Stay basic ...

Thursday, March 7, 2013. During a visit of some Korean university I realized how nicely dressed many of the students are here. It is really a pleasure to see people dress up a little, a huge campus with fifteen thousand people around. There is a lot of life here … and the general attitude seems to be open and friendly.

Does it pay off? …

But you could also observe the effort which some put into their beauty. And I asked myself again and again, whether this pays off. Covering your skin with some tone or color will not really bring you new friends - they might rather like the stuff you put on, not yourself!

It is the same with other types of beauty of achievement. Often, we try to cover ourselves. We try to be something, be beautiful in something, be good, achieve something. But what does it bring us? Does it pay off? Or is the effect just that people like our achievement, but not ourselves?

The attraction of people is not built on their beauty. It is not built on achievement. Observe yourself, what attracts you? What are the things going on in your heart and mind? When you love power and meet a powerful person: do you then love him or her, or just the sense of might and power? It will not bring love to a person to be powerful - people will love the effects, not the person!

Stay basic …

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The apostles are down to earth with their attitudes and advice. They know about the really important things - and about things which are superficial and should just second or third priority. Paul writes in his letter to the Corinthians:

“When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.” (1. Corinthians 2: 1)

He only wanted to know Christ, his cross and his resurrection. He tried to point us to the really important things. Here, at the cross, we gain full forgiveness and full reconciliation with God. Here, God's love comes to us, into our heart, into our mind, and into our actions. Stay basic! That is the key advice which Paul gives us, which Jesus gives us through his apostle. Stay basic, believe in Christ, since this WILL pay off! ... more texts