VIA Survey of Character Strengths 1/4/15

http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/testcenter.aspx

VIA Survey of Character Strengths

1/4/15

Your Top Strength

Spirituality, sense of purpose, and faith -

You have strong and coherent beliefs about the higher purpose and meaning of the universe. You know where you fit in the larger scheme. Your beliefs shape your actions and are a source of comfort to you.

Why this is first is an obvious no brainer. Over the years I have been working hard to try to shape my life to being a disciple of Christ, really giving my life to Christ. I am definitely not there yet. A lot of times I do things out of obedience, not out of faith. I still attempt to pursue a works based faith. But I have come a long way in trust in the Lord, delighting in His promises and worshiping the glory of God.

I guess working hard isn't really the right answer. God is hard at work making a masterpiece out of me. I am just grateful to have found my rock of ages.

Your Second Strength

Judgment, critical thinking, and open-mindedness -

Thinking things through and examining them from all sides are important aspects of who you are. You do not jump to conclusions, and you rely only on solid evidence to make your decisions. You are able to change your mind.

Why this jumped to number 2 is probably due to my research capabilities, both in theology and in science. I definitely look at both sides more, instead of jumping to conclusions, especially about scripture. I guess this is the maturity of my mind.

Strength #3

Kindness and generosity -

You are kind and generous to others, and you are never too busy to do a favor. You enjoy doing good deeds for others, even if you do not know them well.

 This used to be my number 2, but I am glad it is still high. Kindness is a fruit of the spirit, and I hope to continue to cultivate this the rest of my life, especially in my future marriage should I get married. They say, kindness is more important than honesty in a marriage, and is a reflection of love.

Generosity I feel is slightly different than kindness, something that is more of obedience than of nature. As Christians we are called to give. Give to the poor. Give to our brothers and sisters. Give to our neighbors. I hope I can continue to cultivate this as well.

Strength #4

Love of learning -

You love learning new things, whether in a class or on your own. You have always loved school, reading, and museums-anywhere and everywhere there is an opportunity to learn.

This probably also arose from pursuing an highly academic career path. This really jumped up (from #14).

Strength #5

Leadership -

You excel at the tasks of leadership: encouraging a group to get things done and preserving harmony within the group by making everyone feel included. You do a good job organizing activities and seeing that they happen.

Welp. I think I would make a good leader, but I don't think it is part of my calling.

Strength #6

Caution, prudence, and discretion -

You are a careful person, and your choices are consistently prudent ones. You do not say or do things that you might later regret.

My "hand cupping my mouth" thinking face. Hmmm.

Strength #7

Fairness, equity, and justice -

Treating all people fairly is one of your abiding principles. You do not let your personal feelings bias your decisions about other people. You give everyone a chance.

I think why this strength is rated so high is a flaw in how the are questions presented by the test. And it follows my beliefs in Christianity about showing no favoritism. I have made it my personal agenda to look at people's souls, not at their successes, not at their talents, not at their fashion sense, not at their physical beauty, and working extremely hard in getting the Body of Christ to believe the same. See people as God sees them right? Jesus said our bodies are more than the clothes we wear right? 

Strength #8

Modesty and humility -

You do not seek the spotlight, preferring to let your accomplishments speak for themselves. You do not regard yourself as special, and others recognize and value your modesty.

Anything I write here would undermine this strength. Lol.

Strength #9

Citizenship, teamwork, and loyalty -

You excel as a member of a group. You are a loyal and dedicated teammate, you always do your share, and you work hard for the success of your group.

Personally I have always thought one of my strongest traits that I embody is loyalty, especially loyalty to my friends and beliefs. Wow this used to be 2nd back in college.

Strength #10

Bravery and valor -

You are a courageous person who does not shrink from threat, challenge, difficulty, or pain. You speak up for what is right even if there is opposition. You act on your convictions.

 I have never thought of myself as either brave or having valor. Maybe its just this day and age bravery and valor are not actually needed in life, at least on a daily basis. Maybe this harkens to the one time where I was able to take control of a dangerous situation.

Strength #11

Honesty, authenticity, and genuineness -

You are an honest person, not only by speaking the truth but by living your life in a genuine and authentic way. You are down to earth and without pretense; you are a "real" person.

 As mentioned above, I feel like kindness is much more important than honesty. Honestly, I don't think I am very honest with people at all. I hide so many secrets and stifle my personal opinions for the well-being of the group. This especially applies with doctrine, where I routinely "shut my mouth" in hopes that I don't seem condemning or judgmental when I hanging out with Christians in non-religious environments. I really don't know if this is right or wrong, but I do hope truth and love prevail.

Strength #12

Perspective wisdom -

Although you may not think of yourself as wise, your friends hold this view of you. They value your perspective on matters and turn to you for advice. You have a way of looking at the world that makes sense to others and to yourself.

 Welp. Must be humble. Still have lots of room to grow and mature. Wisdom does come with age. Every year I will look back and be like "wow...I was so immature last year".

Strength #13

Capacity to love and be loved -

You value close relations with others, in particular those in which sharing and caring are reciprocated. The people to whom you feel most close are the same people who feel most close to you.

I am worried about this one. Though half the questions regarding this strength was focused on people loving me, which I guess I have enough, so this is a flaw to the test. But I wish this was higher. My belief is in a reality of love. Love as the highest authority and deepest good, which stems from God who is Love. But I am not that loving. I wish I was more selfless and less self-centered. My complaints are a good evidence of this. I need to learn how to love more. For any Christian, this one should actually be first over faith, because our faith is based on Love w/ a capital L.

Strength #14

Industry, diligence, and perseverance -

You work hard to finish what you start. No matter the project, you "get it out the door" in timely fashion. You do not get distracted when you work, and you take satisfaction in completing tasks.

Eh...I think I am more lazy than not, though there was hard work involved to get to where I am now, no doubt about that. I still think this is too high on the list.

Strength #15

Hope, optimism, and future-mindedness -

You expect the best in the future, and you work to achieve it. You believe that the future is something that you can control.

Hope. I think I am just neutral on this. Hope in the things above I guess. Hope that I can show the world that God is good and it is about Him.

Strength #16

Gratitude -

You are aware of the good things that happen to you, and you never take them for granted. Your friends and family members know that you are a grateful person because you always take the time to express your thanks.

I think this is too high. I am terrible at showing gratitude to people. I am well known to take people for granted. I need to work on this. I don't know how to give gifts. I don't know how to hug people. I need to smile more, even though my smile is similar to the Beast's in Beauty and the Beast with my underbite. I need to say Thank You more often. And initiate in group settings. People are more afraid of me than I should be of them.

Strength #17

Creativity, ingenuity, and originality -

Thinking of new ways to do things is a crucial part of who you are. You are never content with doing something the conventional way if a better way is possible.

Have I made something of beauty last year? Does my failed korean sponge cake count? I am not talented in the arts. This moved up.

Strength #18

Humor and playfulness -

You like to laugh and tease. Bringing smiles to other people is important to you. You try to see the light side of all situations.

Girls always say that humor is the most attractive thing in a guy. Everyone tells me I am too serious, and when I try to poke fun at someone, especially a girl, they misunderstand me. Why so serious? People either take me too seriously or not serious enough, and I can't seem to find a good balance. I really don't know how to make people laugh. I am terrible at making people laugh at my own expense, and I wonder if its because I unconsciously care about my image. I don't think so but maybe I should do some introspection. Hopefully I will be able to make my wife and children laugh. Laughter is one of the best medicines, meta-physically proven.

Strength #19

Social intelligence -

You are aware of the motives and feelings of other people. You know what to do to fit in to different social situations, and you know what to do to put others at ease.

This is a toss-up. I am aware of details and moods, but I usually don't know what to do after I feel out the situation. I also describe moods and feelings in an analytical way, as if I was describing a histology slice or something. I don't think this is a healthy way of viewing people, treating them as data or list of traits on a piece of paper. I want to look at a person and instinctively see their essence. It would seem

Strength #20

Appreciation of beauty and excellence -

You notice and appreciate beauty, excellence, and/or skilled performance in all domains of life, from nature to art to mathematics to science to everyday experience.

 I feel like I do appreciate beauty. Beauty in people, but not just their looks. Inner beauty. Total beauty. I am also a sucker for beauty in the natural world. Always have been. Always will. I wish I had more motivation to just go to a park, sit there and absorb the beauty that is creation around me that points to a marvelous Creator. I am just not very interest in human art I guess. I'm not very savvy with music. I am a poor appreciator of human art, architecture, and dance. I really don't understand abstract art or art that distort natural beauty. I do not have a refined palette, and I seem to have bad tastes for everything. The one thing I do pride myself is a slight understanding of fashion, but unfortunately my body figure and size of purse and my faith restrict my dappling into this art form.

Strength #21

Curiosity and interest in the world -

You are curious about everything. You are always asking questions, and you find all subjects and topics fascinating. You like exploration and discovery.

Again probably a flaw of this test, but yeah, I am not as curious of this world as other people. Why is this ranked so low while the love for learning is so high? I am kind of curious where the dichotomy is. The terms for discovery and exploration are not well defined.

Strength #22

Self-control and self-regulation -

You self-consciously regulate what you feel and what you do. You are a disciplined person. You are in control of your appetites and your emotions, not vice versa.

Eh...I choose "highly disagree" to be able to resist eating cookies in front of me.

Strength #23

Forgiveness and mercy -

You forgive those who have done you wrong. You always give people a second chance. Your guiding principle is mercy and not revenge.

This has always been one of my greatest weaknesses. Bitterness has been my greatest vice, an offshoot of my pride I believe. I have a very hard time forgiving people. Forgiving them for sexually assaulting my friends. Forgiving them for having sex with members of my youth group. Forgiving them for abandoning me in my greatest need. Forgiving them for being selective and cliche-ish. Forgiving them for using God and Christianity as an excuse to not love. And yet Jesus Christ teaches us to forgive. He forgave His captors and torturers on the Cross. The parable of the unforgiving debtor really resounds to me right now. For goodness sake, in the Lord's prayer we are taught to forgive our debtors, our enemies, those who owe us, because God has forgiven me by the grace on the Cross.

I hope to continue to learn how to forgive. This will take a lifetime. But I have grace.

Colossians 3:13 (ESV) bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

Strength #24

Zest, enthusiasm, and energy -

Regardless of what you do, you approach it with excitement and energy. You never do anything halfway or halfheartedly. For you, life is an adventure.

 Ah this. I NEED TO BE MORE EXCITED ABOUT STUFF! NEED TO GO OUT AND DO NEW THINGS! WHY DON'T I HAVE MORE MOTIVATION? NEED MOAR COFFEE! NEED TO RELEASE THE INNER ME! NEED TO BE MYSELF MORE! NEED TO LET MY EMOTIONS OUT! NEED TO HAVE BETTER SLEEPING SCHEDULE! NEED TO EXERCISE SINCE EXERCISE CREATES MORE ENERGY! MORE RED BULL!!!

Did...a Christian just use the concept of resonance structures to explain the Trinity? What?

"'A molecule is every single one of its resonance structures at every point in time, but it is no single one of its resonance structures at any single point in time'...if she as a scientist can believe that, the whats the problem with the Trinity?"

The Bible isn't JUST narrative

Romans 10:17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

John 8:31-32 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

I have a problem with a relatively new and modernistic view of the Bible. Yes, the Bible is consisted of narrative, poetry, letters, history, genealogy, accounting, testimonies, and teachings. But it is something more. The Bible is a holy book. We are to read it, meditate on it, encouraged by it, teach through it, believe in it, and live by it (http://www.openbible.info/topics/reading_gods_word). It is something that should be part of our everyday life. Jesus said Himself that Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. To us, every word of the Bible should be considered Word from God's mouth, God inspired, God breathed. There is a reason why the Bible is called the Word of God. This means the Bible was written by God through people, not a collection of works written by people about God. Yes, you see the shaping of the many authors of the Bible, from different writing styles that give them away. People like Paul, and we know that scribes helped him write most of his letters (he will specifically say if its by his own pen), who probably was chosen to write so much given his background and training as a Pharisee (knowledge of the Law). But even so, those words were inspired by the Holy Spirit within those selected to write, such as with David (Mark 12:36, Acts 4:25), or in the case of Moses, spoken from God Himself, that is why Jesus in Matt. 19 and Paul and the author of Hebrews (chapter 11) put so much credence on the Torah, especially Genesis 1 and 2. Many of the authors of the Bible truly wouldn't understand what they were writing at all, and so can only come about from transformative power of the Holy Spirit. We really need to stop underestimating the Holy Spirit within us. He is still God. (He also has feelings so when we neglect Him as part of the Trinity...lets just say we should get to know Him, really read about who He is from Scripture).

Acts 4:25 You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David

Now to the inspired by the Holy Spirit part. What do you say about all the atheists who have read the Bible, and some of them have even memorized the Bible? Yet they still do not believe in God. They do not have faith. That is because belief and faith are absolutely pinnacle to Christianity. That is where the Holy Spirit comes in. Just like how the disciples were lost about many of Jesus' parables and teachings, such as Jesus being the temple, until the Holy Spirit came upon them to help them interpret Jesus' teachings (Luke 24:45). That is also why those atheists who read the Bible don't believe, because to them, the Bible is just narrative, just poetry, just history, just culture, just a bunch of books. The Holy Spirit isn't in them and thus won't bring the words on the page to life. We literally cannot understand the Bible without the Holy Spirit's help (1 Cor. 2:9–14). That is also why the Bible is also called the Living Word (Hebrews 4:12), because it is alive. It has equal weight with any word we hear from God directly. Sometimes when I read the Bible, it is just words to me too. I read it, say to myself "interesting", and then shove the knowledge somewhere in my head. But when the power of the Holy Spirit brings the words in the Bible to life, then I really hear Jesus speaking to me, not just in my head, but in my heart as well. That is what they mean when the Written Word points to the Incarnate Word. The Bible will point to our Savior and our Lord.

1 Thessalonians 1:4-5 For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake

We really need to take the Bible more seriously. We shouldn't talk about it as if it is like The Lord of the Rings. Yes, there are truths hidden in that wonderful trilogy, about life and morality and even God Himself. But I'm not going to go around saying that elves, hobbits, orcs, and Nazgul are real things. Lord of the Rings is just fantasy, something that follows the traditional purpose of children's stories used to teach children about morality and point to Truth. In the words of St. Augustine, stories are the key to unlocking Truth. That is why even the Psalms are held in high regard, even by Satan, who quotes the Psalms to Jesus during the tempting in the desert. Satan obviously knows that there are sovereign truths in the Psalms that transcend just pretty words to describe God, or he wouldn't be foolish enough to use them against Jesus. So we must treat them with the same reverence. Jesus Himself quotes Psalm 110 to the Sanhedrin to unequivocally align Himself with God (showing both Jesus and the religious leaders of the time both held to the Psalms as absolute authorities). In Ephesians 5, we see Paul telling the Church to use psalms and songs filled with the Spirit to love one another. In Colossians 3, Psalms were used to both teach and admonished. Psalms were truly the OT version of testimonies, filled with emotion and grit, but still all pointed to the faithfulness and praiseworthiness of God. They are poetry. But they are also real (not like fiction), as real as any of our own experiences and testimonies. Please don't look down on them. Seriously...go to the NT and see how many times the Psalms are cited. Credible source? Yes. Authoritative source? You betcha. Let us not put the Bible on the same level as other books please, self-help or philosophy or even fiction.

1 Thessalonians 2:13 And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. 

I know for a fact that people who are quick to call out the inerrancy, infallibility, and sufficiency of scripture as an excuse to fit Christianity to their own goal, to try to merge Christianity with culture and the worldview of open-mindedness, or are just lazy and really don't want to follow Jesus and be His disciple. They just want to edit the Bible and turn into their version of the Thomas Jefferson Bible. People say they "love" the Bible, but don't want to live by it, to be constrained by it. Parts of the Bible offend them, but you know what? Jesus was really offensive in the Bible. If you don't believe me, re-read the Gospels. But we are to (figuratively) write the scriptures onto our heart. In Deuteronomy, the Law was literally supposed to be incorporated in every aspect of the Israelites' lives. They were to impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Why did they do this? Not out of legalism, but to Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Yes, this famous Jesus quote came from the OT. Yeah...if we only did that nowadays with the Bible. Including me, I am as much a hypocrite as anyone else, so lucky there is Grace for me.

1 Peter 1:20-21 Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit

Yes, we shouldn't take everything in the Bible literally or with absolute equal value, yes not all of the Bible has equal weight in how we apply it to our modern lives, but we should also not dumb it down to a compilation of books written by humans. It is not that either. Yes, context is important, and we should be careful about how to interpret the Word and extrapolate it for the modern Church. Yes, we all have a tendency in our narrow-mindedness and our limited existence to pick parts of the Bible that resonate with us to defend and emphasize. Maybe that is part of our unique calling, and that is why we need to work together as the Church to defend all of the Bible (instead of fighting each other out of pride what is important). Yes there are many parts of the Bible that are unclear, which has led to many debates within the Church over the last 2,000 years. This has led to camps, to denominations, to splits, to different theologies/doctrines, to pain and grief and sadness within the Body. This is not good. I would point to Ephesians 4 and Romans 14 for a Biblical picture of how to hold the Body together despite the many interpretations. I also do not want the world to look at the Church and mock us for believing in a book that has "too many translations" and "too many interpretations" to possibly be believable. In a way they are right. But the Bible is still the Truth, and it is believable. The Gospel contained in the Bible is the Truth we all sought, and by our mouths we profess it is real. That core message cannot be different. At the end of the day, Truth will win out no matter what.

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me

To end, we need to remember who we are. We are Christians, a term first used in Antioch (Acts 11) to describe disciples of Jesus Christ. That means we need to do what disciples ought to do. As the word translates, we literally "belong to Christ." We need to remember the story of the Bible is not about us, but the Glory of God. Our salvation is just a means to that end. Scripture is used to teaching, but not Bible bashing. We are to use it in Truth in Love to guide our brothers and sisters towards Christ. But we are called to hold fast to Biblical truth and call out false teachings and lead our beloved brothers and sisters away from it. Jesus Himself was the harshest on this, and Paul a close second. (Jude and John tied for 3rd place). I wish I had more theology on the evidence of infallibility and inerrancy of the Bible, but you can look that up for yourself. As for sufficiency, yes it should be sufficient for us in our lives. No it doesn't mean the Bible will teach you how to tie your shoes or how to code or build a computer. But it does mean scripture has a really really really important role in how you eat, how you sleep, how you greet people, how you choose colleges or jobs, how you love your friends and family, how your marriage will look, and who/what/where/how you put your hope and trust and faith in. So when a brother or sister comes to you with genuine care in their eyes and heart and say, "hey, you might be doing something wrong, here is what scripture says...", please don't feel condemned, for there is no more condemnation in Christ (Romans 8:1). They just want to help point you to Christ. Be willing to listen, for they will be speaking with the power of the Holy Spirit the Words from God's mouth.

Note: as a supplementary, here is a summary by John Piper on why we believe in the Bible (its long)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBpC0i-DeXA - Who do you think wrote the Bible? -- Mark Driscoll (though he has stepped down as pastor, his teaching here is still legit)
https://www.multiplymovement.com/material - Part 3 of Multiply Materia
http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2011/08/02/christian-smith-makes-the-bible-impossible/
http://vimeo.com/41783506 Inerrancy: Did God Really Say...?
http://adam4d.com/who-said-it/ 

“The Bible is not a philosophy textbook to be debated; it is a revelation from God to be believed and obeyed.” - Robert Plummer

Christ in Me - Prayers of St. Patrick

As I arise today,
may the strength of God pilot me,
the power of God uphold me,
the wisdom of God guide me.
May the eye of God look before me,
the ear of God hear me,
the word of God speak for me.
May the hand of God protect me,
the way of God lie before me,
the shield of God defend me,
the host of God save me.
May Christ shield me today.
Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit,
Christ when I stand,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
Amen

Today I watched a video of a pom chasing a red dot from a laser pen. I was like "hey I won one in class the other day, lets try this." I pointed to the red dot and Midnight just looks at me with the look that said "do I look stupid? I see the pen in your hand" and leaves.

Sigh why do I have a smart dog...

Update: nevermind about being smart, he just went outside to bury a clementine piece.

Devo post #8

12/22/14

1 Peter 2:12

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

I think this is one of those verses that is both overrated and underrated in the Christian community. Overrated by those who just want to be lazy instead of pursuing ministries, saying that it is just enough to live a normal life and act in a good way instead of living a life of daily sacrifice and attempting to reveal and preach the Gospel in their everyday life. It is also underrated by people who are very gung ho about doing missions, whether it is homeless ministry of going to the 10/40 window. As if their brothers and sisters who are doing a 5 day white/blue collar job in “reasonably wealthy” America are not doing their part in bringing the Kingdom of God to earth and preaching the Gospel. I am going to say this: living a life so devoted to God and doing His good will and showing unreasonable/uncultural love and kindness in the workplace is a Biblical method of preaching the Gospel, and this isn’t just consolidated to this verse in the Bible but quite a few others. This message is common in the Bible. Jesus Himself took on the role of a carpenter, and Paul used His “job” as a tentmaker to fund his mission trips. He refused to ask for donations, though he did accept them. The Gospel is to be seen by the Holy Spirit, not reasoned or convinced through clever words. It is by the supernatural power of God anyone is saved, and God can and has used men and women in the normal, everyday workforce. All Christians are called to do missions and preach the Gospel, but the locale can be different. Yes, it is more physically dangerous to go to Pakistan or Turkey or East St. Louis, but it is still a war zone at any and every company. There will always be persecution, and some of these places will foster more temptations and distractions and sin than others. That is the reality of the environment we live in. Work theology has a real and important role in the Kingdom of God because all people, here and there, need to hear the Gospel and make it real in their lives.

Devo Post #7

12/19/14

Romans 12:2

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Sigh...one of the many verses in the Bible that talks about how we should not be like or part of the world in its wickedness and rebellion towards God. Another verse that tons of people ignore or pretend it isn’t in the Bible. Me included sometimes. Many times. And I don’t spend enough time repenting I feel. So let us recognize what the “pattern” of the world looks like. In politics. On social and justice issues. On pursuit of wealth and position. On raising families. On love and marriage and hope and grace and mercy and justice and right and wrong. Let us know what it is in the Bible, the Words out of God’s mouth that we ought to live by and not just stale bread. Food for thought. The patterns are listed in the Book of James btw.

What does it mean, “renewing of your mind?” Is it to read scripture and theology and whatnot? Is it to focus daily on the promises of the Lord? We know from this verse its supposed to lead you to “test” and “approve” God’s will. Do I know what God’s will is? I somewhat do. It is to bring Himself glory and bring His kingdom on Earth to complete fruition. Something like that. And saving us and loving us along the way. Yeah. But this is only a small taste. And I don’t know how real it is in my heart. Let the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit work in my heart to make the reality of God and Christ real.

A thought came to me, of those who realized God’s will and followed it. Look at Esau and Jacob. One followed the world and gave into his temporary hunger, but Jacob knew what was worth it and pursued it with all passion (and trickery). Look at Cain and Abel. Look at the 10 spies vs Joshua and Caleb. Some followed the world. Some feared what the world would say. Some just outright challenged the sovereignty of God in the situations. But those who followed the Lord and not the world knew God’s will, and because God’s will is good and pleasing and perfect, these people were blessed. Abel’s name is remembered for all time. Jacob became Israel and was the father of God’s chosen people. Caleb and Joshua got to lead the Israelites into the promise land. Time and time again we see the reality of this verse come about.

I am tired of quoting scripture at people. It just never works. I don't want to be that guy.

Instead I will live a life of steadfast faith and righteousness so that the life and truth in scripture will be made apparent to those around me by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Well...now it's on me.

Sigh...in the church we spend many many MANY more times complimenting each other for looking fashionable or congratulating them for succeeding in a worldly manner (good grades, new job, college acceptance etc) than we compliment or congratulate someone for being counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.

Do you not see a problem? Who do we live for?