The Delicate Balance

On a project such as Deep Wasabi, it is hard to know just how open one should be, especially bearing in mind the admonishments Jesus laid out in Matthew 6:1-24:

¹"Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. ²"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honoured by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. ³But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. ⁵"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. ⁶But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. ⁷And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. ⁸Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

⁹"This, then, is how you should pray:
   " ‘Our Father in heaven,
   hallowed be your name,
¹⁰your kingdom come,
   your will be done
      on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹Give us today our daily bread.
¹²Forgive us our debts,
      as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³And lead us not into temptation,
   but deliver us from the evil one.’

¹⁴For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. 

¹⁶"When you fast, do not look sombre as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. ¹⁷But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, ¹⁸so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

However, even in such a site as this, there is no reason not to follow Jesus’ ruling on keeping our giving and our fasting secret. To this end, no mention of any specific giving will be made here. However, the issues that come up will be, as they come up. And this is the first: secrecy.

Apparently, there is a dichotomy between some works that should be secret and some that should be made more public. Later in the New Testament, it is written by the apostles and said by Jesus that we should let others see our good works so that they may be led to glorify God. Yet, I think there is only a false contradiction here, and these two commands do not really contradict each other.

The actions prescribed in Matthew by Jesus are inherently religious in flavour, and Jesus rightly sees that such public outworking of faith could be labelled as hypocrisy. The reason for such public outworking becomes very quickly the respect and adulation of other people, rather than the actual seeking of God Himself. And Jesus is really hard on this one: any public attention seeking for your giving, fasting and prayer will end there. The Father in Heaven will reward you and bless you no more for it. Period. End of story. The respect and adulation received from people is all the reward that you will get. As can be seen, that really sucks and makes the effort to keep things secret all the more worth it. Let’s be honest here: since when was Jesus worried about the respect of the people? And thus, since when should we be worried about people’s adulation, a fickle and worthless thing if ever there was one. So, at the end of the day, the inherently spiritual activities that go on should remain secret, between us and God.

This leaves us with the quandary of works done so that people may be led to reflect and glorify God. What may be so done? I think these works are the more difficult ones which require more sacrifice and more effort on our part. This would include the practical surrender of time to help with people in need, be it the poor, the neighbour and so on. These are actions that are not inherently religious in nature, but nevertheless can be done as acts of worship to God by the Christian. You might find yourself walking in that Oxfam fund raiser in the same team as atheists, Muslims and Buddhists, and you will not be able to help but be noticed. It is these acts that will gain you some level of credibility with non-churched people, and this may even open the door for the Gospel for some people. But even beyond that, you might be opening the door for some refection on the part of others, and that maybe according to God’s purposes.

At the end of the day, it may even be as simple as helping a neighbour get her lawn mower going, if you have a mechanical gifting there. Not that religious in flavour, but something that draws some appreciation, creates no pressure, and allows God to soften a hardened heart.

This brings me to the point of joy. Do all things in joy. If you are fasting, enjoy it! You are losing a few grams, probably saving your body a lot of sugar, and you have a chance to get a little closer to the Lord! What a bonus!! Enjoy the activities that you do in private and in public, and let people see that happiness flood out. If you don’t enjoy it, keep doing it until you do, and ask the Lord to help you find the joy in it. Hypocrites are a miserable bunch of losers, so why be one of them?? Enjoy the things that God gives you to do.

Is my dividing line between inherently religious good works and more “practical” works a Biblical one? I am not too sure on that, and I may even make the division a more detailed one later, but it seems to work. Anyway, it is something to think about and pray about. In secret, of course.

Hail Christ,
Mee Yai

 

My Name is Mee Yai and I am an Idiot

Well, I have always said, if you are going to do something then you should do it all the way and get it done properly. That includes falling off the wagon. I have to confess something of pride in my ability to fall of the wagon. I can do it well, and being a sizeable person, I can utilise the full effects of gravity when I do so.

Today I splashed out on a couple of CD’s and that was a caving-in to one of my many weaknesses. While one CD was pretty good, the other was complete crap, which only added to the insult and regret of the situation. In itself, this is not such a bad thing, but I had felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit to take that road of self-denial. I didn’t. And fall to the ground from the wagon was a bit short, but not less impacting for that lack of height.

Even in my own short, shallow reflection of the whole sorry episode, I have learnt a couple of things. In this endeavour at Christian charity, and just being the type of person that Jesus wants me to be, I have learnt a couple of things that may be valuable to me and possibly to others. Some are a little tongue-in-cheek, but still highlight a couple of issues, I think.

First, beware boredom and bargain bins. They do not excuse my stupidity, but they are certainly not something that helps one on this type of journey. Added to that, some stores don’t allow you listen to the music before buying, there can be some risk. Luckily for me, I had heard one band before and took said risk on only one CD. Idiot.

Secondly, now that I have stuffed up to this degree, taking said risk on said crappy CD, now not only is that money NOT released into the Kingdom, I don’t even get to enjoy the music. I am now left with no doubts to why that CD was in that bargain basement bin. It seems that one’s sin can lead to a whole host of unforeseen consequences as the implications are worked out. While this is no earth shattering failure, I think the principle may hold true for large ones. Sin unleashes a tidal wave of crap into your life that you may just need to ride out and face up to. What’s more, that crap may even spill over into the lives of others. With these now lost resources from God’s perspective, who knows what the implications will be.

Thirdly, when the Holy Spirit speaks, it may be just a very quiet thing, and hardly noticeable in the everyday rush of life. Not that I was very rushed, but in a city and all, it can be a bit hard to hear what the Spirit is whispering in your ear. Yet, when He does whisper, it is a good idea to front up and do what He prompts you to. Now that I write this, it seems blindingly obvious, but at the time this wasn’t.

Conclusion: today Mee Yai was an idiot. Yet, I am still God’s idiot.

Hail Christ,
Mee Yai

 

The Pitfalls of Sushi

Like most red-blooded males, I enjoy a good bit of sushi. Today, I bought some for lunch and rather enjoyed it. It has to be said that I would have been able to survive to the end of the day and put that money to good use in other areas, (ala iPod). This is, of course, entirely true. Unlike many in this world, I am not about to die from malnutrition any time soon. However, is there a good reason to deny ourselves at every single turn? It is a complex question that divides Christians even in our own day. Perhaps, especially in our consumer-driven, materialistically-crazed day. While no deep philosopher or theologian, (I am too butt-lazy for that caper), this is my somewhat over simplistic take on the whole deal of just how far we should go.

I guess the bottom line is Jesus Christ. Did He ever, at any stage at all, refuse to deny Himself with regard to any perceived want? It is hard to imagine that He would do such a thing, and it is even harder to guess at His motives. However, His motives, often hidden deep between the lines of the Gospels, are exactly what we need to get at to see whether He acted contrary to the ideal of self-denial. The difficulty is only added to by the fact that He was not only fully human, but also fully Divine with all that is entailed there.

Perhaps the most poignant example of Jesus’ self-denial in action is the death and suffering on the cross. He makes it perfectly clear that had He wanted to, angels would have come blasting great swathes through the masses of humanity in Jerusalem that week, and rescued Him. However, He didn’t. The very human stresses and fears are amply demonstrated in the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus sweated blood in the extreme stress that was His lot at that time. Yet, despite these very real fears and physical horrors, Jesus still found it in Himself to push forward and deny Himself to the point of death. A point that Paul would later fully appreciate in his Epistles. In this, and many other times, Jesus pushed Himself and selflessly gave to people around Him.

However, there were real times when He needed to be alone and to be a little self-indulgent. Admittedly, this self-indulgence was prayer and rest with God, but He did pull away from people. Jesus looked after His prayer life and spiritual walk with God, and He made sure that this central foundation of all that He did was solid. He was also willing to break cultural and social taboos in order to meet more mundane needs: getting food on the Sabbath, being a point in case. Jesus had a very practical view of the giving life. This was deeply connected to maintaining an ability to do God’s work. If one is wasted and hungry, with no prayer life, they are hardly going to be effective instruments of God’s grace to other people.

However, this willingness to look after one’s own needs also needs to be tempered in the light if Jesus’ example. Jesus was willing to take time out and look after the more physical needs of His life, but these were always within the shadow of the ultimate work that was His destiny in God’s will. Jesus showed a willingness, proven by His action, that He was willing to sacrifice even His own wellbeing if God called for it. He was totally centred on God’s will, not His own. And this is where, I think, many of us get hung up. Would we be willing to make the same sacrifices? Would we really suffer in agony for what we believed to be the right thing? Centuries of people persecuting Christians have shown that many of us are not so willing.

One Christian once said to me, “God would never call me to suffer.” Admittedly, my response at the time was less than mature, but on deeper reflection, I was not that far from the truth. God called His own Son to suffer one of the most agonising deaths that humanity has ever invented. Why wouldn’t He call us to follow in the same path? It is this precise issue that “Prosperity Gospellers” lose out on. God has been calling Christians to walk in Jesus’ path for 2,000 years.: Paul of Tarsus, Ignatius of Antioch, and hosts more. At times, we will have to cast our own well-being to one side in order to achieve something in another’s life or just achieve the purposes of God. And this decision had better be based on a really solid relationship with God, or people are going to make some really costly and tragic mistakes.

So, back to the fake sushi that I had for lunch: was I being overly self-indulgent? I honestly do not think so. Firstly, I think I would have been ok to deny myself lunch today. Really. I am not that much of a guts, though some of my friends may disagree on that one. Secondly, in being a regular at this one shop, I may be establishing a relationship with the Koreans who work there, (I know, sushi is Japanese, so don’t ask: it’s a long story). Not that I am saying I am an evangelistic powerhouse, (even I am not that stupid), and I have not really had any conversations with them beyond the usual pleasantries exchanged over buying lunch. However, who knows what may happen? Who knows what God may do in the lives of the shop staff and myself? Maybe there is a need in me to be met?? Anyway, I think maintain contact with people who are not within our usual circle is an important aspect of being Christian and opening doors to the Gospel.

Could I have denied myself? Sure. Did I? Nope. Was it a mistake? I don’t think so, and God has not said anything to me so far. I will let you know the minute He does.

Hail Christ,
Mee Yai

 

iPod is Evil

iPod is evil. Steve Jobs is the Anti-Christ. I am sure someone, somewhere, has made that claim. However, I am not going to push the analogy too far. I am just going to give some impressions about why the iPod fashion thing is not for me and why God would have me do something else with the money that I have saved towards one. The iPod Nano, (8Gb), goes for about $250 here, which is not too bad. As a pretty big fan of music, I was planning on getting one. It seems that this would be a good place to start this whole “denial thing” and hit myself on something that I really, really would love to have.

The iPod offers a whole range of benefits, especially seeing that I am  public transport user, and I spend a decent amount of time on the system. The iPod is perhaps one of the coolest little bits of techno-stuff that one could want, and what better way to pass the time zoning out to music that you love? Beyond the fact that it is so light and looks really cool, (that black one is just awesome!), and one could pose for ages twirling that wheelie thing through endless menus, one could just about cause permanent hearing damage over a sustained period of high intensity listening. I could easily use an iPod to arrive at work relaxed, relatively sedated, and quite possibly better equipped to deal with the hassles that will no doubt greet me.

However, there are many compelling reasons for not having one. I have listed some of these below.

• The time would be better spent studying: why is this a “spiritual reason”? Well, God has always been big on families, and using that time to study would mean more time with my family. That has to be good, yeah? So, it also means more time to know and enjoy the very people whose support I count on, and who count on me. I am primarily accountable to them.
• I could spend the time praying: some people on the public transport system, and even those with iPods, look thoroughly miserable about the fact that they are even awake. It could be the predawn hour, but something in them looks more than mere inconvenience at being awake. It seems that they are doing their level best to avoid any contact with anyone at all. Sometimes, an iPod serves to put a barrier there, but at others it doesn’t. And if someone should intrude on their private thoughts or misery, they shoot the darkest and most angry looks at the offender. It seems that if there is a need for prayer, it is in that place. Who knows? Maybe even the Holy Spirit will start to guide said prayer?
• While one might argue that doing worship on the bus to an iPod loaded with Christian music is a good idea, I would hardly agree. Firstly, my singing voice is woeful. I like metal, and for most people that brings the whole experience to new, previously unexplored levels of woefulness. More than likely, I would be thrown off, and quite justifiably so.
• It is a lot of money to some: as I said, that is $250 that could go to other people with more immediate needs than worship, isolation and music. Needs like hunger, survival, clean water and just knowing where they will be next week.

I guess, for me, it is that last that seems to make the choice of a iPod for me a rather banal and trivial one. While one could extend that to just about anything, (like cars, books, chocolate and coffee), this is something that God has really put on my heart for me. So, I guess, it is bye-bye iPod and hello some charity like Worldvision or Childfund.

Just to clarify, I do not consider iPods to be evil. Nor is Steve Jobs the Anti-Christ, (as far as I know!). So, don’t have community iPod burnings, ok? Book-burnings and CD-burnings are so last century. If you have an iPod, thank God for it, and enjoy it!! Bless ya!

Hail Christ,
Mee Yai