humility

Didn’t Even Know

~ P. Jason

Hebrews 4:12–13

[12] For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. [13] And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

In the film Sixth Sense, Bruce Willis is a therapist trying to help a boy who claims to see ghosts. The whole movie Bruce Willis thinks he’s helping this boy, but it turns out that Willis is actually one of the ghosts. He didn’t even know he was dead. Likewise, we easily see other people’s flaws, weaknesses and sins, yet we struggle to see ourselves.

But the Word of God shows us who we truly are. Of course, no one likes their weaknesses to be exposed. At times we are shocked by what we are capable of thinking, doing, or saying. But God is not surprised. He already knows our hearts. So His Word does not expose us before Him, it exposes us to ourselves. God wants to show us who we are so we can actually ask for what we need, so we can put aside our pride and go to Him for help.

Grumpy Muppets

~ P. Jason

Ephesians 5:1–2

[1] Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. [2] And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

We could assume that as we become older we automatically become wiser. Though, perhaps you’re familiar with these grumpy muppets?

As we become older, it’s possible that we’ll just become more stubborn, critical, and bitter. But by God’s grace, we can ask, “Oh Lord, what is Your will? What is important to You? What is life really about?”

If we have ears to hear, probably the first thing Jesus will tell us is that life is about love.

Do We?

~ P. Jason

Collected Shorter Writings Volume 1: Celebrating the Saving Work of God
The Trinity and the Gospel
J.I. Packer

You have met people whose behavior leads you to say, ‘You can’t tell them anything.’ In verse 11, Jesus says that Nicodemus and his peers are behaving that way towards him and his disciples: ‘I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.’ By Nicodemus’ own admission, the Jewish theologians did not know about the new birth and God’s present kingdom, but they had not so far shown any willingness to accept teaching on these things from Jesus, the country preacher…

Before we condemn those Jewish leaders, however, we should ask ourselves if we are any wiser than they at this point. Do we let Jesus teach us spiritual things? Have we let him teach us our own need of new birth? Will we let him teach us the way into God’s kingdom?  

Better Than Most

~ P. Jason

Culture and the Self
Hazel Markus & Shinobu Kitayama

At 4 years old, children already show a clear self-favorability bias (Harter, 1989). When asked to compare themselves with others with respect to intelligence, friendliness, or any skill, most children think they are better than most others. Wylie (1979) reported that American adults also consider themselves to be more intelligent and more attractive than average, and Myers (1987), in a national survey of American students, found that 70% of students believe they are above average in leadership ability, and with respect to the “ability to get along with others,’ 0% thought they were below average, 60% thought they were in the top 10%, and 25% thought they were in the top 1%. 

One Day

~ P. Jason

For the Love of God
D.A. Carson

Obadiah 15

For the day of the LORD is near upon all the nations.
As you have done, it shall be done to you;
your deeds shall return on your own head.

When we see opponents fall, we had better recognize that God is the One who exacts temporal judgments—and one day all of us will face eternal judgment. Temporal judgments are thus God’s prophetic announcement of what will happen to all.

The Nazis fell: should we gloat and pat our backs in triumphalistic glee? Shall we not remember that Germany was a country of extraordinary education and technical competence, and it turned toward power, expansionism, and cascading evil—and fell? Should we not fear, and beg God for mercy that we might walk in integrity, honor, and love of virtue?

Link: Complete Blog Post

Questions

~ P. Jason

Media, Journalism, and Communication
Mercer Schuchardt

What do you want to do with your life? How many hours would it take to achieve that level of expertise or excellence in your chosen field? Where can you find those hours?…Does a selective sacrifice of media intake allow you to achieve your dreams? 

What is media costing you? Write down your actual costs of cell-phone, data plan, cable, electricity, and other media-related expenses. How much money is that? To what better use could this money be spent? In a world of ubiquitous Wi-Fi hotspots, how much of your media budget could be had for free if you were willing to be slightly inconvenienced? 

Where are you right now? Are you here? Or are you there? Are you in the room you are in, with the people in it? Or are you physically present but emotionally absent? Do you have “anywhere is better than here” syndrome? When you are in Paris, do you wish you were in New York? When in Manhattan, do you look for French cafes? What role does media play in creating the constant dissatisfaction with where you are right now and what you are doing right now?

The Internet is information is knowledge is power. Yet the highest spiritual calling has always been humility. How will you use digital media technologies to enhance not your knowledge, pride, and power, but your servant’s heart, your humble wisdom, your deference to others as better than yourself? 

The sin of despair (literally, to lose hope) is on the rise. Suicide surpassed homicide, car crashes, and war as the leading cause of death among American youth in the past ten years. The future belongs to those who can create a future by making a family and producing offspring. In what ways has digital media enhanced or destroyed your vision for your own personal future? What media habits might be worth changing to increase your hope and decrease your despair?

Essentially 5,778 years of human history have gone by without needing modern technology. Why do you need it now? Can you imagine living a day, a week, a month, or a year without new technology? Can you imagine living your whole life without it? What will be gained or lost by making such a decision?

Time Only for Himself and for His Own Follies

~ P. Jason

Life Together
Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Just as love to God begins with listening to His Word, so the beginning of love for the brethren is learning to listen to them…  

One who cannot listen long and patiently will presently be talking beside the point and be never really speaking to others, albeit he be not conscious of it. Anyone who thinks that his time is too valuable to spend keeping quiet will eventually have no time for God and his brother, but only for himself and for his own follies…

There is a kind of listening with half an ear that presumes already to know what the other person has to say. It is an impatient, inattentive listening, that despises the brother and is only waiting for a chance to speak and thus get rid of the other person. This is no fulfillment of our obligation, and it is certain that here too our attitude toward our brother only reflects our relationship with God. It is little wonder that we are no longer capable of the greatest service of listening that God has committed to us, that of hearing our brother’s confession, if we refuse to give ear to our brother on lesser subjects…

One who worries about the loss of time that such petty, outward acts of helpfulness entail is usually taking the importance of his own career too solemnly. We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God. God will be constantly crossing our paths and canceling our plans by sending us people with claims and petitions. We may pass them by, preoccupied with our more important tasks, as the priest passed by the man who had fallen among thieves, perhaps–reading the Bible.

Senseless

~ P. Jason

For the Love of God
D.A. Carson

Jeremiah 10:21

For the shepherds are stupid
and do not inquire of the LORD;
therefore they have not prospered,
and all their flock is scattered.

The arena in which these leaders are incompetent is not general administration, charismatic sheen, financial acuity, or management potential. They are “senseless,” and their folly is manifest in the fact that they “do not inquire of the LORD.” This cannot mean that they do not go through the mere forms of seeking out the Lord’s counsel, consulting the prophets and treating the prescribed rituals like a talisman that brings good luck. It means, rather, that they do not really want to do what God wants. They do not approach him with the contrition and profound reverence for his Word of which Isaiah speaks (Isa. 66).

Link: Complete Blog Post

Far More Connects Us

~ P. Jason

For the Love of God
D.A. Carson

…Not only does Isaiah understand that sin separates us from God, he also identifies himself completely with his sinful people: “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (64:6). The greatest intercessors have always recognized that far more connects them with the common lot of sinners than what distinguishes them—and in any case they do not hesitate to plead with God on behalf of those who will not plead for themselves.

Link: Complete Blog Post