Spirituality Information

Am I W.Y.S.I.W.Y.G.? Are you?


If you spend a hundred bucks and buy the right software, you can create web pages the easy way, or you can save the money and struggle writing it all in HyperText Mark-up Language (HTML). With HTML, you have to imagine what each finished page will look like. With web-design software, nothing is left for you to figure out: "What You See Is What You Get" (WYSIWYG). The same is true of a number of different computer graphics applications. The best software is always WYSIWYG.

From the very beginning of the human race, God has wanted us to be WYSIWYG. Sin is what prompted the fig leaves and all the other means of hiding what we really are, think, and do. Yet God keeps calling us back to the open transparency of Eden.

The sage of Jerusalem put it this way: "The words of a man's mouth are deep waters, but the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook" (Prov. 18:4). In other words, just as you don't know what's at the bottom of a deep-flowing river, you can't tell whether people's words truly reveal their intentions, unless they are wise enough to be as clear as a bubbling brook.

Paul told the Thessalonians that his motives were obvious; he had nothing to hide (1 Thess. 2:3-6). He tells the Corinthians he has laid his mouth and his heart open, as if for their inspection (2 Cor. 6:11), and he denies having used any manipulation (2 Cor. 7:2).

We Christians must learn to be WYSIWYG people, with regard to confessing our sins (1 John 1:9), revealing our motives (1 Cor. 4:5), and, like Jesus, communicating clearly (John 18:20; Col. 4:4). When people can trust us as easily as a hiker who steps into a bubbling brook, they can learn to trust the One of whom we speak: the Savior whose motives and whose love are always as transparent as crystal. Nobody likes to be manipulated or deceived.

Steve Singleton has written and edited several books and numerous articles on subjects of interest to Bible students. He has taught Greek, Bible, and religious studies courses Bible college, university, and adult education programs. He has taught seminars and workshops in 11 states and the Caribbean.

Go to his DeeperStudy.org for Bible study resources, no matter what your level of expertise. Explore "The Shallows," plumb "The Depths," or use the well-organized "Study Links" for original sources in English translation. Sign up for Steve's free "DeeperStudy Newsletter."


MORE RESOURCES:

The Age

Following the Path of Many Jews Before Him, Victim Went to India ...
Forward, NY - 10 hours ago
“Those Jews who are not drawn to fundamentalist orthodoxy have had nowhere to go to seek deep spirituality. That accounts, in part, for the massive turn of ...
Missions of faith end in sorrow Chicago Tribune
: Loving Response Offers Alternative to Revenge After Terrorist ... NewsReleaseWire.com (press release)
Love the victims, loathe their killers Jerusalem Post
Voice of America - Lubavitch.com
all 2,923 news articles


Asahi Shimbun

Vows bars mix spirits and spirituality
Asahi Shimbun, Japan - 7 hours ago
BY KENJI KIMOTO, THE ASAHI SHIMBUN Genko Shaku welcomes customers at Nakano Vows Bar in Nakano Ward in Tokyo. Bottle names include "Priest" and "Nun. ...


British Catholic leader claims Disney corrupts children
USA Today - 6 hours ago
Christopher Jamison, the abbot of Worth Abbey, in southern England, charges Disney with "exploiting spirituality" and helping to generate a culture of ...


Outskirts Press Announces Sustained by Faith, the Latest Highly ...
PR.com (press release), NY - Dec 3, 2008
The 5.5 x 8.5 paperback in the Religion/ Spirituality category is available worldwide on book retailer websites such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble for a ...


WALDROP: One side of the ‘spiritual coin’
News Virginian, VA - 7 hours ago
Similarly, our spirituality can resemble a two-sided coin. For many people, spirituality is mainly about their ongoing personal relationship with God; ...


Spirituality begins where science ends
Economic Times, India - Dec 3, 2008
We have this notion that science and spirituality are two different, independent, parallel phenomena. We think that they are opposite poles. ...


Spirituality, Evidence-Based Medicine, and Alcoholics Anonymous
Am J Psychiatry (subscription) - Dec 1, 2008
Spirituality is defined by those deeply felt beliefs that give meaning to a person’s life. Although spirituality can be embodied in a religious orientation, ...


Apply to become part of Student Spirituality Committee
UST Bulletin Today, MN - Dec 1, 2008
Students of all religious traditions are welcome to apply to become part of a new Student Spirituality Committee at St. Thomas. ...


Festival Celebrates Religious Diversity
The Emory Wheel - 1 hour ago
Spirituality is a part of the human being and we cannot establish real peace in society without religion.” Elizabeth O’Berry and Heather Vaseff, ...


The human longing to see the face of God
Catholic Star Herald, NJ - 8 hours ago
Classically, Christian spirituality has answered the question with a single image, all of our restlessness and disquiet is ultimately a longing to see the ...

Spirituality - Google News

home | site map
© 2006