The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

I think God is using these words to let me know that I’m no different than the Pharisee

Several things I observed from the Pharisee: he went to pray, he fasted twice a week, he did his tithes but he was self-righteous, he’s proud, he’s successful, and he’s judgmental

I could relate by comparing my attitude for the Sunday worship to the Pharisee’s attitude in the parable. Just like the Pharisee, at times I just go through the motion of worship and judge others at the same time.
- I participate in worship, give my portion of tithe, and serve as a money counter weekly.
- I try to justify my actions by comparing weaknesses of others
- If things were going well in my life, I would have less dependence on God cuz I felt that I had the power to control my life. So when things are well, my prayer life was in jeopardy
- I sometimes judge those that come to worship for their lack of participation
- I sometimes judge those that do not make offerings. This was hard not to do when we were short, sorry.

Hmm…this is pretty sad. I'm spilling my guts out... So with all that is said, why did God not strike me down yet? Well, He is definitely a patient, merciful and loving God. This was a wake up call for me.

I pray that God will continue to humble me and remind me that he is the ultimate judge. In God’s holy presence, we are all sinners and no matter what we do, we will always be sinners. It’s only through repentance to Christ that we will be cleansed and justified. I think knowing this fact and living with remorse will take us long ways in our Christian life.

The lost and found parables", Part 2: Missions

I learned something new-something I hadn't noticed before from these parables. That what was lost in these parables were recovered as if they always were meant to belong -the sheep back to the shepherd, the coin back to its owner, the son back to his father. People treat "sinners" as if they do not belong to God or to their community but Jesus wants to teach the world that they too belong to God and must be recovered, returned, restored back to where they belong- under God's ownership and care. And, restoration comes through repentence.
Also, I see a contrast between the lost/found parable and the weeds/wheat parable. The wheat/weeds parable tell of those that were thrown into a place they were not meant to be- among those that had true rights of belonging- but were eventually separated and destroyed. The lost/found parable tell of those that were displaced but recovered and restored back to where they belong .....I realized that the balance of good and evil is a perplexing business to me and it is all the more reason I need to trust God to be the ultimate judge. These parables have prompted me to reconsider my own perceptions of people and the way my heart approaches them. It is not meant for me to judge who is good or bad or who does or does not belong. These parables have also shown me how I as a human being tend to think/act versus how God sees and treats people. I cannot dismiss people as easily as I have and it made me think again about my role in the work of missions.
Stott points out that as much as we should not be judging and rejecting those who are not part of the Christian community, we should not be condoning their worldly ways either. I think each of us has a role in missions- in bringing people to hear the word of God that they may be convicted and be led to repentence. Some may be called to be a teacher, a benefactor, a couselor, a healer...a friend.

I did not forget today was my day!

But I did forget my book! Here I sit in my new office at my new job wondering if Pastor James is going to kick me or if he'll understand and forgive me. I'm thinking it will be a combination of both.

So I do extend my apologies to all of you. Work is never an excuse and I will no longer try to make it one. I will instead only say it is because I am stupid.

I'd still like to share a real reflection that I had this week. I had lunch with one of my best friends who over time has completely turned her back on Christianity. It's been quite of a shock for her to see me embrace a faith that she knew me to be so against in the past. But still, as my friend, she's accepted my new position although with some discomfort.

I have been and am trying my best to evangelize in the best "language" that she would understand. The "language" that we have always communicated to each other with. (Which, by the way, is a mix of insults, jokes, gossip, and arguments.)

At this point in her life, she's not only disillusioned but seeks out ways to prove what she finds wrong about Christians and Christianity. So when the topic of faith comes up, emotions can get heated and despite me winning much of our arguments, I don't see how I'm winning the cause for Jesus.

During our lunch, the issue of Christianity came up again and we were led into our typical exchanges for and against the faith. By the end of the talk, I realized how judgemental and arrogant I came across. I apologized as soon as I realized this and even though she said she was over it, I knew that the damage had been done.

This made me evaluate myself in a way that I don't like doing, because I naturally think I am perfect. Somewhere along the line, I took Jesus' own message of love away and turned it into "David's mission to save the heathen." I didn't pray or think of the Holy Spirit. I sure has heck haven't demonstrated an authoratative transformation in my life in a way where Jesus could be reflected in me. I just tried to win the argument and prove my friend wrong. In the process, the message was lost and my friend dug further in her own unbelief.

But the story doesn't end here. Despite it all, I still believe God gained glory because by the end of the day, I was repenting and worshipping. Why you ask? Because God is a God who doesn't only love the poor and the downcast, He is also loving, gentle, and merciful to his children who are arrogant, proud, and boastful.

I learned that Jesus' message can't be lost in translation. Evangelism is not a job, chore, or debate- it is a testimony. And until I learn to speak with heart of Jesus, led by the Holy Spirit, it's best for me to keep my big mouth shut.

The Parable of the Wheat and Weeds

As I was reflecting on the today's passage, I was wondering why then Jesus called church as a body of Christ? Can His body contain with ones that belong to the Evil? According to Jesus' parable, do the weeds represent unbelievers who are destined to be separated eternally from God?
I don't know if I was analyzing too much from the content, but for what purpose God allowed the weeds to be grown in the same field as the wheat?
Can the weeds convert to the wheat and vice verse?
Are the weeds placed by the evil to interrupt the wheat from growing in faith and doing God's work?
I guess I was full of questions and rebellious attitude toward the interpretation of the parable because my ideal or unrealistic hope and dream that even the people who are in the church are truly believers. Perhaps they are facing some issues with sins and need to be corrected, but not to be thrown into the Fire at the end because they are counterfeit Christians. Of course the thought came into me because I was thinking about the people in our church as well as some of my family members and friends who go to church yet I do doubt their sincerity and genuineness when it comes to faith.
I guess, as Stott mentioned, it is God who will ultimately separate the wheat from the weeds at the end of time. But what do we do as the people surely belong to God with this regard? The author certainly told us not to do the work that belongs to God nor pass judgement on those who profess to be true believers.

Parable of the sower

I've always enjoyed this parable but to be honest, there were a couple points that I glossed over because they didn't quite make sense, but since I thought I got the gist of the story I never took the time to chew on it. Can't help repeating myself, but that's the great thing about this devotional - makes me meditate on what I've read.

After telling the parable, Jesus says, "but to others I speak in parables, so that,
'though seeing, they may not see;
though hearing, they may not understand.'"

This always confused me. It almost seems to say that speaking in parables will make it even more difficult for some to understand. What's the point in that? So I turned to the ever-handy www.biblegateway.com (thanks Kris) for a couple different translations and what Jesus was actually saying was, "This parable is about some of those people!"

The additional reading includes the parable of the lamp in verses 16-18, another seemingly simple story at first glance. But verse 18 really hit me this last time around. Jesus encourages us to be generous with what we've heard as we'll be accountable for the seeds we've been given.

And finally, what grabbed me the most in this passage is the fact that the Sower spread the seed on all sorts of ground, even non-fertile soil. Its not up to us to discriminate or judge who should hear the Word any more than we can control the waves of light from a lamp once we turn it on.

Let's get sowin!

the healing ministry of Jesus (thursday, 1/17/08)

When I was eleven I use to watch all of the original Star Trek episodes. I carried a picture of William Shatner in my wallet, who was my hero. I finally grew out of it! Well, one of my favorite episode is the one where they run into a race of beings that had the power to cure almost any sickness. Accept that they did not use this skill because in order to make someone better, the disease or sickness would be "transferred" and manifested in themselves. Then they would miraculously heal. But for a brief time they endured all the pain and the hurt. As an act of self-protection, they became selfish and cold-hearted. Captain Kirk of course, taught them about compassion and they would go on to use their skills to make the universe a better place!

What would Jesus' ministry be without compassion? I am glad that healing was a part of the ministry of Jesus. It was an outward expression of the love and the heart of Christ. That compassion endures through out history and is very real. When we are hurting and suffering, we find all our hope in Him. And Jesus is the one in whom we can identify. There is nothing that we will go through that he has not suffered before and nothing so unjust than what he bore on the cross. He took upon himself all our pain and suffering and all our sin. So that when we ask in Jesus' name, all our debts are canceled. And when we ask He gladly bears our burdens. And this is not science-fiction!