Daily Thots: 7-Down

It's Sunday and most of you would already have heard, or be hearing some sermon in your church, so "sermons" is not on our menu.

Instead, may I offer you something lighter? A light, refreshing drink to wash down that heavy sermon you just heard. Recognise this logo?

Source: http://www.charlottesvillemarathon.com/images/logo_7up.jpg

Yes, it's 7-Up, the original lemon-lime thirst quencher. Albeit turned upside down.

As you sip this drink (don't rush, it's Sunday), think about the 7 things that are detestable to God. Thumbs down to each of them, & write these Thou-Shall-Not-Do items in the tablet of your heart.

1. haughty eyes
2. a lying tongue
3. hands that shed innocent blood
4. a heart that devises wicked schemes
5. feet that are quick to rush into evil
6. a false witness who pours out lies
7. a man who stirs up dissension among brothers

Source: God, Prov 6: 16-19

Since we don't live in the medieval times, I think most of us don't shed innocent blood, unless that includes eating eggs, in which case, everyone fails big time (you don't eat eggs? remember that birthday cake you ate?). By the way, killing mosquitoes don't count because these blood suckers are not that innocent.

However, it will do well to reflect on things like haughtiness, trouble-making, "white lies", and evil thoughts.

In a metropolitan society like Singapore, everyone, except retirees, babies and the sick, lives in the fast lane, and when you move fast, you have little patience for things. Back in the 70's, almost everyone I met on the street, in the market, or just around the neighbourhood had a ready smile. Perhaps things were not moving as fast back then, and competition only existed in the sports arena.

Today, when you stand in someone's way, or look at anyone, for more than 3 seconds, you are asking for trouble. When you smile at strangers, if you are a guy, they will think you are a salesman, a fund raiser, or a sex predator; if you are a lady, well, they think along the same lines except for the sex predator part; why, some ignoramus (a breed of dinosaurs which has survived extinction) may even think that you hail from somewhere in Geylang.

Gone, gone are the Mary Poppins days, where being courteous is the norm. Gone are the days when people asks each other whether they have eaten to their fill. Today's working class are mostly like catwalk models with that "Don't bug me" killer look in their eyes. Almost everyone is a Matrix-look alike with the ever-present shades & wireless headset (note: I didn't say Keanu Reeves look-alike because I don't think Keanu Reeves ever looked that bad, and the last time I checked, he doesn't speak Singlish).

Kids? Well, thanks to Harry Potter & Nintendo; most are either trading magic cards, punching the lights off someone on their Gameboy, or busy casting spells on that big bully in their class.

Go with the flow? No way. Because "you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9

As much as we cannot stop the direction society is headed, we can do our part in standing firm on God's Word. We can choose to say "no" to evil, lies, politics, haughtiness, and all manner of things that displeases God. We may look foolish to others in doing so, but I rather look foolish in this temporal moment, than be foolish for eternity.

Make your stand, today.

Thomas
Category: cf_tht, sounding board