It has already been more than a year since I took my interest in cycling to the next level. I have ridden in trails, went for long distance rides but more importantly, my bike became my preferred mode of transport. Yes, I am a bike commuter and I love every minute of it. Some of you may wonder why I would be willing to risk life and limb by hitting the perilous streets of Metro Manila, the answer is fairly simple really; it is cost efficient, it gets me to where I'm going and believe it or not; it is a lot safer than any motorized transport. There are a lot more accidents out there involving, cars, truck, motorcycles and what not.
I have saved a lot of money ever since I started riding my mountain bike to work and everywhere I go. Not to mention of course the fact that I always beat traffic. I lost a lot of weight as well; because it is a good form of exercise. Biking in the city still has some setbacks unfortunately. Lack of bike lanes and proper bike parking facilities are just two problems that we have to deal with. Since I love riding my bike so much, I don't let these set backs deter me from riding. If there's a will, there is always a way.
In today's society, a lot of people tend to look down upon people who commutes by bike. They think that it is unglamorous and not practical. They would think that you don't have money. If only more white collared people would ride their bikes to work everyday then the negative image that people have of bike commuters would drastically change and make a bigger impact. Don't get me wrong though; I have nothing against cars, and in some ways it is necessary for people to drive them. As for me though, I do what I can to promote clean air by saying that I am one less car. It is my dream that the Philippines would become a bike crazy country and have clean, breathable air for the generations to come. I can only hope for the better. So why do I ride my bike? Because I LOVE IT!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Where do you draw the line between judging others and exposing sin? This is a question which I have been asking my self for quite some time now. People always quote Matthew 7:1-5 where it says "Do not judge". This has got to be one of the most misused bible scriptures. people throw this passage a lot when they would hear somebody say something against someone or what that someone did. People like these only see one part of that bible passage. Verse 5 says "Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye: then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye." What this means is that we should not judge other people when we our selves are doing the same thing. Let me give a clear example: Let's say I saw someone who has stolen and I say to that person, Your a thief! It is wrong to steal but yet, I my self is doing the same thing. Now that is hypocritical! The bible says that we should judge our selves by God's standard first and repent from our sins before we can help others in dealing with their own sin.
There is a fine line between exposing and judging. Ephesians 5:11 says this: "Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead EXPOSE them." How can people be aware of what they are doing is wrong if we don't tell them? Take a parent for example; if a child does something wrong a Parent would always tell that child that what he or she did was wrong so that they won't make the same mistake again. A child wouldn't know the difference between right and wrong unless we tell them. People would rather hear about God's love rather than his wrath against sin. If this is the case then we would be liable to God him self because we didn't tell others about the curse of sin. Issues like homosexuality, adultery, coveting etc. are topics that would offend people when they hear some preach against these things. They would say, "who do you think you are to tell me that I am wrong or how dare you judge me". The truth hurts but the truth will set them free if they listen to it. have you heard of the saying "the slap of a friend is sweeter than the kiss of an enemy."?
God called us into this world to be his light, and light exposes darkness. As Christians, we have a duty to Christ to be bearers of good news but we must also expose the works of satan in this world. Judging is not a sin if we judge ourselves first according to God's standard.
There is a fine line between exposing and judging. Ephesians 5:11 says this: "Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead EXPOSE them." How can people be aware of what they are doing is wrong if we don't tell them? Take a parent for example; if a child does something wrong a Parent would always tell that child that what he or she did was wrong so that they won't make the same mistake again. A child wouldn't know the difference between right and wrong unless we tell them. People would rather hear about God's love rather than his wrath against sin. If this is the case then we would be liable to God him self because we didn't tell others about the curse of sin. Issues like homosexuality, adultery, coveting etc. are topics that would offend people when they hear some preach against these things. They would say, "who do you think you are to tell me that I am wrong or how dare you judge me". The truth hurts but the truth will set them free if they listen to it. have you heard of the saying "the slap of a friend is sweeter than the kiss of an enemy."?
God called us into this world to be his light, and light exposes darkness. As Christians, we have a duty to Christ to be bearers of good news but we must also expose the works of satan in this world. Judging is not a sin if we judge ourselves first according to God's standard.
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