times of planting and harvest, sowing and reaping,  and waiting in between. I don’t recall we ever had a clock on the wall. The radio announcer  was the time keeper.

I wish I could go back. I am now approaching seniority, and those days would only remain a memory. I now live in a time of quick, fast, fixes.  Ordering  a meal now is fast though   complicated with all the different  choices and combinations of rich, junk food  pushed into our faces, selecting one confounds the mind.  Everything is fast and quick.  We have gadgets which work fast.  Everyone is in a hurry, and busy racing against deadlines, appointments, catching up with social functions and meetings. The cellphones, I-pads, I-phones, and computers are the modern day marvels creating a fast moving world which abhors slackness, or slowness. 

No one wants to wait, and everyone complains if made to wait, more so when the internet    connection is slow. We expect instant gratification and immediate results. We do not know how to wait anymore. Tempers are quick to flare up in long lines. The discipline of waiting is a lost virtue. 

God did not intend us to  live this way. God appointed times and seasons and it is not our business to hasten what He has established. 

The Soap Maker

The Pastor of a large Parish in a big city was bothered by the absence in church of his friend, a wealthy business man who owned the soap manufacturing company in the city. For several Sundays the Priest noticed his friend had not been going to church so he paid his friend a visit.

After the greetings the Priest got directly to the point of his visit. He asked the businessman why he stopped attending church.

The wealthy soap manufacturer was likewise direct in his response. He said, “What good is religion? What good is my faith? Father, look around, we see trouble, misery, violence, wars, wickedness, injustice, greed, and all these years of your preaching and teaching haven’t done anything good. What good is it when evil still exists?

The Priest remained quiet for a long time. He had no ready answer.  Then he saw a child playing in the gutter . The child was filthy, covered with dirt and mud. The Priest said, “Look at this child. You are proud of the soap which your company produces, but I say soap is useless. This child is still filthy. What good is soap, it doesn't do any good. With all the soap in the world this  child is still dirty, so what good is soap after all?”

“But Father”, the businessman exclaimed, “Soap can’t do its job unless it is used.”

“Exactly my point,” the Priest replied, “The same is true with our faith.” 

The Lesson Of The Ant

The Lesson Of The Ant

A biologist once was doing a study of ants. One day he watched a worker ant

carrying a piece of straw. Compared to the ant's size and weight, that straw

must have been a heavy and unwieldy load. But the ant kept working -- kept

carrying his load.

After a while the ant came to a large crack in the earth. He explored to the

left and the right, but there was no way to go around -- and the crack was too

wide and too deep to get across.

The ant stood there on the brink of the precipice as though pondering the situation. 

Then, he took the burdensome straw off his back. Stumbling, tumbling, and straining, 

somehow he managed to put one end of the straw on one side of the crack and let it fall 

across the span! Then the ant walked across the straw safely to the other side.

With a few tugs and strains, he pulled the straw across the crack, put it back

on his back... and went on his way again! He triumphed by using his burden as a

bridge to the other side.

What a lesson for us!

In this life we will have burdens. The Apostle Paul noted, For we that are in

this tabernacle do groan, being burdened (2 Corinthians 5:4). But we need not be

unduly crushed to the ground by our load if we allow the Lord and His strength

to sustain us. The psalmist cried, Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall

sustain thee (Psalm 55:22).

Jesus said, Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will

give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly

in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my

burden is light (Matthew 1 1:28-30).

Did you notice that Jesus did not say, "Come throw down your load and 

walk away with no burden at all. "He only promised to give us rest. 

Then we are to take on His yoke and pick up His burden. 

And what kind of load is it? It is a light yoke, an easy burden!

The Lord has not promised that we will not have to work in this life. There is

no guarantee that we will not face difficulties and trials. Nowhere does He tell

us that the road will not be long or the night not so dark.

Rather, He promises that where we go, He will go... and never will we be left

alone. For he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee (Hebrews

13:5). And He also promised, Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the

world (Matthew 28:20).

If Jesus is with us, and His burden is always light, why do we get so loaded

down at times? I think it is because we pick up the burdens of the past along

with tomorrow's burden and add it to the load allotted for today.

John Newton once wrote, "I compare the troubles which we have to undergo 

in the course of a year to a great bundle of fagots, far too large for us to lift. But

God does not require us to carry the whole at once. He mercifully unties the

bundle and gives us first one stick, which we are to carry today, and then

another, which we are to carry tomorrow, and so on. This we might easily manage 

if we would only take the burden appointed for us each day. But we choose 

to increase our troubles by carrying yesterday's stick over again today 

and adding tomorrow's burden to our load before we are required to carry it."

Jesus says, "Come rest. Lay down yesterday's burden, and don't lift tomorrow's

load yet. Just pick up today's burden... and it will be easy!"

And like the resourceful ant, we may discover that at times we can use our

burden to bridge the chasms in the path before us. It can literally become a

stepping-stone to higher ground.

-Dr. Rexella Van Impe

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FILTERING THE GOSSIP

In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem. One day an acquaintance met the great philosopher and said, "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?"

"Hold on a minute," Socrates replied. "Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be good idea to take a moment and filter what you’re going to say. That’s why I call it the triple filter test. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"

"Well, no," the man said, "actually I just heard about it and…"

"All right," said Socrates. "So you don’t really know if it’s true or not. Now, let’s try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?"

"Umm, no, on the contrary…"

"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about my friend, but you’re not certain it’s true. You may still pass the test though, because there’s one filter left—the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?"

"No, not really."

"Well," concluded Socrates, "if what you want to tell me is neither true, nor good, nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?"

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WHO IS THE GREATEST

WHO IS THE GREATEST?

                                                                 

"Whenever there is trouble over who is the greatest, there is trouble over who is the least. That is the crux of the matter for us, isn't it? Most of us know we will never be the greatest; just don't let us be the least. Gathered at the Passover feast, the disciples were keenly aware that someone needed to wash the others' feet. The problem was that the only people who washed feet were the least. So there they sat, feet caked with dirt. It was such a sore point that they were not even going to talk about it. No one wanted to be considered the least. Then Jesus took a towel and a basin and redefined greatness."

-Richard Foster                      

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                dominisumus.blogspot.com

HAPPINESS LOST

There is a Hindu legend which tells of a story when all men had always been happy but after a long time, they abused happiness. So Brahma decided to take away happiness and hid it where men could not find it.

The council met to decide where to hide happiness so men would not be able to find it.

One suggested to bury happiness deep in the earth.

 

But the Brahma said men could still dig deep under the earth to find it.

Another suggested to sink happiness in the deepest ocean, hang it in the highest of stars in the sky.

But again Brahma said men would eventually explore the depths of the sea, and the height of the sky, and eventually would find it and take it again.

The council had ran out of options, because it seemed that there is no place in this world which men could not reach.

The Brahma said, “This is what we should do. We should hide happiness deep inside man himself for he would never think to look for it there.”

Ever since then, legend has it that man has been going up and down the earth, climbing, digging, diving, exploring, searching for something that is already in himself.

-Adopted from the Book, Living Moments of Sunshine, by J. MAURUS.

The Bombay St. Paul Society.

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Getting Up Again and Again

A brother monk  asked Abba Sisoes, 'I have fallen, Abba; what shall I do?'

Abba Sisoes, said to him, 'Get up again.'

The brother said, 'I have gotten up again, but again have I fallen.'

The  Abba said, 'Get up again and again.'

So the brother asked, 'How many times?'

The Abba  replied, 'Until you are taken up either in virtue or in sin.  For a man        presents himself to judgment, in that state in which he is found.'

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THE RABBI AND THE OLD TRAVELER

A story is told of a Rabbi who welcomed an old weary traveler in his home as dusk set in. After preparing the bed of his  guest for a night's rest, the Rabbi and the old traveler struck a conversation while partaking a meal. 

He asked how old the traveler, was. The old man revealed he was almost a hundred years old. 

The Rabbi asked the old man what might be his religious beliefs. The old man said he had none because he was an atheist. 

Aghast, the Rabbi said he could not keep the old man in his house, for he could not share his dwelling with an unbeliever. 

The Rabbi asked the old traveler to leave. The old traveler departed as the Rabbi closed the door of his house. 

The Rabbi settled in his chair, read the Scriptures. Then he heard a Voice from heaven, saying, "Son, why did you throw the old man out?"

The Rabbi answered," Because he does not believe in You, and I could not possibly endure his company." 

The Voice replied, "I have endured him for almost a hundred years now."

Convicted, the Rabbi rushed out of his home and went after the old traveler and brought the old man back into his home and showed the unbeliever God's kindness.

"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9)

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Olga's Gallery

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LESSON FROM THE UNPAID PIZZA

LESSON FROM THE UNPAID PIZZA

My son was fourteen years old. I would bring him to the mall where I bought groceries. I wanted to train him to be a smart shopper, know the essentials, keep a list, skip the luxuries, unless necessary, study the products, note the contents  compare the prices, read expiry dates, and keep a budget for the purchases. He loved doing this. I’m pretty sure  when he becomes an adult, he would, definitely take after me, follow my lead, and spare his wife the trouble of doing this errand.

One time after shopping we stopped at a popular Pizza Parlor, where we ordered a plate of family size pizza just for the two us. My son said no problem if we couldn’t eat them all, we could take out the leftovers for his sisters. I said that’s a good idea.

The young lady crew brought our food with the usual solicitous smile, and standard remark, “Enjoy your meal!”  We were so famished, that nothing was left but crumbs, on the plate. We stood up and left the mall, full.

When we reached home I mentioned to my son that something was not quite right. He asked me what’s wrong. It dawned on me that we forgot to pay our bill for the pizza.  

I asked him what would be the right thing to do. Without  wavering he said, “We need to straighten it out”. “Yes, we have to”, I said, “because while it was unintentional, it was wrong”.

He asked me how would I feel if we simply forget about it. I said I would  be losing some sleep. He would probably feel the same way, too, he said. I enlightened him, that ordering food and slipping out without paying, is a form of swindling, a crime. “Really?” he exclaimed. “Yes really, I should know because I’m a lawyer,” I said.

“Tomorrow, I after fetch you from school we would go back and pay our bill,” I said.  

And so we did. The lady crew was profuse in her gratitude, for the kindness she didn’t expect, telling us she was resigned to accept the deduction in her pay, hadn’t we returned to settle the charge. I said we were sorry to have caused her enough trouble.

After we left I asked my son how he felt.  He said, he felt great. He asked me how I felt. I said I felt lightness in my heart. Great, he said. And we gave each other  high fives. This boy is going to be just fine as long as the lesson stays with him.

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MY BUSY BUDDY

MY BUSY BUDDY

Friends usually ask me how busy my life is. I tell them I’m not busy, on the contrary, I have all the time in the world for the simple and ordinary things I want to do. I tell them I don’t pretend to be busy as some do.  I don’t use as an excuse busyness or lack of time, to decline an invitation, I do not act busy to look busy. Busyness is not a badge of honor for me.

Studies show that the higher the standard of living, the busier the lifestyle. Busyness projects an image of success and self-importance. Even when in reality one is only busy for being busy, a lot of people are impressed.      

So when I tell my friends I’m having it easy, my response surprises them. I tell them it’s really that simple. I live at the moment, following the advise of my old buddy, who doesn’t have the slightest care in his life even if he lives in penury. He says busy hard driven people appear to enjoy the pleasures of their worldly wealth and success, but actually they may have all the pleasures but hardly experience the joy..

How this impertinent philosophy infected me, is the result of my buddy’s regular visits to my office, telling me, “How about you drop all the shit you’re doing, right now and treat me for a cup of coffee?”

I can’t understand how he does it, rubbing me the right way, that he always persuades me to drop what he describes as the “shit” I’m working on,  and give him his coffee treat, with sweet donuts on the side. In exchange he uses my time telling me stories, gossips and jokes, which makes my day. Becoming my buddy’s disciple in the benighted brotherhood of the idle did not take long. I have learned since to deal with my worldly and mundane preoccupations as they come one moment at a time and finishing them off without hurrying one moment at a time. This, to my satisfaction, gives me some extra time to condescend to the level of my idle brothers, enjoying their company as they just live in the present moment,  each day will bring.     

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BECOMING LIKE LITTLE CHILDREN

BECOMING LIKE LITTLE CHILDREN

A Christian Missionary I know once commented that in the mission field they have no difficulty of sharing the Gospel to ethnic groups or tribes once they have immersed themselves in their way of life and establish communication with them, but they find sharing the Gospel more challenging when they face the intellectuals.

 

This is naturally to be expected. The mind is the battlefield, and the Word of God has been breaking down strongholds of unbelief even among the intellectuals.

It is amazing, said this missionary, that they have no arsenal of human knowledge in dealing with this type of people. They are ordinary men and women  without superior talents or education. They only trusted the pure unadulterated Word of God to open the minds and hearts of the intelligent and the wise. They are amazed of the lives that have been changed by the power of the Gospel of Christ.

Before becoming a Christian I thought only simpletons could embrace Christianity, or even any form of religious conviction. I realized later that the Christian faith can stand honest intellectual inquiry.

The challenge of the modern secular mind, against the Christian faith are not necessarily overwhelming.  It is true that many great minds are steep in unbelief, but many great minds are believers as well. The growth of anti-religious prejudice and atheistic advocacies, spearheaded by academics and intellectuals like Richard Dawkins, and the world famous physicist Stephen Hawking, has been hyped up by the secular media. But the other side of the fence who have come to embrace faith, are full of intellectual giants as well. Intellectuals like C.S. Lewis, Lee Strobel, Josh Mcdowell, and Atty. Frank Morison, have become committed Christians. Dr. William Craig and Dr. Norman Geisler have raised the level of intellectual debate, as Christian apologists.

The great Apostle Paul, Christ’s servant of no ordinary intellect, in his exhortation to the Corinthian converts, declared: “Brothers think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”(1 Corinthians 1:26-27) The Apostle further reminds us even today in this wise: “Do not deceive yourselves. If anyone of you thinks he is wise, by the standard of this age, he should become a fool so that he may become wise.”(1 Corinthians 3:18)

What this Saint is saying is, intellectual arrogance darkens the heart, and blinds the mind of spiritual discernment.

If there is one thing the unbelieving intellectual giants of this age need, it is the humility of becoming like a child. This is the first step. A little child accepts everything by faith.   

The words of Jesus Christ still reverberates to this day.

 “And he said, I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”  (Matthew 18:3)

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THE UNTAMED HORSE AND THE UNPLOWED FIELD

In His sermon on the mount, Jesus said, "Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth."(Matthew 5:5)

The world in which we live honors the powerful. Meekness is viewed as weakness and the weak perish. Jesus calls the meek blessed or happy. One could hardly understand why there is blessedness or happiness in being meek, as in docile, in a highly competitive world where everyone strives to outdo one another. This teaching, is so contrary to the ways of the world. The standard of this world, is expressed in terms of power, superiority, rank, honor, wealth, possessions, and conquests. 

Mankind has been offering sacrifices in the altar of worldly success.  True enough, where would the world be without the triumphs and successes of man’s struggle to achieve? 

Does Jesus mean to be meek is for us to remain poor mediocre, spineless creatures to be dominated by the strong?

We see in history examples of men who are powerful, ruthless,  conquerors. We see them aspire and hold public office,  exercising power and authority over the lives of many people. The meek, the gentle, even the less powerful, would find themselves overrun by stronger forces than themselves. But if we look at these dominant figures, they are without weaknesses and frailties. And Jesus knows  they are not as powerful and dominant as they appear to be.

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." This is one difficult teaching of the Lord to grasp, because the meek and the losers, would never amount to anything, judging from the ways of the world.

We have to find out who are the meek spoken of here.

The meek spoken of here, is not the same as one who has a weak personality. Meekness here is not weakness. In the Old Testament there was one man described as very meek. NUM 12:2-3 says, "Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth."

Certainly while Moses was meek he was no weakling. He was one the greatest patriarchs, who led his people out of slavery from Egypt. He fought and contended with Pharaoh, the most powerful ruler of the ancient world.

If the  meekness of Moses is not weakness, what then is the meaning of the meek whom the Lord describes as blessed and will inherit the earth?

The Greek word used by Jesus means "gentle, humble, considerate, patient, courteous."

The word meek in both in the Hebrew and the Greek languages means - "To be tamed" in the case of a wild or untamed animal, or in the case of a field - "To be plowed."

A farmer who prepares to plant needs to break and soften the hard soil before planting the seeds. The plowed field will then be ready to receive the seeds. A hardened, unplowed soil may be literally hard that  it will not be productive unless it is loosened up and plowed. So the “meek” or the field that is plowed, and broken up, will be blessed for it will receive the seeds and yield the crops, unlike the tough hardened soil.  

This is the same concept when we use the word meek to mean “to be tamed.” 

An untamed wild horse, is a strong, powerful beast, running wild and free. Once this horse is tamed, the same horse still retains its strength, energy, and power, but this time the power and strength of this horse, is controlled, focused, and directed by the rider of the horse, so it’s  awesome power is  directed, contained and under control.

Truly it is such a wonderful thought to be the kind of meek person, whom the Lord describes. He is like the hardened tough soil who surrenders control of his strength, and ability, to be cultivated as the Master Farmer wills him to be used for greater harvest. He is like the untamed, strong, horse who submits to the training and discipline of the Master Rider, finally yielding to His control and direction all its potential force, power and endurance, following the Master’s leading.    

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LESSONS FROM THE MONK AND THE CEO

LESSONS FROM THE MONK AND THE CEO

A story is told of a monk, who one day was visited by a friend, who needed advise about the quarrels which often ensued in his company’s board meetings.

 

The monk brought him to the water-well of the monastery.

As his friend peered down the well, the monk, asked, “What do you see?”

His friend replied “I see the water.”

“Is that all you see?” asked the monk.

“I see my face mirrored in the water.”

“Good, now throw down the pail and draw water,” instructed the monk.

His friend cast the down the pail which hit the water, began to sink as it filled with water, and started pulling up the pail.

As his friend was doing this the monk said, “Now do you still see yourself in the water?”

His friend replied, “No, all I see is the troubled water.”

“There’s your lesson,” the monk said, “better not to stir up things, instead, wait for them to settle down, you will see better and clearer.”

At my age, I have met and observed people who may be considered leaders, heads, chiefs, executives, and decision makers, the ones who make things happen, either in the public, or private sectors, in the academe or among the religious.

I have found that the brightest, finest and ablest of them all, are humble, pleasant, witty, and firmly resolute, but fairly humane. 

I also find them to be the most reflective of all thinkers, which is a very rare quality. They take control of sudden impulsiveness. Some struggle with a superior ego, the cause of being smart, as they wrestle with the demon of arrogance.

These are leaders who look at the facts, after all the clouds, dust and hazy particles have settled down, patiently waiting for  things to clear up. They wait for the murky waters to become clear and see their faces reflected as in a mirror, silently gathering their thoughts, feelings, and experiences to guide them in their decisions. They say what they mean, mean what they say, produce results, and give credit to whom credit is due.

I wish we have more of them, particularly in the government service, which is top heavy of self important bureaucrats.