Living Spring 活泉-Vol8-2016

So being nice and less demanding or providing ample
time to accomplish a task is normal. Otherwise, you will
be accused of being demanding and wanting power.
God has His way. He is removing our rough edges to
perfect us. We are just a lump of clay to be moulded
into a fine pottery or a block of wood to be crafted into
whatever God wants us to be. Thanks and praise God for
that.
Whether we want to be right or nice, we need to have
a certain principle and value system in us. Doing right
and seen to do right is important. Poor behaviour reflects
us badly to others. In 2 Timothy 2:15, “Do your best to
present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who
does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles
the word of truth.”
Are we adaptable and teachable? Right or nice also need
improvement. We are not perfect. In Psalms 25:9, “He
guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his
way.” Once we are being right with God, it will overflow
and bless others.
Always trust our God for He controls everything.
Ecclesiastes 3:14, “I know that everything God does will
endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing
taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.”
Do the right thing and everything nice will come. This
is because what you give or show will mirror your own
internal happiness. Then, you will be more willing to
share with anyone irrespective of status, gender, etc
We have a job to do. Be fruitful and multiply. We should
spread the Good News not only organically but spiritually
to the unreached. In Romans 10:14, “How, then, can they
call on the one they have not believed in? And how can
they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And
how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”
Hence, we have to do right and be nice. So the saying
goes—“is not what you said but how you said it”
All of us like to associate with that nice person. But is
niceness always the best? It could be the person being
nice would not want to hurt the other person which means
it is just downright lying. This is supported by research.
Being too nice is at the expense of speaking one’s mind.
The result is toxic. We Asian, have problem accepting
reality. If your idea is being shot down, you would think
the person who shot it down is against you. We mix up
the idea with the personality. Idea can be no good but the
person is still ok. If that happens, it steals opportunities
for growth.
Are we to be like in Luke 6:29, “If someone slaps you on
one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes
your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them.” How far
are we going to stretch on this verse?
Of course, we are not to be mean. Being rude for the
sake of it, is not only arrogant, it is not productive.
We need to be objective and honest about it. It may be
uncomfortable.
May be the answer is to be assertive—being direct and
honest with control of emotions to discuss, negotiate
and find the best solution.
So being right or nice? Or should we say being rightly nice
or nicely right?
... know that a person is not justified by the
works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.
So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus
that we may be justified by faith in Christ
and not by the works of the law, because by the
works of the law no one will be justified.
Galatians 2:16New International Version (NIV)
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