Finding Ourselves

For whoever wants to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.

Mark 8:35

Through our simple minds, we already know that gaining is better than losing. What Jesus showed us is little more complex than that. He was telling us that if we try to gain, we will lose, but if we try to lose, we will gain. So in summary, we need to lose in order to gain something greater. Sounds familiar? Everyday, we make purchases. We pay our money to buy products or services. We know we make the purchase because we think it’s worth our money. So you give up the money to benefit something greater. It’s the same with God except it’s not money this time but our selves. We give up our lives, and He will provide something MUCH greater. Hmm Our lives? Too much to give up? If you think about it, He owns that too! You are NOT the owner. He just simply wants you to let it go. That just means you are just admitting to God and believing that He is the owner of your life. It’s funny…because whether you admit and believe or not, He already is.

John Stott gave us three ways people try to gain in this world. Wealth, Power, and Fame. Some might say, ‘one comes after another’.
We often hear people say “Money is evil”. It’s quite interesting because samonim and I were talking about this very subject on Sunday. I never believed that the money was evil. Money does not have mind of its own. In fact, it’s our hearts that are wicked and evil that makes us use the money in wicked ways. Money is just a tool that God gave us to use. If you think about it, they are just measurements of our wealth. Even if we didn’t have paper money or metallic coins, as long as we have some sort of measurements, it’d be okay. If you think in that sense, how worthless is it? Yet, the world lives and dies for this. Just simply to better its measurements. For what? They mean nothing in heaven because God uses different measurements. But it’s not like He’s using some sort of secretive measurements. He tells you exactly what it is. Then, shouldn’t we all live and die for this since this is for eternity?

Concern for God’s Glory

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6: 9-10

As the daily reflections state, I often live my life for my name, my own kingdom, and my will, instead of God’s. I tend to think, it is not fair for me, if I’m living a hard life for God, and not having piece of the reward for myself. I’m not some kind of robot that is programmed to recognize who my master is and to do whatever He tells me to do. I have feelings too. But some of you might think that He is God and being a “robot” is a pretty fair deal for us.
So I began to think about how fair and loving God is, keeping in mind the concern we are supposed to have for giving full sincere glory to God. I guess one of my concerns is how is glorifying God going to benefit me. I know that some of you might think that I sound really self-centered, but I believe we are programmed like that (part of being born in sin).
Now what do I know about being fair, and love? I had to throw me a question that how much do I know about anything at all? And even if I know something about any thing at all, it’s probably based on my own limited imagination. So I come up with conclusion that things that I think benefit to me is only limited, and I’m only limiting what God can do for my benefit. I guess if my God is fair and loving, than I just trust that He will be fair and loving to my benefits. Just like trusting Jesus Christ as my savior from the eternal death, and that’s only a start.

The Necessity of the Cross

Without knowing the real motive of Peter’s action, we might believe that Peter was a good and faithful follower of Jesus. We might innocently think that he loved Jesus so much that he couldn’t allow such think to happen to him. However, we know that his outcry was not due to his love for Jesus but because it went against his own plan. He wanted to restore the pride of the Israelites, the chosen one, by destroying the enemies, the lowly gentiles, who have been their oppressor. Don’t we do the same things? I do. I pray earnestly for something for my own pride to be restored or enforced. When God throws His plan which many times go against my plan, I’m tested and cry out complaining. However, God knows what’s best for us and I’m thankful for even the curve ball that God sometimes throws in my life. It shows me my real motive. When I feel that my faith is strong enough and become self dependent, he throws another curve ball that I never seen before to let me know that my faith is weak. I still need and depend on God each day. So to answer the question, is the cross necessary? Absolutely! No matter how mature you think you might be in faith, you will always need Jesus on your side.

This made me think a little bit about the prayers we lift up to God. Should we be discouraged from lifting up prayer regards to our needs and wants? I don’t believe so. Long as we are not praying for malice and out right evil things, we should continue to lift up those prayers. Like the sermon from two weeks ago. God is much bigger than you think. He can make a wrong plan to a perfect plan. Peter became the disciple of Jesus with a wrong plan. His plan was to set Jesus as the king of Israelite and destroy the enemies of Israel. God transformed Peter’s wrong plan to a perfect plan which was to set Jesus as King of all and destroy all enemies of God. So don’t worry about your prayer or action not being perfect because God will humble you by revealing them to you and demonstrate His power by making it into a good and perfect one.

Deliver us from Evil

Before reading today’s text, I always questioned why we pray “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”


Does God tempt us?

When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. (James 1:13-14)

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4)

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. (James 1:12)

God doesn't tempt us, but he allows us to go through trials and temptations to make us stronger in our faith.

Give Us Our Daily Bread- Reflection

Sorry so late everyone. The snow is a worthy enemy that I had to overcome.

Well today's reading was truly an encouragement to me and a reminder that God is ALWAYS trying to speak to me even when I cover up my ears or when I pretend to listen and keep going on with my own ways.

That God is desiring for ME of all people to depend on Him so that He would provide me with everything I need has been so hard for me to understand. When I read this passage, I always find the cynical side of me thinking, "well God will definitely give me my daily bread, but it's going to be in one of those ways where I will appreciate it in retrospect and not in the moment." Kind of like a life-lesson that we learn to appreciate but not the amazing kind of provision that we read about every once in awhile. (like winning the lottery or getting something really awesome without having the means to get it)

So I've always taught myself to ask God for things with a grain of salt. I ask in a way where I sort of know the answer to in advance. Am I making any sense here? I'm just trying to be honest.

Reading this passage and having long talks with P.James and Dulla, I realize that this is NOT a true dependence on God for his awesome provision and how I am actively limiting God's amazing power. In the end, it comes down to faith.

Not to say that God is our ATM machine at all. But He is also NOT merely a God who just dispenses abstract answers to prayers. He actually does and LONGS to provide.

My problem has always been, where do I draw the line between sounding too greedy and asking with a right and reasonable heart? Should I even be reasonable when I request amazing things from God or am I just setting myself up for heartache or failure?

But reading this and reflecting on talks with others, I know that no matter what- I can never be perfect and God does not expect me to be. He expects me to depend on Him and be satisfied with what He gives because His ways and thoughts are so much higher than mine.

Please pray for me to stay encouraged and above all to have PEACE with God's plans. And also pray that I will never contain God in the box of my own cynicism or doubt.

I don't know what will happen or how God will provide, but I know that He will never despise an earnest request and that He loves me no matter what.

Concern for God's Glory

This is second time happening to me . After an hour and half writing the blog, I accidentlay erased entire blog again. Il suggested me to write in Word process and copy into the blog. I didn’t see it as a big deal!
I don’t know about you but I have been tested each time I write the blog. It seems though there is a resistance…. Please pray for me.

I don’t remember everything that I wrote previously. But…
As I was reading the passage, I realized that Lord’s prayer started with “Our Father in heaven.” When we call upon God, He will meet with as a loving Father. God who created heaven, earth, and everything in it by His Word is the very same God who we call as Father.
Book of Ephesians,which is my favorite book in the Bible tells us why we can call Him our Heavenly Father and why He loves us the way He does. It reveals us that how much we are worth to God. We know the fact there is absolutely nothing in us that deserves or demands Love of God and His abundant blessings for us. In Ephesians 1:4, "In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accoradance with his pleasure and will."
God loves us because He is full of love and grace. That's who He is. His magnitude of love and grace is beyond what we can fathom. We respond to His amazing love for us by seeking Him and living our lives to glorify His name. God deserves everything in us. He is all in all.

Christian Prayer

What's striking to me is that the Lord's Prayer is the first time (that I can find) where God instructs us to refer to him as our father and not our God. If this prayer was to be found in the Old Testament, one would expect it to start, "God of our fathers" or "God of Israel" or "Almighty" or "Most powerful holy creator." But through Jesus, God cuts through our perceived notions and reveals two things: that Jesus is "the EXACT representation of his being" and He wants us to relate to him as "our Father."

Certainly the nature of God inherently implies that he is omnipotent and holy. He even attributes that to Himself throughout the Old Testament and even the Lord's Prayer. But He wants to define a relationship with us first and foremost as an unconditional loving father, with an appreciation of his attributes second.