What would it take for me to start working for Christ? I've been working, as diligently as I can, as a teacher, but when can I say the same thing about working for Christ? Why do I need to compartmentalize being Christ's worker and wait until something in my life is right or wait until something is finished?
He calls each one and since he's the one who does the calling, then we can rest assure that he will see through the work He will give.
"It is not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face for YOU LOVE THEM." Psalm 44:3
30 January
KEEP WATCH, BE ON GUARD
There are only two days that are important to us: TODAY and THAT DAY when the LORD comes. THAT DAY could be anytime now, it could be TODAY. Which brings us to the questions: How do I want God to see me when THAT DAY comes? Am I living the life that I want the Lord to catch me up with?
(Ephesians 5:15-16) "Be careful then how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most out of every opportunity, because the days are evil."
It is only right that we take every opportunity to do good. There is always someone around us who could use our help and it is no accident that we come across them. They may not bug us to give them something to eat but merely judging by their looks, we'll know that we are far more fortunate. There may be people we know who, without giving us the slightest hint, could use our blessings - which could come in the form of gentle words, encouragement, or just a simple pat on the back. This is one way to look at 'making the most out of every opportunity'. Watch out how we could be blessings to others.
We have the tendency to mind our own business and think that there are areas in our lives that need to be taken care of first before we can be blessings. Bills to pay, our own personal heartbreak, how we feel we were misjudged or persecuted. But if we look closely, we actually have everything to be thankful and joyful about. Every problem or setback is an opportunity to call out to God. If we just take the time to consult Him, we'll find out that He's really onto us because nothing - "neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor ruling spirits, nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us, nothing below us, nor anything else in the whole world will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" - Romans 8:38-39
God is present everywhere, even in pain. Life is not really like a round tire where sometimes you're up and sometimes you're down. It always has the up and down and it is up to us where we want to stay. How do we deal with the pain in our lives?
When Jesus was suffering on the cross, his heart must have bore the lashes of excruciating pain on his body. He must have every reason to be angry and bitter to the people whom, after all the compassion that he'd extended to them, at the end the same people who persecuted him. He has every reason to be angry. Oh I know I would be angry! But instead, all he could say was, "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing." Amazing! What stubborn joy!
I know, but we're not Jesus. How about we take a look at Robert Reed's life. He's not Jesus either. (From Peace that Defies Pain by Max Lucado)
"I have everything I need for joy!" Robert Reed said. "Amazing!" I thought.
His hands are twisted and his feet are useless. He can’t bathe himself. He can’t
feed himself. He can’t brush his teeth, comb his hair, or put on his underwear. His shirts
are held together by strips of Velcro®. His speech drags like a worn-out audio cassette.
Robert has cerebral palsy.
The disease keeps him from driving a car, riding a bike, and going for a walk. But
it didn’t keep him from graduating from high school or attending Abilene Christian
University, from which he graduated with a degree in Latin. Having cerebral palsy didn’t
keep him from teaching at a St. Louis junior college or from venturing overseas on five
mission trips.
And Robert’s disease didn’t prevent him from becoming a missionary in Portugal.
He moved to Lisbon, alone, in 1972. There he rented a hotel room and began studying
Portuguese. He found a restaurant owner who would feed him after the rush hour and a
tutor who would instruct him in the language.
Then he stationed himself daily in a park, where he distributed brochures about
Christ. Within six years he led seventy people to the Lord, one of whom became his wife, Rosa.
I heard Robert speak recently. I watched other men carry him in his wheelchair
onto the platform. I watched them lay a Bible in his lap. I watched his stiff fingers force
open the pages. And I watched people in the audience wipe away tears of admiration
from their faces. Robert could have asked for sympathy or pity, but he did just the
opposite. He held his bent hand up in the air and boasted, "I have everything I need for
joy."
His shirts are held together by Velcro®, but his life is held together by joy.
Joy is not based on emotion but on willful decision. It often hides itself under the murk of pain and it is up to us if we are going to search for it, if we're going to allow it's radiance to shine thru.
Psalm 126: 5-6 "Those who cry as they plant crops will sing at harvest time. Those who cry as they carry out the seeds will return singing and carrying bundles of grain."
Planting here is like cultivating something, something good. Planting for me is sharing the good news. However, the thought of sharing my faith to others - my friends, whom I've known for a long time and who've known me from long ago, family members, teachers, students - would always bring me a sense of discouragement or fear or even worse, shame. What's even awful is when the opportunity passed and I realized I didn't get out of my way, I didn't get out of my comfort zone, to share the love of Jesus. That verse in Psalm 126 is telling me that I should just fix my eyes on what can happen during harvest time, and that it's all that matters. When I learn to do that, then I can truly say that I can "Rejoice and be glad for [I] have a great reward waiting for [me] in heaven." (Matt 5:12)
There are only two days that are important to us: TODAY and THAT DAY when the LORD comes. THAT DAY could be anytime now, it could be TODAY. Which brings us to the questions: How do I want God to see me when THAT DAY comes? Am I living the life that I want the Lord to catch me up with?
(Ephesians 5:15-16) "Be careful then how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most out of every opportunity, because the days are evil."
It is only right that we take every opportunity to do good. There is always someone around us who could use our help and it is no accident that we come across them. They may not bug us to give them something to eat but merely judging by their looks, we'll know that we are far more fortunate. There may be people we know who, without giving us the slightest hint, could use our blessings - which could come in the form of gentle words, encouragement, or just a simple pat on the back. This is one way to look at 'making the most out of every opportunity'. Watch out how we could be blessings to others.
We have the tendency to mind our own business and think that there are areas in our lives that need to be taken care of first before we can be blessings. Bills to pay, our own personal heartbreak, how we feel we were misjudged or persecuted. But if we look closely, we actually have everything to be thankful and joyful about. Every problem or setback is an opportunity to call out to God. If we just take the time to consult Him, we'll find out that He's really onto us because nothing - "neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor ruling spirits, nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us, nothing below us, nor anything else in the whole world will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" - Romans 8:38-39
God is present everywhere, even in pain. Life is not really like a round tire where sometimes you're up and sometimes you're down. It always has the up and down and it is up to us where we want to stay. How do we deal with the pain in our lives?
When Jesus was suffering on the cross, his heart must have bore the lashes of excruciating pain on his body. He must have every reason to be angry and bitter to the people whom, after all the compassion that he'd extended to them, at the end the same people who persecuted him. He has every reason to be angry. Oh I know I would be angry! But instead, all he could say was, "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing." Amazing! What stubborn joy!
I know, but we're not Jesus. How about we take a look at Robert Reed's life. He's not Jesus either. (From Peace that Defies Pain by Max Lucado)
"I have everything I need for joy!" Robert Reed said. "Amazing!" I thought.
His hands are twisted and his feet are useless. He can’t bathe himself. He can’t
feed himself. He can’t brush his teeth, comb his hair, or put on his underwear. His shirts
are held together by strips of Velcro®. His speech drags like a worn-out audio cassette.
Robert has cerebral palsy.
The disease keeps him from driving a car, riding a bike, and going for a walk. But
it didn’t keep him from graduating from high school or attending Abilene Christian
University, from which he graduated with a degree in Latin. Having cerebral palsy didn’t
keep him from teaching at a St. Louis junior college or from venturing overseas on five
mission trips.
And Robert’s disease didn’t prevent him from becoming a missionary in Portugal.
He moved to Lisbon, alone, in 1972. There he rented a hotel room and began studying
Portuguese. He found a restaurant owner who would feed him after the rush hour and a
tutor who would instruct him in the language.
Then he stationed himself daily in a park, where he distributed brochures about
Christ. Within six years he led seventy people to the Lord, one of whom became his wife, Rosa.
I heard Robert speak recently. I watched other men carry him in his wheelchair
onto the platform. I watched them lay a Bible in his lap. I watched his stiff fingers force
open the pages. And I watched people in the audience wipe away tears of admiration
from their faces. Robert could have asked for sympathy or pity, but he did just the
opposite. He held his bent hand up in the air and boasted, "I have everything I need for
joy."
His shirts are held together by Velcro®, but his life is held together by joy.
Joy is not based on emotion but on willful decision. It often hides itself under the murk of pain and it is up to us if we are going to search for it, if we're going to allow it's radiance to shine thru.
Psalm 126: 5-6 "Those who cry as they plant crops will sing at harvest time. Those who cry as they carry out the seeds will return singing and carrying bundles of grain."
Planting here is like cultivating something, something good. Planting for me is sharing the good news. However, the thought of sharing my faith to others - my friends, whom I've known for a long time and who've known me from long ago, family members, teachers, students - would always bring me a sense of discouragement or fear or even worse, shame. What's even awful is when the opportunity passed and I realized I didn't get out of my way, I didn't get out of my comfort zone, to share the love of Jesus. That verse in Psalm 126 is telling me that I should just fix my eyes on what can happen during harvest time, and that it's all that matters. When I learn to do that, then I can truly say that I can "Rejoice and be glad for [I] have a great reward waiting for [me] in heaven." (Matt 5:12)
20 January
I know that I haven't been giving enough of my time, my talent, nor my treasure. So many times He'd presented Himself to me and I just ignored Him. I never try to see what's beyond the things around me.
Why can't I just seize it? The decision to be with Jesus.
God became a man and Jesus experienced things in this earth. Whatever I experience now, he'd gone through it, he knows. And because Jesus is always with the Father, he knows things beyond what is on earth. He keeps the Lord's promises in His heart and holds it dear. Hence he has joy. He has peace.
"The Lord has filled my heart with joy; I feel very strong in the Lord." 1 Samuel 2:1a
So the next time I drive by a parking lot filled with modern cars, hahaha, I won't bother thinking how old my car is, how out of date! Because there is something else! There is more to this life than my car, my clothes, my job, my house and these things do not define me. It wouldn't take a better lifestyle, a more promising career for me to be loved by my Father. Doesn't He sustain me everyday? YES HE DOES! And even with so much freebies than I expect!
Because this is not about me. There is always a choice and I can choose love, forgiveness, unselfishness. It's a decision and I'm free to decide.
J.B.
Why can't I just seize it? The decision to be with Jesus.
God became a man and Jesus experienced things in this earth. Whatever I experience now, he'd gone through it, he knows. And because Jesus is always with the Father, he knows things beyond what is on earth. He keeps the Lord's promises in His heart and holds it dear. Hence he has joy. He has peace.
"The Lord has filled my heart with joy; I feel very strong in the Lord." 1 Samuel 2:1a
So the next time I drive by a parking lot filled with modern cars, hahaha, I won't bother thinking how old my car is, how out of date! Because there is something else! There is more to this life than my car, my clothes, my job, my house and these things do not define me. It wouldn't take a better lifestyle, a more promising career for me to be loved by my Father. Doesn't He sustain me everyday? YES HE DOES! And even with so much freebies than I expect!
Because this is not about me. There is always a choice and I can choose love, forgiveness, unselfishness. It's a decision and I'm free to decide.
J.B.
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