Islam and Slavery

Ignorance is no Virtue

Ignorance is no virtue - all human beings have the moral obligation to make responsible decisions, develop fair attitudes, and acquire informed opinions so that they can live by mature deeds.

The above is my basic premise for this brief reflection. Some people, in the name of free thinking, choose not to critically reflect on their opinions, nor on their decisions, attitudes or actions - or inactions, for that. They ignore facts, fail to research objectively, and don't listen to concerned voices with good intentions, but rather choose to have an ostrich-mentality: they bury their head in the sand, as they don't want to hear and don't want to see. What drives these people? Often, a deep-seated inferiority complex, a fear that one might just be wrong and would have to change. But would you rather remain wrong and suffer for it in the future or face the short pain of change for a better future? You choose - it's your decision, and so will the consequences be. By way of analogy: would you rather not go to the dentist only to suffer pain and lose your teeth, or would you instead face the facts and have the dentist do a job - however painful - that will fix your teeth and ensure they are fine? The decision is not that hard to take, is it? It's only reasonable what we are supposed to do.

So why are people afraid to face the facts and the necessary change? You see, if our whole personality depends on whether or not we are right, if that area comes under attack, our whole world collapses. So, driven by fear, we choose to ignore the obvious only to hold on to our frail identities, which are nothing but card houses... remember the story of the three pigs who built different kinds of houses to hide from the hungry wolf (see below!)? Choose wisely how you are going to build your house (i.e., your life: decisions, attitudes, opinions, deeds).

Training for Reigning: Reaching your full Potential (Part 2)

Overcoming Sinfulness through Faith and Obedience

So, God has great plans for people's lives, in order to give us an unshakable hope and glorious future - not only in Heaven but already on earth, in this life. God gives hope to the hopeless, life to the dead, sight to the blind, and strength to the weak! I myself was a disillusioned youth, depressed by the state of the world, and hopeless in the face of the suffering of others, notably in Africa. But when I realised not only who God was - and that He loved me, forgave me, and blessed me - but also what He can do through a human being, I realised my life can count towards the well-being of others. This is more than philanthropy; this is real help for it deals with men's root problem of all trouble: sin. Sin is anything and everything contrary to God and His Law, and has 'I' at its centre (also known as egoism, 'ego' meaning 'I' in Greek). Jesus sets free from the power of sin (Jn 8:30-36), which can be compared to the laws of aerodynamics overcoming the laws of gravity - we learn to fly above the dirt of sin! (cf. Rom 8:1-4)

So when we talk about reaching our full potential, learning to overcome sin and obey God is crucial: we can never fully reach our potential when we play around with sin - which is like playing with fire without wanting to get burned. We can never be holy and sanctified (set apart) for God's holy calling unless we have a radical commitment to God's laws and ways in life. The Psalmist loved the Law of God - and there are many benefits for doing so (see Ps 119).

Let's consider the following verses of Scripture:

1 John 5:1-5 (NASB)

Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Firstly, a sinful, fallen human being can receive new life, be born again in their inside, and get into a proper relationship with God, other people and themselves. The key to it all is faith in Jesus Christ, which results in a love-relationship towards God and fellow Christians. Secondly, evidence of new life inside a person is love for God and obedience to His commandments - it is the very prove of one's love for God, which are not a burden, but a delight! This is, of course, in line with the psalm's praise of and love for God's law. Often Christians have a very negative view of the Law, thinking this is NT teaching, notably Pauline. But nothing could be further from the truth: for Paul the Law was holy, righteous, good, and spiritual (Rom 7:12, 14), that is, of course, when one uses the Law correctly. What Paul was refuting in some of his letters was the wrong use of the Law, but not the Law itself. But check out verses 4 and 5 in John's letter. The clear-cut issues are that being born of God and having faith in Jesus makes one to overcome all the world's sinfulness (cf. 2:15-17).

Thirdly, note the conjunction 'For' opening verse 4. It relates the obedience to God's word with overcoming the world. We see how faith and obedience are two sides of the same coin, and that the result is a live pleasing to God in that we love Him and people and keep His commandments. The heresy that grace cancels out law and that it doesn't really matter how we live, is hereby clearly refuted. Jesus said, if we love Him, we would keep His commandments (Jn 14:15). Jesus Himself lived a law-abiding life out of His intimate relationship with His Father. We are called to do the same - and thus reach our full potential and fulfill God's great plans for our lives!

Persecuted Christian Children