My journey...
Monday, October 02, 2006
Who are we kidding?
We joined a tour group on our last trip to China. There were 38 people in the group. Huge group to my opinion. Being a big group, there are bound to be all sorts of character. Two different group of people particularly caught my interest.
The first, proclaimed that they are Christians (and I have no doubt of that). After all, they did carry their bibles around and talk "christian" stuff. But they were the ones who ocmplained the most the entire trip. Complained about the food quality (which is fair enough cause we did not have the best of food in China). Complained about the service. The tour guide. Always demanding their rights. I remember sitting in front of them in the bus when we reached a buddhist temple as part of our sight seeing and so that some of our buddhist peers could pray to their god. But when we reached the destination and time to get off, comments from the back came flying "do we have to get down? We are Christians and we do not pray at temples." In my heart I was thinking if you do not like so many things in this tour, why did you even join? Even if you do not pray at temples, where is that respect for others. Nothing about them speaks of Christ or His love in their words or deeds. Always waiting to be served and just cause they are "rich" materially, they demand for their "rights".
The second group, an old couple who when we reached a crowded restaurant, and the waitresses were very busy and could hardly cope with the number of people, the others were complaining of "bad" service, they went to take hot water and tea and towels for us. They served us. Without an utter of complain. Infact, they were serving with happy hearts. I had the opportunity to sit with the aunty one of the bus trips and only then did I find out that they were Christians too.
So very different. The first and the second group. How many of us are quick to say that we are Christians and then become very leaglistic about it. Pull our weigh around but nothing about us speaks of the love of Christ. How many of us are willing to serve letting go of our "rights". Even if it "seems unfair" yet we are willing to give of ourself? Even if we do something that seems to "lower our status".
Christ came to serve and not to be served. He did not seek to be "right". He simply was. He did not seek to be of the same status or higher than the Pharisees. Infact, He was comstantly with the poor and the rejected of society.
Matt 23:25... "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs. which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bomes and everything unclean."
I am not here to judge the first group or people like that. But it makes me think... Have man kind really changed. We keep battling with the same issues in the church. Have we not learnt or is it in our nature. Human nature. Which group then do I belong to? Do I demand for my rights too. We may think that we are alright but at times we do not see our own faults. Sometimes we try to live a "righteous" life but who are we kidding? I know that God still have a lot to clean up "inside" of me. Purify my heart God.
The first, proclaimed that they are Christians (and I have no doubt of that). After all, they did carry their bibles around and talk "christian" stuff. But they were the ones who ocmplained the most the entire trip. Complained about the food quality (which is fair enough cause we did not have the best of food in China). Complained about the service. The tour guide. Always demanding their rights. I remember sitting in front of them in the bus when we reached a buddhist temple as part of our sight seeing and so that some of our buddhist peers could pray to their god. But when we reached the destination and time to get off, comments from the back came flying "do we have to get down? We are Christians and we do not pray at temples." In my heart I was thinking if you do not like so many things in this tour, why did you even join? Even if you do not pray at temples, where is that respect for others. Nothing about them speaks of Christ or His love in their words or deeds. Always waiting to be served and just cause they are "rich" materially, they demand for their "rights".
The second group, an old couple who when we reached a crowded restaurant, and the waitresses were very busy and could hardly cope with the number of people, the others were complaining of "bad" service, they went to take hot water and tea and towels for us. They served us. Without an utter of complain. Infact, they were serving with happy hearts. I had the opportunity to sit with the aunty one of the bus trips and only then did I find out that they were Christians too.
So very different. The first and the second group. How many of us are quick to say that we are Christians and then become very leaglistic about it. Pull our weigh around but nothing about us speaks of the love of Christ. How many of us are willing to serve letting go of our "rights". Even if it "seems unfair" yet we are willing to give of ourself? Even if we do something that seems to "lower our status".
Christ came to serve and not to be served. He did not seek to be "right". He simply was. He did not seek to be of the same status or higher than the Pharisees. Infact, He was comstantly with the poor and the rejected of society.
Matt 23:25... "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs. which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bomes and everything unclean."
I am not here to judge the first group or people like that. But it makes me think... Have man kind really changed. We keep battling with the same issues in the church. Have we not learnt or is it in our nature. Human nature. Which group then do I belong to? Do I demand for my rights too. We may think that we are alright but at times we do not see our own faults. Sometimes we try to live a "righteous" life but who are we kidding? I know that God still have a lot to clean up "inside" of me. Purify my heart God.
posted by Janelle at 8:17 PM
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