Superpowers!

Spiderman is a good guy. Everybody likes Spiderman. 

Your friendly neighbourhood Spiderman?

You should also know who the 'Green Goblin' is right? He's the bad guy in the first Spiderman movie. He does bad stuff and Spiderman tries to stop him.

"I tell you ah.. I'm a bad guy"

Actually hor, the two fellars have a lot in common. They both have superpowers, bestowed to them because of some experimental sciency bla bla bloo (accidentally, in Spiderman's case). As a result, they can have super strength, reflexes, endurance,etc. In Spiderman's case, he shoots web out of his hands - and I'm not talking about the world wide kind of web.

What sets them apart is obvious: One uses his powers for good things. The other, for evil.

There's a lesson to be learnt here: We need to be careful how we use our superpowers. How we use it determines whether we're the good guy or the bad guy. I'll assume that anyone reading this would rather be the good guy. Ahem.

We may not have powers like Spiderman or Green Goblin, but you have to believe me when I say that we all have powers, and while they are not as "fantastic" as those we see in superhero movies, they are definitely significant and have far reaching consequences.

Some people have great musical gifts. With their musical gifts, they can package edifying messages and send them to the world. Or they can choose to instead market inane, even negative messages. These things affect the mindsets of listeners. They have an effect on society.

"Baby, baby, baby ooo~"

Recently, I've been thinking about my own powers. People tell me that I can *ahem* sometimes use my words really well. 

Being conscious of this is very important! I need to be careful that I use my powers for good. I've been extra careful about what I say recently. If my words do have power, then I must make sure I'm using it to build people up, not tear people down.

And I need to be sure that I'm really building people up! Meaning, I have to strengthen people so that they can stand on their own and find God. Sometimes, encouragement may give a semblance of strength to a person - but in reality, we are making the person have to rely on us more and more - which I think is not real strength. I want to be reliable, but not to construct situations where people live off me, because that is not fair to anyone. I will not set myself up as an idol.

It's disappointing, but I see other people who have powerful words do this to others. Even (and I'll receive a lot of flak for this) in the church. In my mind, it is a form of enslavement. I will live according to the true principles: that the truth of God sets us free and with our free choice, the only one worthy for us to be in bondage to is Christ. 

Paradox? I know :P

My commitment is this: that my words point people not to myself, but to Jesus. 

What are your superpowers? And are you using them for good? Think about it!