"Look carefully then how you live, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil."
Am I happy? This was the question I asked myself yesterday as I watched my children playing at the playground at McDonalds. I felt good inside knowing that they were enjoying themselves crawling through the maze of interconnected tunnels that eventually ended down the slide. Most of us live to get the most happiness out of life both for ourselves and our family. In fact, our constitution protects our rights to the pursuit of happiness. But the longer I live in this world, the more I realize just how elusive lasting happiness is... it comes and goes and sometimes it is harder to reproduce it, unless you're a child. I think the pursuit of happiness, like that of pursuing money or fame or success can only lead to disappointment because most of us will never achieve it. And if some of us do make it big, the end result is not necessarily happiness. Most the people we read about, who have "made it", are only happy in front of the camera but not inside when they are alone. One only has to simply read the Bible through once and discover God’s truth that you can’t buy happiness or achieve it through fame. But still, we are so foolish we try anyway, to pursue happiness in things. Foolish heh? The bible's emphasis is not with happiness but holiness. And God is more concerned with the state of people's hearts than with the state of their feelings. The reason why the Bible doesn't begin with happiness is because happiness is a by-product of a right relationship with God and something we cannot ultimately find or experience fully in this world and life. Undoubtedly, the message of the gospel is that only by trusting in Jesus and doing the will of God will it brings final happiness, and so the most important matter is not how happy we feel now but how holy we are becoming now. The Christian life is compared in the New Testament as like that of a soldier in a war zone. The solider does not seek to feel happy in the battlefield; he seeks rather to get the fighting over with, to finish and win the war and to get back home to his loved ones. And we must do likewise. We must fight the fight of faith and finish the race if we're going to make it to heaven and see our beloved Jesus. But we’ll never finish the fight unless we see ourselves in a war zone rather than in a playground thinking mainly about having fun and feeling happy.
Posted by Pastor James
Friday, December 7, 2007
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Hunger for God
“We have spiritual faculty that makes us hunger after God. Thus we are uniquely able to think and to choose, to create, to love, and to worship”
As I was reading these words, I paused moment to reflect on the word, HUNGER. What it means to be hunger after God. All of us have experienced hunger and what it felt like whether it was due to some financial issues, personal issues, or some circumstances prevented you from eating and being filled.
What is most simple word to describe feeling of hunger? I think it is the word, EMPTY.
When we are hungry, it cause us desperately search for a food which is the very object that fills our need and bring satisfaction. Just because we are so hungry we cannot consume anything other than food items. We can’t swallow a piece of mental. It might literally fill your empty stomach. But there is no nutrient in it and even it could cause serious problems in our body.
God makes us hunger after God. We search for and seek after God to fill us. It is only God and His Word that fill up His people who come to Him with empty and hungry for Him alone. It is only God that gives us true nutrients in our spirit and make us grow in our faith. However we also have choice to fill up our heart with God alone or other things to be full. The other things may sound good and look tasty but have absolutely no nutritional value may even very harmful to us.
What are we hunger for Him toady?
Are we hunger for His presence and His love in our lives?
Or are we already filled by other things that we have no room for God?
Let’s exam our hearts and see where we are with God.
God made us hunger for Him. If we are true to be who we are and obedient to do what we are made, there will be overflowing joy and gratitude coming out from our hearts.
As I was reading these words, I paused moment to reflect on the word, HUNGER. What it means to be hunger after God. All of us have experienced hunger and what it felt like whether it was due to some financial issues, personal issues, or some circumstances prevented you from eating and being filled.
What is most simple word to describe feeling of hunger? I think it is the word, EMPTY.
When we are hungry, it cause us desperately search for a food which is the very object that fills our need and bring satisfaction. Just because we are so hungry we cannot consume anything other than food items. We can’t swallow a piece of mental. It might literally fill your empty stomach. But there is no nutrient in it and even it could cause serious problems in our body.
God makes us hunger after God. We search for and seek after God to fill us. It is only God and His Word that fill up His people who come to Him with empty and hungry for Him alone. It is only God that gives us true nutrients in our spirit and make us grow in our faith. However we also have choice to fill up our heart with God alone or other things to be full. The other things may sound good and look tasty but have absolutely no nutritional value may even very harmful to us.
What are we hunger for Him toady?
Are we hunger for His presence and His love in our lives?
Or are we already filled by other things that we have no room for God?
Let’s exam our hearts and see where we are with God.
God made us hunger for Him. If we are true to be who we are and obedient to do what we are made, there will be overflowing joy and gratitude coming out from our hearts.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Read Genesis 17:3-4
"Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, ‘behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations.”
Abraham is said to have “fell on his face” as the Lord talked with him. I think this is a perfect picture of the kind of posture we should always assume in our relationship to God. God was on his throne speaking and Abraham was on his face listening! God must be the communicator and we must have a listening, obeying attitude. If we are not willing to assume this listening attitude, there can be no living, personal experience with God. For Abraham, an encounter with God was overwhelming and yet inviting--calling him, pleading with him, and promising him a great future as a friend of God! This week is the first week of Advent, a great time to spend facedown before God in prayer and in meditation on the God and Savior who not only created us but who also loves us and came into this world to redeem us from our sins.
Posted by Pastor James
Abraham is said to have “fell on his face” as the Lord talked with him. I think this is a perfect picture of the kind of posture we should always assume in our relationship to God. God was on his throne speaking and Abraham was on his face listening! God must be the communicator and we must have a listening, obeying attitude. If we are not willing to assume this listening attitude, there can be no living, personal experience with God. For Abraham, an encounter with God was overwhelming and yet inviting--calling him, pleading with him, and promising him a great future as a friend of God! This week is the first week of Advent, a great time to spend facedown before God in prayer and in meditation on the God and Savior who not only created us but who also loves us and came into this world to redeem us from our sins.
Posted by Pastor James
Read Luke 19:11-27
I've been thinking about the meditation we did on Friday at the leadership meeting.
In this parable, the 3rd servant saw his master as a hard man, and ended up burying his mina, but the master’s response to the servant is especially interesting: I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! If you knew me to be a hard man, why didn’t you at least put my money on deposit so I could collect the interest?
In other words, there was a right and obvious action (putting the money on deposit to earn interest) that the servant should have taken considering his view of the master (as a hard man), but he did not do it. Even if the servant had wrongly seen the Master as a hard man, there was still a faithful way to serve Him, but the servant refused to do it.
Our attitude in serving our Master will be determined by our view of Him. But the parable also shows that we will also be judged by our view of Him. If on that terrible day we are given the chance to make our excuses before God as to why we were or weren’t faithful to Him, we will most certainly be judged by the very excuses we offer.
posted by darlayoo
In this parable, the 3rd servant saw his master as a hard man, and ended up burying his mina, but the master’s response to the servant is especially interesting: I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! If you knew me to be a hard man, why didn’t you at least put my money on deposit so I could collect the interest?
In other words, there was a right and obvious action (putting the money on deposit to earn interest) that the servant should have taken considering his view of the master (as a hard man), but he did not do it. Even if the servant had wrongly seen the Master as a hard man, there was still a faithful way to serve Him, but the servant refused to do it.
Our attitude in serving our Master will be determined by our view of Him. But the parable also shows that we will also be judged by our view of Him. If on that terrible day we are given the chance to make our excuses before God as to why we were or weren’t faithful to Him, we will most certainly be judged by the very excuses we offer.
posted by darlayoo
Monday, December 3, 2007
Read Matthew 9:27-31
I want to praise and thank our Heavenly Father for our leadership meeting this past weekend. I was so encouraged by the people who came out, the sharing we did, the attitude of the people present, the heartfelt prayers of all of you, the wonderful testimony of Kwijung, and the exceptional hospitality of Il and Ji. Please remember these words of Jesus as we pray for our ministry: ‘According to your faith let it be done to you.” (Matt 9:29) This means that God will bless our ministry to the extent that we believe He will. And please pray for me. Please feel free to add your comments. Pastor James
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