What Can Christians Learn from Spider-Man

Jesus Christ is the ultimate standard of every Christian.  But through our earthly heroes – whether real or fictional – we receive reflections of the good and praiseworthy qualities that we can fully see in Jesus Christ.  And, at the same time, the good and praiseworthy qualities that we find in our heroes – real or fictional – are traced back or projected towards our admiration of the supreme worth of Jesus Christ. 

As far as I can remember, Spider-Man has always been one of my most favorite fictional characters ever.  However, it’s not only because of the coolness and uniqueness of the character that I get to love Spider-Man but, most importantly, because of the admirable qualities that make him a genuine role model despite of being a fictional character.  And Christians can learn some really deep lessons from Spider-Man. 

WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY

Let’s start with the most obvious – Spidey’s iconic motto: “With great power comes great responsibility.”  From what I’ve written about it before:

It simply means that responsibility always accompanies power, and the amount of responsibility is directly proportional to the amount of power; hence, the greater the power, the greater the responsibility.  And what is this responsibility?  To do the right thing, of course!  If you found yourself possessing the capability or are in the position to do the right thing, then you should do it.  Or as Martin Sheen (as Uncle Ben in 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man) put it, “…if you could do good things for other people, you had a moral obligation to do those things.  That's what at stake here.  Not a choice, responsibility.”

Therefore, if Spidey is put in a situation where he knows he can do something good, he jumps into it with no hesitation.  When facing a difficult choice, but it’s apparent that it’s the right thing to do, he will still choose it.  He takes responsibility of the good he could do with the power he found himself having.      

In the same way, we Christians have been given much “power” (2 Timothy 1:7, Acts 1:8, Philippians 4:13, Ephesians 3:20, Luke 10:19, etc.), hence, we should act on the “responsibility” that has been entrusted to us (Matthew 28:19, Matthew 5:13-16, Luke 10:30-37, Hebrews 10:24, Titus 2:7-9, etc.).  Nonetheless, we should not think that we have to immediately go “save the world” (besides, saving the world was Jesus’ job, not ours).  Yes, Spider-Man has been instrumental or has contributed to saving the world a couple of times.  But it’s only because of his consistent willingness to take responsibility and do his best in every chance he can do good that he developed the moral instinct and preparedness to do good in whatever scenario, regardless of being big or small in scale.  Likewise, we should just do the best we can in doing good whenever the opportunity or situation calls for it – whether it be small or big (Luke 16: 10).

DO THE RIGHT THING.  NO MATTER WHAT.

An integral facet established by Spider-Man co-creator, Stan Lee, for the character to make him relatable is how his alter ego, Peter Parker, is constantly struggling with personal troubles such as financial difficulties and getting bullied (especially during his earlier days).  Moreover, his personal life is even affected negatively because of prioritizing the good he does as Spider-Man – he’s always late on appointments and school, benefits and opportunities are sacrificed, and even his relationships with the important people in his life suffer.  It’s as if he can’t catch a break.  What’s even worse is, due to the works of haters like J. Jonah Jameson, any good that he does is unappreciated by the public as he’s branded as a “menace.”  But regardless of the circumstance he’s in or any consequences it might cost him personally, he makes no excuses and he will do the right thing at every opportunity. 

Facing difficulties is always part of being a Christian.   But even in the midst of whatever degree or form of difficulties, just as Spider-Man constantly brings justice to the being of his Spider-Man identity, we should likewise constantly uphold our Christian identity.  We, Christians, are to obey Christ’s commandments and pursue God’s glory in all things.  With the same consistency and selflessness that Spider-Man displays in doing the right thing, so should we likewise display in doing right in every situation.  No.  Matter.  What. 

Doing the right thing is often not easy.  There will be times we will be sacrificing a personal benefit or advantage.  And there will be times that a good deed will go unappreciated.  And there will be even times when the right thing to do is an unpopular one.  But we learn from Spider-Man that we ought to do the right thing, no matter how hard it proves to be. 

For us Christians, if it’s worth doing for God’s glory, then we need to do it.  Even at the point of death (Revelations 2:10).            

PRESS ON.  NO MATTER WHAT.   

Spider-Man displays inspiring resiliency.  Whatever antagonisms and difficulties he faces as both Spider-Man and Peter Parker, he continues to fight on.  He will do the best that he can in any situation to do the right thing and to overcome the challenges in front of him.

But he does fall sometimes.  He gets discouraged.  There are times he wishes that he never became Spider-Man.  There are times that he wants to quit – or even had quit.  Despite the spider-powers, he is human after all and subject to human failings.  However, he never permanently stays down.  He eventually rises back to his feet.  Stronger than ever.  He presses onwards.  He continues being Spider-Man.    

Resiliency – and, most importantly, faithfulness – in all circumstances is necessary for a Christian.  In discussing my life slogan, “Keep Calm and Press On”, I wrote, with regards to Philippians 3:7-14:

Despite the tremendous amount of hardships and struggles that he had undergone in his life, Paul remained enthusiastic, resolute, and kept moving forward.  Why?  For he understood the great value of this future prize that God has set for him in Heaven, and that no earthly pleasure or glory can ever come close in matching that.  So he worked hard for the glory of God – storing riches in Heaven that will last for eternity – rather than seeking earthly pleasures and glory that are all temporary anyway.  In everything, he gave it his all, no matter what.  He knew that every sacrifice, every pain, every drop of effort, is going to be worth it; the glory and happiness that he would receive as reward far outweigh the sufferings that he experienced in this world while working for God’s glory.

While Spider-Man probably only has a noble – but incomplete – sense of altruism that keeps him fighting, Christians have the advantage of having an infinitely valuable Heavenly Prize to look forward to – a Reward that will more than make up for all sacrifices done in this world.  Hence, don’t Christians have more reason to fight for?  Don’t Christians have more reason to be resilient about?  Don’t Christians have more reason to rise up after falling?  Don’t Christians have more reason to press onwards?  Don’t Christians have more reason to continue upholding their Christian identity? 

BE JOYFUL.  NO MATTER WHAT. 

With the many problems that he experiences in his life, and with his strong sense of duty of doing right no matter what, it would come to no surprise if he ended up being a burdened and grave superhero.  But, ironically, he is quite the opposite.  Spider-Man is one of the most joyful superheroes around.  Yes, there are some times that he feels that being Spider-Man is a curse, but as I’ve mentioned earlier, he eventually gets over his brooding.  Most of the time, he enjoys being Spider-Man and delights in what he does.  And that is reflected on his cheerful, goofy attitude when he goes around doing his Spider-Man duties. 

In the same way, despite the hardships, there is much to rejoice about as a Christian (1 Peter 1:8, Philippians 4:4, Luke 10:20, etc.).  I no longer need to go at length discussing how or in what ways.  Yes, we have crosses to bear (Luke 9:23), and pain and struggles will always be part of the Christian life, but there is much joy in the presence of Christ.  And it should be apparent for the world to see as we live out our Christian identity and do our Christian duties.

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The Existence of the Universe is a Definitive Affirmation of the Existence of God

Looking at the awesomeness of Creation – how mindblowingly complex it is, how marvelously beautiful it is, how gloriously big it is – and, by extension, all the incredible creations and accomplishments that have come out of human imagination, creativity, intellect, resolve, and talent, I am deeply perplexed that some people can dare conclude that all of these “just happened.”  To me, with my daily encounters with reality and its wonders, it is very much apparent that there is Someone Bigger beyond all of these.  Yes, it is based on faith.  But it’s not an irrational faith.  In fact, as a Christian, is it with Spirit-driven faith that I was able to think more rationally – to sincerely seek truth.           

Pompous “enlightened people” pretend to have all the answers.  They believe they are superior because they aren’t a “superstitious bunch” that believe in a Supreme Being.  But upon meticulous scrutiny, you will see that they are hypocritical, that their presuppositions are also based on faith – and a faith working on a foundation something actually shakier than a faith in God at that!

For example, the strongest “evidences” out there for the Theory of Evolution are almost solely limited to “microevolution” – wherein an animal or plant develops an additional function in response to particular stimuli.  And that doesn’t prove Evolution at all.  An illustration of microevolution is a fish developing a camouflage in order to avoid predators; in that scenario, the fish’s nature as fish remains intact.   But a fish transforming into a bird is the kind of dramatic change that Evolution is claiming as possible – that’s “macroevolution” – and there are no empirical data to support such absurdity.  More so with Abiogenesis – wherein an inanimate object is supposed to dramatically transform into a living thing.  Macroevolution and Abiogenesis are ridiculous, proof-less claims; without these two, the Theory of Evolution falls apart.  And yet people will readily accept Evolution’s infallibility!  Most atheists I encounter that believes in Evolution or the Big Bang or any other theory that denies God creating life and the universe simply accepts these theories are true without really thoroughly understanding them (or they pretend that they do).  They embrace these as truths without any struggle, without further reflection or discernment, just because a famous scientist or philosopher said so.   In fact, if they choose to exert an effort in honestly examining these for themselves, they might discover that these presented ideas don’t really have airtight, empirical proofs.  Hence, they might not have faith in God, but the manner of how they strongly believe in the ideas of Evolution or Big Bang or Sagan or Dawkins or Darwin – without genuine comprehension of them and without finding definitive proofs to support them – is some kind of faith.    

 

Science is a great, great thing.  But it is not God.  Science should lead us to God.  And if more scientists are more honest with themselves, and not give in to peer pressure, and really apply objective thought, and get rid of prejudices and double standards, they would definitely see God in the wonders of the universe that they discover through Science.

When one truly fathomed the awesomeness of life and the universe, one won’t really be comfortable of accepting that all of these were brought about by random accidents.  The existence of life and the universe – Creation – is clearly a definite affirmation of the existence of God – the Creator (for, in fact, Creation is the physical manifestation of God’s glory).  The intrinsic beauty and complexity found in every detail of Creation are something that I can never rationally accept as things that “just happened.” 

The Law of Cause-and-Effect states that, for every effect, there should be an appropriate, reasonable cause that made it so.  And the only “appropriate, reasonable” cause there is for an “effect” of such magnitude as the universe is an infinite, intelligent God.  To think that the universe has been brought about by a “cause” lesser than that is ridiculous. 

If one denies an eternal Creator has made the universe, one has to embrace the belief of either: a.) the universe created itself; or b.) the universe originated from a finite cause – either a finite catalyst or a creator, who himself has been created by something or someone.  Both options are obviously absurd.  The first option is contradictory.  How can something create itself?  For the universe to be capable of creating itself, it should first have to be.  It would have to be before it was.  And that’s an impossibility.  Even God can’t create himself, because he wouldn’t be present to create himself in the first place.  God is – by essence and definition – infinite, un-created, and exists before time came to be.         

The second conclusion – that the universe originated from a finite creator/catalyst – is very problematic because, ultimately, it relies on the belief that an actual infinity of finite things is possible.  One would have to wrestle with the problem: if the universe is created by an A, what is the B that created A in the first place?  How was B created then?  By a C?  Then what created C?   And so on.  Ad infinitum.  And that is just plain nonsense.  If one subscribes to such thought that an infinite chain of finite causes is possible, one also has to subscribe to a belief that time has been running eternally since an infinity of finite causes would require infinite time to work on.  The problem however is that infinite yesterdays is unthinkable for it’s an impossibility to cross through eternity.  You won’t be able to go through an infinite number of yesterdays to get to today just as a negative infinity can’t “count down” towards zero.  If it has been going on forever, it can’t possibly get to today.                

So for this universe to exist, it should have been created by something eternal – something that existed before time even existed – and is infinite in essence.  It’s the only possible solution.   Furthermore, this infinite something can’t be something without awareness.  It should be something – someone – with intelligent consciousness – a supreme intelligent consciousness.    

When I was still a kid who had never even ridden in a plane yet, airplanes provoked awe in me.  I was curious of its engineering (or whatever term the concept of engineering represented in my mind then); my mind was asking things like “How something heavy was made to fly?”  I knew that the answers would be complicated and I probably had to get a bit older to understand.  However, I knew that this complex airplane couldn’t possibly have “just happened”; its complex, purposed design required a conscious, intelligent effort to be.   Now, life and the universe have much more complex engineering in it than an airplane.  It definitely couldn’t “just happened”!  Believing that is more ridiculous than believing that an airplane can be made out of an exploding junkyard.    

Even if, let’s say, experiments using the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland supposedly proved the Big Bang Theory or how matter exploded out of energy, it doesn’t necessarily is a point against Creationism and a point for Anti-Creationism theories.  What was done to simulate the supposedly beginning of the universe hasn’t been something random, undirected, or unsupervised.  There were scientists who had consciously worked, assembled, and directed the factors to bring the creation of matter about.  It didn’t really happen chaotically.  There was a conscious, intelligent effort behind it.   It’s not the same thing as what atheists believe in – that the universe just “exploded” into being without conscious guidance.   

The universe exists because an infinite and intelligent and living God created it.   It’s the only logical conclusion.  The Apostle Paul revealed in the first chapter of Romans that men have no excuse in denying the existence of God because the universe clearly manifests His being and glory.  The existence of the universe should be a sufficient – no, overwhelming – objective proof for the affirmation of God’s existence. 

But why are there atheists?  Why aren’t everyone compelled to believe in God if the universe compellingly proves his existence?  Well, it’s because humans are sinners, and our sinful and depraved nature won’t allow us to be persuaded by the overwhelming proof.   We are blinded (or prefer to be blinded).  The truth never really mattered to us.  We prefer to deny the existence of the Creator since we don’t want to acknowledge our accountability to our Creator. 

But through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, the stubbornness and pride brought by our depraved nature will be shattered.  We will be able to humbly embrace truth and instruction.  And it is only by this time that our reasoning won’t be hindered when we argue or encounter arguments for truth.  When proof of the existence of God is brought forth by the universe, we can now allow ourselves to be persuaded.  From the point where we can wholeheartedly acknowledge God’s existence, then we can proceed to the next step of wholeheartedly acknowledging His lordship over us, and decide to live – to exist – solely for declaring His glory – just as what He has always intended for His Creation to be.

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To Love is "More than Words"

It has been more than three years since I last shared in front of everybody on our church's Wednesday service.  And this is my first time to share as a cell group leader (since during the past two years of leading my own cell group, as part of their training, I assigned my cell members to do the sharing whenever it's our cell group's turn to share.  Now that all the [regular] members have shared already, it's now my time to do it)...       

(RE: John 13:31-38)

One of my favorite songs is entitled “More than Words” which states that merely saying “I love you” is not at all an absolute confirmation of the authenticity of one’s love.  There is also the saying, “Love is a verb.”  It means that love is something that requires actions. 

In our passage, Jesus commands us to love each other.  And according to verse 34, the love that we show has to be the same kind of love that Jesus has shown us.  And Jesus’ kind of love is packed with substantial self-denying actions.  This is the kind of love that made him willingly humble himself to wash the feet of his disciples.  And this is the kind of love that made him willingly lay his life on the cross for us. 

Therefore – just like what the song “More than Words” stated – there is more to loving our brethren than just saying to them “I love you in the Lord” whenever we congregate.  We should show it through Christ-like action, also.  There should be willingness to serve, to be deferent, and to sacrifice with glad hearts.  We should be ready to give up our privilege, resources, or convenience to show the love of Jesus Christ.  And this love even extends to the point we should be ready to lay our lives for each other.  Just like Jesus.     

Now, carrying out this command to love each other in such a way that Jesus showed is incredibly difficult, if not virtually impossible – especially if the mandated recipient of our love is “unlovable.”  That’s why to carry out Christ-like deeds, we definitely need Christ-like motivations.  Where did Jesus draw his strength to love the unlovable?  The glory of God (verse 31 and 32)!   Jesus knew that the glory of God is supremely worth every sacrifice and every labor.  Jesus loves his Father and His glory, and Jesus loves glorifying His Father.    

In the same way, the only we can truly carry out Christ’s command to love – or any of His commands for that matter – is if we also supremely love and value Jesus Christ.  That He is a Superior Treasure that is worth giving up everything in this world.  And, thus, for Jesus’ sake, we will love others as He loved us – willing to deny any personal benefits, comforts, and advantages for others.  Jesus is infinitely worth it.  And through our loving actions, others can also see and experience this truth.        

So, basically, the key for us to be able to love our neighbors as ourselves is to first love God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our strength and with all our mind.  Before we can sincerely tell others, “I love you in the Lord”, we should be able to sincerely say, “I love you, Lord.”  Furthermore, we can also logically conclude that the extent of how we carry out the commandment of loving others is directly proportional to the state of our love-relationship with God.  Our love for God is reflected on how we demonstrate our love for others. 

But, personally, when I evaluate myself of the times I say “I love you, Lord” or “I love you in the Lord” – of how substantial or shallow my words really are – I feel like Peter who declared, “I will lay down my life for you” (verse 37) but when action was required of him succumbed to denying Jesus three times.  My hypocrisy distresses and appalls me. 

But I’m comforted of the fact that Jesus grants repentance and restoration.  Through the work of the Holy Spirit, Peter was transformed into a resolute, courageous apostle of Christ – used by God to considerably spread the Gospel after Jesus’ ascension.  And when the time came that it was required for Peter to lay down his life, he truly did, as legend tells us that Peter was crucified upside down (by his refusal to be crucified the same way as his Savior, since he felt unworthy to be so) for his faith.  There is truly redemption in Jesus Christ, and for that, I’m eternally thankful.       

As application, I ask forgiveness for my hypocrisy, idolatry, selfishness, and lack of love.  And I thank God for his promises of granting anything I ask that will ensure my joy in His glory.  Thus, I ask the Holy Spirit to truly renew my nature so that I can totally love and value God above everything else, and, as a result, I can also be able to have genuine, Christ-like love for others.       

Thank you and to God be the glory.

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Savoring the Glory of God By Means of Man-Made Pleasures

This essay is somewhat of a sequel to an essay I wrote about two years ago entitled “The Purpose of the World’s Pleasures” (I encourage you to read that one first before proceeding).  These are basically the important points of that particular essay: 

• There are, of course, sinful pleasures – things that God has explicitly commanded us to avoid.  And even innocent pleasures can tempt us to idolatry.  But the act of enjoying the world’s pleasures by itself is not automatically sinful.
• God has designed us to have desires.  And God is the Author of the world’s pleasures.  God intended for us to enjoy them.  God intended for us to be thankful for them.
• The world’s pleasures are not the ends.  The purpose of the world’s pleasures is the same as the purpose of the world’s pains: it should lead us to God.  The world’s pleasures should eventually bring us to the realization that God is the only source of Ultimate Pleasure; the world’s pleasures should help direct our innate desires to Him.  The delight found in Him is incomparable, unspeakable, and full of glory.  Pleasures given up for it and pains endured for it are all going to be infinitely worth it. 
• If we fail to seek the Pleasure beyond the world’s pleasures – settling with and prioritizing these lesser pleasures – then we dishonor God.  We pathetically give up the greatest glory for something preposterously lesser.  We are like, as the great C.S. Lewis puts it, “half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea.”       
• Not all aspects of the world’s pleasures are good or helpful.  Our faith, our understanding for the purpose of pleasure, and our desire to glorify God will serve as “filters” when we are in the act of enjoying the world’s pleasures – retaining the positive, and discarding the negative.   

Now in this new essay, I will be expanding a bit more about the topic, but I will be focusing more on – as the title has made obvious – man-made pleasures. 

“Man-made pleasures”, for a better term escapes me at the moment, are all the products of human arts and mass media that we derive enjoyment from.  This includes pop culture, music, literature, gadgetries, movies, TV shows, games, etc.  In this essay, I will be arguing that God can and will use these “lesser pleasures” in revealing His infinite glory to us.  (Of course, it’s always a possibility that I err with my understanding and, thus, also err with my arguments.  I welcome correction from those wiser than me.) 

HOW TO ENJOY THE WORLD’S PLEASURES WITHOUT BEING “WORLDLY”

I have already tackled this in the previous essay.  But let me elaborate.  Let us start with what 1 Timothy 4:4-5 says:

For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, provided it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by God’s word and by prayer.

The passage provided these important points:

1. God’s Creation – which includes the world’s pleasures – is good. 
2. These are God’s gifts.  And we should receive them with thankfulness.
3. These gifts – these pleasures that God allows us to enjoy – are sanctified.  

To be “sanctified” means setting something apart or transforming something into a means or state that can and will be used to glorify God.  This applies to everything (as stated by 1 Timothy 4:4) created by God – which includes, by extension, the creations of His creatures (I’ll get to this later).  Sanctification applies to people (John 17:17, 1 Cor. 1:2, etc.); sanctification applies on other things as well: food, money, property, practices (like what early Christians did with Christmas Day, December 25, which was formerly a date for a pagan festival), etc. 

So how are these things – particularly the world’s pleasures – sanctified?  In two ways, according to 1 Timothy 4:5: God’s Word and prayer. 

Firstly, God’s Word provides us with parameters on how to enjoy the world’s pleasures (no love for money, no sex outside of marriage, no drunkenness, no idolatry, etc.) as well as the revelation that God’s glory is manifested in the physical world and that the delight we derive from them must bring us to the glory of God (Psalm 19:1-4, Romans 1:20, Psalm 148:1-6, Colossians 1:16, Psalm 108:5, etc.).  So our adherence to God’s standards and willingness to learn about what He has to say about these pleasures brings sanctification to our enjoyment of the world’s pleasures. 

Secondly, through prayer, we are able to acknowledge that these pleasures that God allows us to enjoy are His gifts, and thank Him sincerely for we are able to freely enjoy His blessings because Christ already paid for them (Romans 8:32).  But aside from a means to say “thank you” to God, most importantly, prayer is the way we can ask His blessing and the Holy Spirit’s guidance in being able to really see the glory of God through the world’s pleasures.  By our own, we will easily fall to temptation and idolatry.  Only God can truly prepare our hearts to enjoy the world’s pleasures in the way He intended.  Only God can truly sanctify.   

DON’T JUST “LOOK AT THE BEAM”, BUT “LOOK ALONG THE BEAM”

The Bible has made it apparent that the majesty of the physical realm – Creation – serves as “appetizers” or “signposts” that should direct us to the glory of the Creator.  As what Psalm 19:1 says of the wonders of the heavens, they “declare” the glory of God.  C.S. Lewis shared this anecdote to wonderfully illustrate how the majesty and pleasures of this world are merely pointing us to the Source of supreme majesty and pleasure:

I was standing today in the dark toolshed. The sun was shining outside and through the crack at the top of the door there came a sunbeam. From where I stood that beam of light, with the specks of dust floating in it, was the most striking thing in the place.  Everything else was almost pitch-black. I was seeing the beam, not seeing things by it. Then I moved so that the beam fell on my eyes. Instantly the whole previous picture vanished. I saw no toolshed, and (above all) no beam. Instead I saw, framed in the irregular cranny at the top of the door, green leaves moving on the branches of a tree outside and beyond that, 90 odd million miles away, the sun. Looking along the beam, and looking at the beam are very different experiences.

“Looking at the beams” is settling with the world’s beauty and pleasures – hence, idolatry.  “Looking along the beams” is tracing back the “beams” of the world’s pleasures towards its Source, which is God, where supreme beauty and pleasure lie. 

BUT DOES THE FUNCTION OF THE WORLD IN POINTING TO THE GLORY OF GOD ALSO EXTEND TO MAN-MADE PLEASURES?

Absolutely. 

We are created by God in His image.  God designed us to have innate creativity, intellect, and capability of making beautiful creations in our own limited attempt to physically express or represent God’s glory, just as what the Creator did with His Creation.  Whenever we create – making the most of our God-given talents and abilities – we also “declare” the glory of God as much as what the heavens do in Psalm 19:1.  Therefore, man-made creations, are still, by extension, part of God’s Creation wherein he reveals His glory. 

Even the artistic outputs of non-believers – people who create without God consciously in mind – can still “declare” the glory of God.  Art is art, and beauty is beauty, regardless of who made it – a Christian or a non-believer.  Art and beauty are concepts invented by God, hence, ultimately, art and beauty comes from God.  Every human being – Christian or non-believer, consciously or unconsciously – deeply aches for God’s glory and is always compelled by the intuitive sense – whether he or she admits to it or not, realizes it or not – that there is Something beyond, Something bigger than what he or she can physically perceive.  Thus, human efforts and artistic outputs are still governed by a sovereign God that directs everything so that His intention of displaying His glory through physical representations – which includes man-made pleasures – comes through, regardless of the creators’ personal motivations.  A non-believing creator might have not honored God with his purpose, but, unbeknownst to him, he was nonetheless used by God to declare His glory when he exercised his creative impulses.    

The danger of a man-made pleasure is not necessarily because of the non-believer that created it.  Enjoying man-made pleasures created by non-believers is never an issue.  In this world, we always come into contact with services, products, and goods handled or built by unbelievers.  Your lunch might have been the cumulative contribution of an unbelieving farmer, an unbelieving fisherman, an unbelieving proprietor, and an unbelieving cook, and yet you still eat it.  The doctor that you have consulted about your health might be an unbeliever.  The mechanic that you went to to fix your car might be an unbeliever.  Your employer – the man providing your income – might be an unbeliever.  And so on.  It’s basically the same principle with enjoying a man-made pleasure created by an unbeliever.  God is sovereign over this world and everything we receive ultimately comes from God by using people – Christians or non-believers.           

Man-made pleasures, even those created by non-believers, are permissible to a Christian to enjoy (1 Cor. 6:12) because they are ultimately from God, and everything from God is good (1 Timothy 4:4), and God can sanctify them (1 Timothy 4:5) and make use of them to reveal His glory.  So for a Christian, someone who knows the truthful connection between the world’s pleasures and God’s glory, there is really no such thing as “secular.”  When he’s enjoying something secular by itself, like a Michael Jackson concert, it becomes sanctified when he is enjoying it with the holy purpose of seeking God’s glory – “looking along the beam” of MJ’s amazing talent. 

FICTION IS THE DEEPER REVELATION OF REALITY BY LIKENING IT TO WHAT IT IS NOT

The world’s pleasures, by stirring our sensations and emotions, arouse our deeper, inherent yearnings for greater awesome things than what we see in this world.  And, personally, outside of the complexity and loveliness of natural Creation, no other pleasure of this world is able to match fiction on blowing my mind away and awakening the desire in me for something bigger beyond my perceived reality.  That’s why I’m extremely fond of fiction. 

Some think that fiction is merely a “distraction” or an “escape” from reality.  Nothing can be more wrong.  Fiction “awakens” us to reality.  Kevin Vanhoozer wrote:

The sad truth is that many of us are, at best, only half awake. We think we’re engaged with the real world—you know, the world of stock markets, stock-car racing, and stockpiles of chemical weapons—but in fact we’re living in what [C.S.] Lewis calls the “shadowlands.” We think we’re awake, but we’re really only daydreaming. We’re sleepwalking our way through life—asleep at the wheel of existence—only semi-conscious of the eternal, those things that are truly solid that bear the weight of glory.

The world is full of wonders.  When we first come in contact with them, we probably had been awed.  But, over time, we got used to these wonders, taking them for granted, and our sense of awe is replaced with boredom and apathy – we “fall asleep.” And one of the best ways for us to “wake up” is through fiction.  For fiction articulates reality in a new light, providing for us an enhanced focus on the actual marvels found in things we had dismissed as ordinary.  As what G.K. Chesterton has perfectly analyzed:

When we are very young children we don’t need fairy tales: we only need tales.  Mere life is interesting enough.  A child of seven is excited by being told that Tommy opened a door and saw a dragon. But a child of three is excited by being told that Tommy opened a door.  Boys like romantic tales; but babies like realistic tales— because they find them romantic… This proves that even nursery tales only echo an almost pre-natal leap of interest and amazement. These tales say that apples are golden only to refresh the forgotten moment when we found that they were green. They make rivers run with wine only to make us remember, for one wild moment, that they run with water.

Once our sense of awe on the world’s wonders and miracles are rekindled, fiction could then further reveal to us what reality really is.  Often it is not enough to just describe reality for what it is.  When the Source of the deepest meaning of reality lies beyond it, then likening reality to what it is not actually reveals more deeply what it is (it’s another C.S. Lewis-ian concept).  Fiction does this. 

Besides, God himself opted to display His Reality through representation, making Creation – our reality – as means of revealing His glory to us.  In the same way, fiction serves as representation of our reality.  Of course, I’m not implying that we are merely God’s “computer simulations” in a The Thirteenth Floor sort of way (it’s a cool, underrated movie by the way) – that our existence lacked no real substance.  It’s just that God’s Reality is so grand, that our physical reality is much of a “figment” of God’s Reality as fiction a “figment” of our physical reality.                  

Simply, we are creatures that often require metaphors and analogies and illustrations and such to thoroughly grasp concepts and aspects of reality.  It’s simply the way we are designed by our Creator.  There’s a reason Jesus spoke in parables.  God has always intended fiction to serve as a means of intensifying our appreciation, understanding, and perspective of reality – and beyond! 

THE DANGER OF MAN-MADE PLEASURES

Of course, the fact that God reveals His glory through man-made pleasures is no excuse for us to consume every piece of it just because.  What do I mean by that?  We still have responsibility of choosing wisely the kind and amount of man-made pleasures that we choose to enjoy.  Seeking God’s glory is the chief reason for everything we Christians do in this world, including our choice of man-made pleasures.  Thus, if it’s already apparent that God’s glory is absent from a particular man-made pleasure, or it’s failing to bring us towards Christ, but, on the contrary, is actually leading us away, then there’s no reason to continue consuming it. 

We all have to constantly remember that the greatest danger of enjoying the world’s pleasures is how easily the Devil can use them to tempt us to idolatry.  If we are just immersing ourselves to banal entertainment – failing to “look along the beam” – we are vulnerable to the Devil’s attack.  Just like with idle hands, idle minds are also the Devil’s playground.  Man-made pleasures, whether enjoying them properly or not, will always arouse our desires.  When we fail to direct these aroused desires towards God, the Devil always jumps at the opportunity to exploit and redirect our desires towards idols.  Looked at how the Serpent tempted Adam and Even to eat the Forbidden Fruit when their imaginations and desires (“You will be like God!”) were aroused. 

Hence, we have to be honest with ourselves if a particular man-made pleasure is truly aiding us in our pursuit of God’s glory, or if it’s turning out to be a genuine unhelpful distraction.  Are we more engrossed during prayer than watching a movie?  Are we spending more time reading our Bibles than novels?  Are we more thrilled with God than Stephen Amell?

If we discover upon reflection that enjoying a particular man-made pleasure is not really helping us in our pursuit of God’s glory, or, worse, it’s actually leading us to sin, then we should completely abstain from it.  The Bible calls for radical cutting off of things that tempt us to sin.  Matthew 18:6-9 tells us:

“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.  Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!  If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire.  And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.”

Jesus means business.  If you’re always being lured towards pornographic sites, then cut off your Internet service.   If you’re spending more time and delighting more in watching TV than praying and reading the Bible, then sell or give it away.  If you’re always succumbing into drunkenness whenever you taste alcohol, then completely abstain from alcoholic beverages.

Take in mind that God doesn’t exclusively reveal His glory through man-made pleasures.  He can use other kinds of innocent pleasures as well.  He can even use suffering.  Abstaining from a man-made pleasure when necessary is not a loss at all.  Don’t think of it that you’re missing out on something.  Ultimate Pleasure is found in God anyway, and God has continually guaranteed that giving up something for Him is infinitely worth it. 

USING CREATION AND MAN-MADE PLEASURES TO DELIGHT IN GOD

In conclusion: if God chooses to display his glory through something, whether through the natural facets and elements of Creation or through man-made pleasures, then we should proceed to enjoy them.  God designed us to have physical desires and sensations so that we can perceive God’s glory through physical manifestations.  And through them, we will realize that there is more to it than these, that there is a Delight that transcends the pleasures of the world.  The world’s pleasures are not the ends.  They are merely the means to sharpen our longings for something – Someone – greater than physical pleasures.  The ultimate objective has always been about finding our complete, supreme joy in God alone.  

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Putting the "CHRIST" and "MAS" Back in Christmas (and Other Thoughts on Christmas)

Putting the “CHRIST” and “MAS” back in Christmas.

“The celebration of Jesus’ birth!” That’s the general answer if you ask people what Christmas is about.  But, for most of them, in their hearts, “Jesus’ birthday” is just like another aspect of Christmas instead of the ultimate reason.  “Jesus’ birthday” is just right up there with the gifts and parties and the decorations and the holiday that defines what Christmas is for them.      

The word “Christmas” originates from “Christ” and “mass”, which basically means “worship.”  But there seems to be not enough of “Christ” and “worship” in modern observance of Christmas.  I am not saying that the features of the modern Christmas celebration – gifts, trees, lights, decorations, foods, reunions, parties, vacation, merrymaking, etc. – are diminishing the essence of Christmas.  But people tend to focus on them rather than to let these things point them to Christ and worship him.    

Christmas is a season worth rejoicing over because of Christ’s birth.  The actuality of this event in human history is such a big deal for it means that God dwelt among us.  Immanuel.  God with us.  Jesus is God incarnating as Man, to be the Representative and Savior of mankind; so that He can suffer and die in our place, ensuing our freedom from sin and our deliverance from eternal damnation.  

And, thus, as response, every feature of our Christmas – food, gifts, decorations, songs, festivities, etc. – should not be the source of our excitement and happiness this season, but let them merely help us to direct the focus of our ultimate joy in Jesus and let him be glorified by all aspects of our Christmas celebration.     

December 25 used to be a pagan date of celebration, but early Christians chose to sanctify the date and use it to commemorate Jesus’ birth instead.  Now, in a world that seems to forget why it’s rejoicing in the first place, let us, Christians, once again sanctify the modern practices of the holiday and point the rest of the world to the glory of Jesus Christ.  

Joy to the world!   The Lord is come!   

We celebrate Jesus’ birthday.  But, ironically, we get the gifts.

Most importantly, we are the ones who received the “Greatest Gift.”

Christmas is ultimately about God giving his own son (John 3:16); Jesus giving his life for a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). 

Thus, the “Greatest Gift” is the Birthday Celebrant himself, Jesus Christ.  And through Christ, we became recipients of grace, joy, hope, peace, salvation, eternal life, and the fellowship of God!  Such awesome Gift! 

That’s why Christmas is said to be the “Season of Giving.”  For God has given us so much.  Hence, we who have experienced the lavish extravagance of God’s giving can afford to give generously. 

Christmas Banes

People who haven’t grasped the blessing of Christmas don’t have the “Spirit of Giving.”  Rather, they have the “Spirit of Expecting of Receiving Something” or, worse, the “Spirit of Begging.”  There’s also the “Spirit of Christmas Cynicism” but I like to think that the moral of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol has already taken most of it away from people.  Still, I will still touch upon the matter later on.  For now, let me talk of these major banes in Christmas: the “Spirit of Expecting of Receiving Something” and the “Spirit of Begging.”

A person with the “Spirit of Expecting of Receiving Something”, well, expects that he or she has to receive something for Christmas.   He or she believes that people around him or her are obliged to give him or her gifts.  Instead of thinking of what he or she can give to others, what this person is looking forward to are the stuff that he or she will get.  This is the kind of person that prepares an inadequate, thoughtless gift to join the “exchange gifts” with the intent of getting a superior thing in return.  And this is the kind of person who grumbles when the gift he or she receives during “exchange gifts” is inferior to the gift he or she prepared.    

The “Spirit of Begging” is just an extension of the “Spirit of Expecting of Receiving Something.”  But this now involves begging.  I have nothing against poor people.  But begging, for me, is only a shade lighter away from crime.  And, like crime, begging for money is reserved for two kinds of people: a.) the desperate; and b.) the callously shameless or conscienceless.  I don’t approve of chronic begging but I have some sympathy for those in the latter category and none for the second (I might expound on the matter in some future essay).  But, either way, I hate it when people use the greeting “Merry Christmas” as a means of begging.  Seriously, if you greet someone “Merry Christmas”, your intention is to give or, at least, bless the ones you are greeting.  For me, using the word “Christmas” as a means for begging is blasphemy. 

Look, if you are going to beg, just straight-up say that you are begging – “Do you have spare change?”, or “Alms! Alms!”, or anything that simply say that you are begging for money – and leave “Christmas” out of it.  Now, if you received something from the one you are begging from, then you can appropriately bless him or her with “Merry Christmas!” then.     

When beggars greet me with “Merry Christmas” as a means of begging, I simply smile and greet them a hearty “Merry Christmas!” back.  I have no right dictating how you can show your Christmas generosity.  But I suggest that you do likewise whenever beggars greet you with “Merry Christmas” in order to get money from you.  Don’t give money to those who beg by barefacedly exploiting Christmas.  Don’t encourage such blasphemous practice. 

Rather than give to this kind of beggars – who you aren’t sure anyway if they are indeed in poverty or are just lazy or belongs in a syndicate – give to people that you actually know – friends, relatives, acquaintances, churchmates, etc. – are in need.  Surely, you probably personally know people that could use some Christmas cheer.  These are the ones you should lavishly portray your Christmas generosity.   

Again, I can’t dictate you how you should practice your Christmas generosity.  But, at all times, let your Christmas generosity lead those people you chose to favor towards Christ.  Let your generosity direct them to the immeasurable generosity of Christ, that they may see that He is the Greatest Treasure Ever.   

In fact, that’s the best thing to give to those people you meet that have the “Spirit of Begging.”  Rather than give them money, take the time to tell them about Jesus.  These people actually need Jesus in their lives more than money (which is apparent from having the “Spirit of Begging” in their lives).  Do your best to let them see that Jesus is a Treasure that is infinitely greater than any material thing they can obtain from begging.  

I know of a Christian man that does it right.  When beggars come to his doorstep to ask for “Christmas”, instead of immediately giving them something, he would invite them in his house so he can tell them about Jesus.   Realizing that they probably won’t get any money from this man, these beggars would refuse and go away.  This is just sad.  The man was actually offering them something more valuable – Christ himself – than any “Christmas” they are expecting.         

On Carols

And due to this distorted outlooks of Christmas – “Spirit of Expecting of Receiving Something” and “Spirit of Begging” – carols which are meant to fill the air with Christmas cheer instead fill the air with noise.    

Most children carolers are motivated by the money or treats that they can receive from caroling. The greediness is apparent from the lack of effort they put in their caroling.   They don’t even bother practicing their song-set nor bother to master the lyrics of the songs.  They sing gibberish; are out of tune and out of beat; and gets mad and sings a mocking song whenever they don’t receive anything from those they are caroling, i.e. the ones they expect to get money from.  

Caroling, like all other features of Christmas, is about giving.  The primary purpose of going house to house and singing Christmas carols is to spread Christmas cheer and declare Christ’s glory in the season, NOT to get money from the people you are caroling to.

Every December, caroling is an activity in our church.  We go to impoverished communities and visit our poor members and their neighbors.  We sing carols and then give them rice.  This is caroling done right –giving!  It’s a wonderful tradition that I’m proud I’m part of. 

      

As a Sunday School teacher and an elementary teacher, I have the opportunity to tell my students the proper attitude of caroling.  I tell them that they should have a heart of giving whenever they go caroling.  As children, they are limited financially, thus, caroling is the best opportunity they have to give to people.  They should sing Christmas songs with all their heart; let people enjoy their singing.  Don’t expect or ask money from the houses they are caroling.  If they are given something, then be thankful.  And even if people don’t give them anything, don’t grumble but still be cheerful and thankful.     

There’s this beautiful Christmas short that a local network ran years ago.  A group of children went caroling, and they stopped on a house belonging to an old man spending Christmas Eve alone.  Hearing the children singing, the old man started feeling his pockets for some coins, but there were none.  He went outside and apologized to the children that he doesn’t have anything to give, and then went back inside.  The children looked at each other for a second.  Then, they started singing again.  They shouted that it’s okay, that they will sing for free.  It made the old man smile.  The children finished their song, and, lastly, greeted the old man a hearty Merry Christmas.  Beautiful!  That for me defined how children should proceed with caroling.         

 

Again, I have no right to tell you how you should practice your Christmas generosity.   Give them money or treats (it’s preferable if you give them treats rather than money) or none, it’s up to you.  But, again, like with beggars, let your generosity lead them to Jesus.  Tell them about Jesus and how valuable he is than any material things they can obtain.  Invite them to Sunday School.  Give them Gospel tracts for children.  Actually give them Something more substantial than money or treats.       

   

It is understandable to an extent because these children who go caroling to get money know nothing better.  Unfortunately, many of these children grow up without actually realizing that Christmas is about giving.  They grow up thinking the rest of the world is obliged to give them something during something, hence, exploiting Christmas to get money.  That’s why children, as young as they are, need to know Jesus during Christmas.    

The harm of the Santa Claus myth

I have nothing against Santa Claus as a fictional character (I know he’s based on an actual historical person, but the pop culture representation of old St. Nick is, of course, fantasy).  In fact, like other fictional heroes, whose qualities we admire about them are projected in our admiration of the supremely admirable God, Santa Claus the fictional character can do likewise.  My problem is how people would fool children by declaring that this mythological Santa Claus is actually real, and would give them gifts during Christmas if they behave.  These children will grow up and eventually realize the truth that Santa Claus is fictional, but the “Spirit of Expecting of Receiving Something” and materialism is already implanted in them by years of expecting gifts from Santa.  Hence, the Santa Claus mythology is what charms them and not the reality of Jesus Christ, the real reason of the season – Someone that is infinitely more exciting than Santa Claus.  As John Piper brilliantly analyzed:   

"It is mindboggling to me that any Christian would even contemplate such a trade, that we would divert attention away from the incarnation of the God of the universe into this world to save us and our children. . . . Not only is Santa Claus not true — and Jesus is very truth himself — but compared to Jesus, Santa is simply pitiful, and our kids should be helped to see this.

"Santa Claus offers only earthly things, nothing lasting, nothing eternal. Jesus offers eternal joy with the world thrown in — the fire engine is thrown in (1 Corinthians 3:21–23).

"Santa Claus offers his ephemeral goodies only on the condition of good works: 'He knows when you are sleeping, he knows when you’re awake, he knows when you have been bad or good, so be good for goodness’ sake.' That is a pure works religion. And Jesus offers himself all the gifts freely, by grace, for faith.

"Santa Claus is make-believe. Jesus is more real than the roof on your house.

"Santa Claus only shows up once a year. Jesus promises, 'I will be with you always' (Matthew 28:20). You say to your kid every night: 'He is standing by your bed. He is with you when you get up in the morning. He is with you when you go to school today. If mommy and daddy die, he will be right there with you.' Santa doesn’t hold a candle to this flame, Jesus.

"Santa Claus cannot solve our worst problem. Jesus did solve our worst problem, our sin and our alienation from God. Santa Claus can put some icing on the cake of the good life, but he cannot take a shattered life and rebuild it with hope forever. And our kids need to know that about Christmas.

"Santa Claus is not relevant in many cultures of the world. Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords over all the peoples of the world.

"Santa Claus will be forgotten some day and Jesus 'is the same yesterday and today and forever' (Hebrews 13:8).

"So there is no contest here. I cannot see why a parent, if they know and love Jesus, if they have found Jesus to be the greatest treasure in the world, why they would bring Jesus out of the celebration and Santa into the celebration at all — I mean, he is just irrelevant. He has nothing to do with it. He is zero.

"So my counsel is to give all your efforts to making your children as happy as they can possibly be with every kind of surprise that is rooted in the true meaning of Christmas. Let your decorations point to Jesus. Let your food point to Jesus. Let your games point to Jesus. Let your singing point to Jesus. Out-rejoice the world, out-give the world, out-decorate the world, and let it all point to Jesus.

"If being Jesus-focused is a killjoy for your Christmas, you don’t know him well."

The sooner children know that Santa Claus isn’t real and his philosophy can’t satisfy, then the sooner they can go on a more exciting path towards Jesus Christ. 

Why bother with Christmas

One of the songs we sing during our church caroling is “Christmas Without Christ”, which goes like this:

"Why bother with the tree?

Why bother with the lights?

If you ignore the meaning of that first silent night.

Why bother with an angel?

Why bother with the gifts?

If you ignore the message Jesus Christ came to give.

Christmas without Christ

There's no Savior, there's no joy

Christmas without Christ

There's no reason to rejoice

Christmas without Christ

Oh, it makes me wanna cry

Why bother having Christmas without Christ?"

It’s easy to be cynical on how the Christmas season has become.  With the trees, the gifts, the decors, the parties, and all that stuff, it feels like that Christmas has become a time for commercialism, compulsory spending, and obligatory merrymaking.  Thus, Christmas begins to feel onerous and empty.  And it is… if Christ is not made the center of it all.  Just as what Charlie Brown and the gang learned in the classic Christmas cartoon, A Charlie Brown Christmas (which I have watched countless times already during the Christmas season), Christmas is stressful and burdensome if we forget what it’s really about: Jesus Christ. 

Because if Christ is the center of our Christmas celebrations, all these things we bother about – exchanging presents, singing carols, putting up trees and lights and decorations, preparing festivities and food – have significance, for all of these are merely directing us to the hope and rapturous joy that is solely found in the Birthday Celebrant. Hence, we can derive a genuine and meaningful – and even yearlong – celebration, because there is much to rejoice about in Jesus Christ. 

Happy birthday, Jesus.  Merry Christmas, everyone.   

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The Christian's Freedom of Making Moral Choices Without Fear

Let’s have a thought experiment…

Imagine that you are a government secret agent tasked on protecting the city from a terrorist attack.  You were able to capture the terrorist.  Unfortunately, he was able to hide, arm, and start the timer on the bomb before he was caught.  The nuclear bomb can explode at any second, and there’s no time to evacuate the city.  The only way to save the city, particularly the millions of lives in it, is to extract the information of the location of the bomb from the terrorist.  However, the terrorist is an extreme fanatic; he has no fear of dying and won’t be broken by torture.   On the other hand, you got your hands on the terrorist’s family – who have no idea what the husband/father/terrorist was into – and there is a good chance that he will give you the location of the bomb if you torture his wife and children instead.  Will you do it?  To save millions of lives, is torturing the innocent wife and children the right thing to do?

The thought-provoker above is called the “Ticking Time Bomb Scenario” – a thought experiment on the morality of torture (this has been constantly explored in the TV series 24).  It’s a complex moral dilemma that we definitely don’t want to encounter.

In our actual lives, we probably don’t have dilemmas that are as complicated as the “Ticking Time Bomb Scenario”, but we are nonetheless put in situations where making the right choice is difficult, for we don’t know what the right choice is.  Moral or ethical choices are not always about picking between the “black” and the “white.”  There are times that it is hard to determine which is “black” or “white”, or if there’s actually a “black” and a “white” at all. 

Of course, as Christians, we need to consciously pursue the right thing and what will glorify God the most.  The guidance of the Holy Spirit and the instructions of the Word of God help us in choosing.  But there will be times that we fail to discern the Holy Spirit’s guidance and can’t comprehend what the Word’s instructions are.  We are human after all.  We fall.  We make fool of ourselves.  We make mistakes.  That is simply part of the Christian journey.  Until we get to Heaven and have glorified bodies, we still need to endure the difficulties of the battlefield of Christian life.  Which includes the complexity of moral struggles. 

   

Fortunately, we Christians are under God’s grace.  Though we aren’t free yet from undergoing these complex moral battles, we however have been given freedom to engage in these battles without fear of the results.   Our sins – past, present, and future – are forgiven.  Thus, we will no longer receive condemnation if we ever made the wrong choice. 

It doesn’t mean we should just impulsively make choices without seeking God’s will.  Or still make the wrong choice when we already know it’s the wrong one.  Again, we should consciously pursue the right thing and what will glorify God the most.  If we are convicted by the Spirit that a particular choice is a wrong one or would dishonor God, why still proceed to choose it?  The freedom of making moral choices, like all other aspects of God’s grace, should never be abused, but treasured and esteemed.

God understands our limitations.  We should just do our best in carrying on the purpose of our existence: bringing glory to God.  If we ever err in our choices and methods, let it be out of ignorance or unintended blunder, and NOT deliberately.  There might still be earthly consequence that may arise from these mistakes we made, but God’s mercy is likely to shield us from most of it, and, most importantly, there will be no eternal judgment that will be passed on us.

I still don’t know what I will precisely do if I get into complex moral dilemmas like the “Ticking Time Bomb Scenario.”  But by God’s grace, I know I can make a choice without fear. 

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A Reflection on Psalm 23

Psalm 23 is the only chapter in the Bible I know by heart.  It has been for many years.  Throughout my life, I got to memorize several chapters in the Bible, but I eventually forgot parts of it or its entirety completely.  Only Psalm 23 stuck.  Probably because it’s just six verses long.  But also because it has likely appealed to me a lot. 

Psalm 23 is a very notable passage in the Bible.  It used the metaphor of the LORD as a Shepherd, and it’s full of encouragement and comfort for His flock since it gives a comprehensive glimpse of the benefits that a sheep belonging to the Good Shepherd will enjoy.  

This reflection is my short analysis of the blessings depicted in Psalm 23.  I will be discussing them by verse.

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

The LORD is our Good Shepherd (note: from this point on, when I use the third person pronouns like “we”, “us”, or “our”, I am referring to us Christians – the sheep belonging to the Good Shepherd).  The Good Shepherd who gives his life for his sheep (John 10:11).  The Good Shepherd who willingly sought us in the wilderness when we were lost (Luke 15:4-6).  It’s a great blessing and honor to have Him as our Shepherd! 

Belonging to Him, there is the guarantee that we will never lack of anything we need.  Emphasis on “anything we need.”  God will always give us the things He knows we actually need, not the things we want or think we need. 

So if we don’t have something, it’s because we don’t need it.  If God didn’t provide the thing we are asking for right now, then it’s because we don’t really need it yet.  Or at all.

Indeed, what we need to get the most out of our lives and accomplishing a task for the glory of God is always present or provided in the perfect time.              

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,         

The imagery from this verse inspires tranquility.

God gives us rest and peace.  And they are not dependent on the circumstances around us.  Regardless of the weather we are in – pleasant or turbulent – there is an inner calmness, for the Good Shepherd is always in control.  

he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

When God saved us, He also guaranteed that He will preserve us and sanctify us till we are ready to stand in front of Him.  By our own strength, we can never remain faithful.  It is God who enables us to be faithful.  There may be times that we falter and fall, but God will keep on sustaining and restoring us till the end.  

Through the power of His Word and Holy Spirit, His instructions and wisdom to discern what is righteous are revealed to us whenever we seek them sincerely.  But even if we fail, His forgiveness is readily given when we repent, replenishing the vigor in our souls in continuing our pressing on forward.  All of this is for His glory; so what He started in us, He will surely see it brought to completion (Philippians 1:6).    

This is basically the doctrine from the 5^th-point of Five-Point Calvinism, “Perseverance of the Saints.” Such great source of reassurance.      

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

God promised that He will never leave us, nor forsake us.  He promised to be with us till the end of age (Matthew 28:20).  So no matter how terrifying, impossible, dire, or threatening a certain circumstance we are in, His presence gives us courage, cheer, and calm.  For if God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31) 

In short, God got our backs. 

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Simply, we are overwhelmingly blessed! 

Unfortunately, there is a popular misconception that being overwhelmingly blessed always translates to material gain – good health, fixed relationships, promotion, excelling in academics, improved standard of living, ownership of more properties, etc.  God never really promised these things.  God never promised that we will have problem-free, wealthy, comfortable lives in this world.  Quite the opposite actually. 

However, what God did promise us are the honor and joy prepared for us in Heaven that are incomparably, incomprehensibly greater than any material gain from this world.   And even in the presence of whatever form of antagonism and menace, these great blessing and glory from God is made apparent. 

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Due to God’s grace, we have been gifted eternal life.  Hence, we will be able to enjoy His presence for all eternity in Heaven.  But even while we are still remaining in this world, undergoing our life journey towards Eternity, the glorious presence of God is already felt to an extent – His love and grace evidently working to push us forward until we get there.  The Good Shepherd will get His flock there.     

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