fleeing from sin

May 26, 2006

i had breakfast with a good friend a few weeks ago. it was great to catch up with her, since i haven't talked to her much over the past few months. one topic we got onto was the whole issue of Christians and clubbing. i, myself, have never been to a club consciously. the only time i was at a club was for our grad-show after-party... but i didn't even realize it was a club until we got there! i had thought we were going to a coffee-shop type place, but boy was i wrong. i hated every moment of it. i sat on a couch the whole time and wanted to go home.

my friend had gone before, to celebrate a birthday party with her friend. she was appalled at what she saw. she was appalled that Christians would subject themselves to such an environment. at first off, it might seem that going to clubs with a group of Christian friends seems really innocent, but we must remember our lives affects those around us. people go to clubs to hook up. some go there for their own sexual pleasure.

as my friend was there, she saw a guy go up behind one of her friends and start grinding behind her. so she pulled her friend away (she had no idea that guy was doing it). she also noticed how even moving about the club was sketchy. because they are typically very packed, bodies are forced to rub up on other people. and as people move about, body parts might get touched by others (either intentionally or unintentionally). also, she noticed how guys would watch other girls dance. as a Christian, even if you're having a great time with your friends as you dance, you are probably be looked at as a piece of meat from other people. why subject yourself to that? why give people that chance?

my friend was on guard at all times while she was there. she watched over her friends that were dancing, to make sure no guys went near them. is that an environment where Christians should be in? i remember her saying, why should Christians subject themselves to an environment where they have to be on guard at all times? simply to have fun? why can't they engage in fun activities that don't require that?

the way i see it, if you like to dance, dance onto the Lord! i'm reminded of the wonderful celebrations that went on in the OT when they moved the ark of the covenant back to jerusalem. every few steps, they had a worship service. as the neared the city of david, david danced before the Lord with all His might (cf. 2 sam 6:14).

i was very encouraged by our talk. that week, i thought a lot about what it meant to live in the world, but not be of it. i thought a lot about how so often, Christian live lives that are really no different from the rest of the world. i thought about the whole concept of fleeing from sin.

what does that look like? it means we run away from anything that can tempt us, ensnare us. it means we become intentional about the things we say, think, watch, do, listen to, eat, spend time in. but this does not come easily. because we live in such a media-saturated culture, we've become apathetic about many of the things we see and hear due to frequent exposure. violence, sex, corrupt morals in our movies, tv programs, music (to list a few) no longer bother us. we may even snicker or laugh at them. we might even joke about such things. i know i've been there before.

i think there's something seriously wrong with that. as Christians, we are called to live in the world, but not be of it. that means we don't live by the standards, values, morals set by it. how are we different than those in the world if we are apathetic? if we participate in the same things that everyone else does? i believe that one of the reasons the LORD gave the israelites the ten commandments was to set apart His people from the other nations (the primary reason was for the covenant. the israelites were given the ten commandments not as a set of rules to follow, but as a set of guidelines to show their loyalty to God). because the people of God had so many laws to adhere to, they did in fact live a very different life from those around them. it was very clear to them! but in our day in age, many Christians blend right in with the rest of the world. the only difference is church attendance, possibly some Bible reading and prayer. we are commanded to live a life worthy of the One who calls us. we are called to be the salt and light of the world (cf. matt 5:13-16).

back in high school, i remember i was so repulsed by a movie, i wanted to get up and leave. but being with two other friends who didn't have the same conviction, i didn't have that chance. instead, i closed my eyes and slept through the whole thing. in my acting class in university, we were doing an improv exercise as a class. i remember the subject matter was very ungodly. every one in the class laughed, except for me. i felt very foreign in the environment. that was the first time i actually knew what it meant to be an alien in this world (cf. 1 pet 2:11).

as our relationship with the LORD deepens, we become more like Him. as we become more like Him, we begin to love the things He loves and hate the things He hates. what does God hate? sin! He cannot tolerate it, nor can He be near it, for God is holy. sin has nothing to do with holiness. they are polar opposites. God commands us to be holy, because He is holy (cf. lev 19:2). so as we become grow closer to Him, our view of sin changes. our sinful nature no longer has control over us. we become repulsed by sin, not drawn to it. paul instructs us to live as children of light in ephesians 4:17-24. what business do we, as the children of God, have in allowing ourselves to be near sin when it can be avoided? we cannot give the devil a foothold (cf. eph 4:27). hebrews 12:1 [NIV] says "let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."

joseph is the classic OT example of someone who fled from sin. one day, when joseph went inside potiphar's household, there were no servants inside. potiphar's wife, for the umpteenth time, tried to seduce him. joseph's reaction? he bolted out the door as fast as he could. that's fleeing from sin! that's not allowing the devil to have a foothold. that's what we are to do.

friends, let's be intentional about the way we live our lives, in the things we watch, listen to, talk about, in the people we chose to spend our time with, in the thoughts that we have and in the activities we chose to do. we are the people of God! let's seek to live lives that reflect the glory and majesty of God that dwells in us.

"live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us" - 1 peter 2:12 [NIV]

the beauty of rest

May 18, 2006

every time i go to the pool before lunch, i always see this asian gentleman chilling out on one of the lawn chairs. he's there every day, at the same time, on the same chair, with the same look. it's such a peaceful and restful picture. he looks so calm and relaxed. it really is beautiful. every time i look at him, i am reminded of how beautiful rest is.

before i was diagnosed with fm, i thought rest was a big waste of time. whenever i had free time, i felt like i had to do something productive with it. if i didn't, i felt like i wasted it. being asian didn't help me either. asians have a need to always do something. if they aren't doing something productive, they feel useless and helpless. their identity is tied to their work. i knew that all too well.

after being diagnosed with fm, i was forced to slow down. i simply did not have the energy or the strength to continue life at the same pace. the pain in my body made me take more breaks. i was literally forced to rest. i was forced to face the fact that i couldn't be productive all the time. i felt helpless and useless. i was forced to confront the fact that my identity was tied to what i could do, on my ability to perform, to deliver, to produce.

in december, i wrote a paper on an aspect of leadership that isn't talked about much in the church: self-care. sometimes the best thing we can do for the ministry is take care of ourselves. but this principle isn't simply for leaders. we were created to need rest. in order to function properly, the way God intended us to function, we must rest.

have you ever wondered why God created humans to need sleep? He could have made us differently, full of limitless energy, but He didn't. humans require sleep. if we don't get enough sleep, we suffer consequences, very bad ones at that! yet, despite this, most of us rarely get the recommended 7-8 hours of sleep. our culture moves at lightning speed. everyone is on the go. go-go-go. if you want to see it for yourself, head to the downtown core of your city and observe how people move about. we're moving faster by the second. we're told that time is money. we're told to make the most out of our time. and without realizing it, these thoughts bury deep within us.

many of us move through life at high speed. we keep pushing our bodies until they inevitably breakdown. we become burnt-out and are left feeling drained and empty. it's happened to many of us. it's happened to me. it's easy, isn't it? overlooking rest is incredibly easy to do. we've all done it, cramming for essays, exams, or projects. most students tend to jump right into a summer job after their year of school is over. most students try to jump right into a full time job after graduating. if they don't, they most likely get pressure from their other friends and/or parents.

we must protect ourselves from these lies that culture keeps feeding us. we must see and believe how important rest is. rest is beautiful. rest is essential. rest is life. rest is not a waste of time. i applaud the people who have enough sense to make time for rest. it's truly a beautiful thing. we could learn a lot from that asian man from the pool. as we learn to rest, we begin to truly see how life giving it is.