The most important question in the world

"Why don't you bend your knee to Jesus Christ and follow Him?"

The question of who Jesus is and how we are going to respond to Him is the greatest question we can ever ponder in this life.

"Jesus said that He was God and that He understood spiritual matters. He said the choice you make about Him will determine where you spend eternity. It's one thing for a person to claim such a thing, it's another thing for someone to back it up. Look at Jesus. He gave the greatest moral teaching the world has ever seen. He worked miracles. He healed people. He raised people from the dead. When people practice His principles, they transform society for good. In fact, Jesus even predicted His own death, and in fact, died and self-consciously raised Himself from the dead. There's a guy who has some credibility.

What about Buddha? He's still in the grave. What about Mohammed? He didn't work any miracles. What about Krishna? It is not even clear that he even existed. But Jesus did and He changed the world. It seems to me if you are going to put your bets on some spiritual option, it is best to go with Somebody and listen to Somebody who has credibility. That is Jesus Christ." (Read the full article here)

Jesus Christ isn't just a nice biblical character for story-telling purposes. Thinking about Him is not an option. Ignoring Him and putting Him off is a conscious decision with dire consequences.

There is one thing you must do before you die, and it's not to take care of your children, earn a million dollars, visit the Eiffel Tower, find a cure for all cancers or win a Nobel prize. You have to know Jesus and bend your knee, your heart, your soul and your mind to Him. Everything else is secondary.

Too busy to think about God? Consider this article.

Cultivating Happiness

I remember reading something like this several years ago...

"Happiness is the goal of each and every man... even of those who hang themselves." (author's paraphrase)

How true.

This article explores "the idea that true happiness isn't the same as immediate happiness" and that true happiness is found in God.

A somewhat unrelated comment: I've been very blessed by the articles in A Slice of Infinity (RZIM) these past few days. I find that reading a short article for about 2 minutes in the middle of the day really helps turn my thoughts Godward, where they should be, and creates a hunger within me to spend more time contemplating God's timeless truths in the Scriptures.

going to Church

I've been getting this question a lot lately - Why should Christians go to church? While my mind is brimming with answers, I find that my facts are disorganized and in some ways incomplete. This is okay with me since I am already fully convinced of the merits of "churchgoing", but for people who have questions about the matter, my messy explanations won't do, so I am setting out to investigate and write something biblical about the issue. I'm giving myself a month to come up with a short article that will help me satisfactorily answer queries like this from dubious, confused, skeptic or stubborn Christians, whichever might be the case. I am also committing myself to memorize references for all relevant Scripture. I've always wanted to do this; it's about time I started!

I'm writing this commitment down to keep myself accountable. God help me!

If anyone can recommend good reading material for this topic, let me know. =)

A song for the ache

I have always appreciated the great truth expressed in this song. As I sit in the office and busy myself with various tasks that *need* to be accomplished, it is wonderful to have mp3's to remind myself why I am here, who is my portion, & what it is I truly long for. My soul is bitter with forgetfulness, but when I remember You, I am most blessed.

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart
Be all else but naught to me, save that Thou art
Be Thou my best thought in the day and the night
Both waking and sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my wisdom, be Thou my true Word
Be Thou ever with me and I with thee Lord
Be Thou my great Father and I Thy true son
Be Thou in me dwelling and I with Thee one

Be Thou my breastplate, my sword for the fight
Be Thou my whole armor, be Thou my true might

Be Thou my soul's shelter, be Thou my strong tower
O raise Thou me heavenward, great power of my power...

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise
Be Thou mine inheritance now and always
Be Thou and Thou only the first in my heart
O Sovereign of heaven, my treasure Thou art

High King of heaven, o heaven's bright sun
O grant me its joys after victory is won
Great heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be Thou my vision, o Ruler of all...

Still be Thou my vision,
O ruler of all
O ruler of all

Faith: a holy walk

Fighting my tendency for indolence, I am going to blog again. I'm on my second week of work and my body is still adjusting to the early mornings and late nights (as opposed to late mornings and late nights while I was on vacation). Still, God is faithful and His strength is made perfect when I am weak.

I am using a book called "Faith, a holy walk" by Oswald Chambers as a devotional. Let me quote,

Faith that is sure of itself is not faith. Faith that is sure of God is the only faith there is.

(Selah)

Let that sink in for a few moments.

We can draw the same principle from the Lord's answer to His disciples' plea for an increase of faith (see Luke 17:5-6).

Bottom line: It is not so much the size of our faith that matters as the size of our God. Faith does not look at itself, but at its object, the awesome and eternal living God.

Status: Employed

I've done it. I've actually done it: I signed a contract for employment next month. (Trivia: I did it on my 22nd birthday.)

I've been thinking and praying, praying and thinking, thinking and praying over my 'next step' these past few months and I believe that this is what God wants me to do.

NOW> I'm still bumming around this entire month though! Work starts on October 1st and I still have some time to culminate my vacation with a bang... whatever that means. I used to think that meant going on a trip to Europe at my dad's expense, but I've long since given up on that thought after seeing how much such a trip would cost. My conscience wouldn't let me badger my dad into letting me go to London even for a few days. End of that story.

END> So how is this long vacation going to end? Inspired by Jonathan Edwards' Resolutions, I am writing my own set of resolutions in keeping with Paul's exhortation to live a life worthy of the calling we have received. Inasmuch as they are in accordance with His will, I know the Holy Spirit will enable me to keep my resolutions to the glory of God's name. Being the forgetful human that I am, it is definitely wise to have a list to check back on once in a while (or every Sunday in my case). I'm actually enjoying the process of finding faults in myself then decidedly writing resolutions to amend my behavior. (I have 21 resolutions so far) The (longer) process of being faithful to what I've written is going to be a much more difficult road to travel. Even now I realize I've broken most of my resolutions. Nevertheless, thanks and praise be to the God who has promised that a victorious end will doubtless be reached.

(I wrote this entry last Sept. 6 but forgot to publish it until today.)

Desiring God Revamped

One of my favorite sites, desiringgod.org, has just been redesigned and reorganized. I'm pretty happy with the results.

Exploring the site led me to an article exhorting believers to minister to their pastors. Absolutely right!

Ever since I started thinking about full-time ministry, I've begun to see pastors and church leaders in a different light. I've realized that they are just like me, imperfect, weak, wrestling with temptations and fears and not always winning... they may have an M.Div or a doctorate in theology, but they too struggle with the mismatch between head knowledge and their experiences & feelings. Though looked on as spiritual giants, they are just as helpless, incapable of saving themselves and completely dependent on God's grace as we are. That's one reason why they should be prayed for. They need encouragement, support and prayers as much as (if not more than) the next person.

But I'm full of it aren't I? After reading a book called Partners in Prayer a number of years ago, I courageously went up to one pastor and told him that I wanted to pray for him. I just said that but I was never brave enough to approach him ever again. I occasionally remembered him in my prayers, but not quite often enough. I was always too concerned about myself to pray for others. (I was? or I am?) Disobedient and forgetful little brat that I am, I am grateful for God's patient and gentle reminders, which tell me that He is not willing to give up on me... not yet, not ever.

Brave

In connection with my last post, this song by Nichole Nordeman really speaks to me, especially the following lines:

"The way it always was is no longer good enough; You make me wanna be brave."

Amen. Come what may, Jesus be lifted high!

Foreboding

I really shouldn't worry. I'm not doing that anymore. But a sense of foreboding always comes over me when I think about the near future and my imminent entrance into the corporate world. Change is the only permanent thing in the world*, so the saying goes. I'm reluctant to let go of life as I now know it, but every part of me knows that I have to... and that God will be with me wherever I go.

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of the Spirit, washed in His blood.

This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long!
This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long!

* God is unchanging! :-)

Miss Grump

"Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person." - Colossians 4:5-6

I don't know if everyone* has moments like these - moments of extreme grumpiness and pigheadedness when God is not glorified and, Lord forgive me, the heart does not seem to care much, or at all. Or it does but is incapable of repentance at that very moment (much to my annoyance, really).

Yesterday morning was such a time for me. (Talk about timing - it was Sunday and I'd just attended church service!) I don't know if you can attribute it to hunger or lack of sleep, but I was seriously wanting in zeal for the Lord's cause and was highly tempted to look at all matters as untoward incidents meant to provoke me to sin - and quick I was to rush into evil! I was impatient and would have manifested imprudent outbursts of anger, had not the Lord graciously removed grounds for such behavior. (My parents weren't in the same sorry mood I was in yesterday). Still, my tone was a lot less than kind and my words were short, brisk monotones. If you know me, you'll know I don't usually speak this way. This was my everything-pisses-me-off-so-keep-your-distance manner of speaking. The snooty, arrogant, whiny and un-Christian me (strongest when only the family is around) was resurfacing (but it's supposed to be dead!), embracing foolishness and rejecting the tender voice of wisdom which kept calling out to me and reminding me that I loved God and that I was supposed to be a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to Him.

Frankly, I was even annoyed to be reminded that I wasn't supposed to conduct myself this way since I had been bought with a price, was no longer my own... and because people (especially "outsiders") were watching and it would be highly distressing to talk like a spoiled brat and then be overheard by someone who knows me as a zealous churchgoer and a professing Christian. That'd be the quickest way for my testimony to be ruined - I would come off as a complete hypocrite who could not practice what she preached.

Despite all my shortcomings, I really don't do anything for show, and I honestly mean to love God with all my heart, all my soul and all my strength (and love others as myself). Moments like these drive me to despair that I will never be worthy of service to God because no one would believe anything I say. I have no credibility. No fruits. At least that's what my depressed heart says sometimes. It's not entirely true though - God is changing me from glory to glory. I'm a work in progress. But I hope the progress will be obvious for the sake of Jesus' name, which I carry as His follower. God unite my heart to fear Your name.

I will never be worthy of God's favor no matter what I do or how good I become. But I am counted worthy to be called His child now, in my present imperfect state, because He who judges sees the blood that covers my sin and makes me perfect now. Even if I soon become the model of perfect patience, kindness and love by the power of the Holy Spirit, I will still be an unworthy servant who has done nothing except what is expected of her. It is the grace of God that has brought me thus far and it is this same grace that will bring me to the promised end.

I hope I will never have another grumpy moment ever again. May God be so real in my life and His majesty so vivid in my eyes that my heart would tremble in His presence and render me incapable of sin (Psalm 4:4). But if I ever get uncontrollably grouchy again, I know God's voice will be more and more persistent and will keep my foot from slipping... in all honesty, despite my rebellious state of mind, I sensed Him keeping me from trouble all day yesterday. He's made me more docile somehow.

If I ever doubt God's power to change me again, I must remember one thing: I believe in the Holy Spirit. I really do. May He be glorified.


* I'm referring to Christians

Grace and Truth

I read a short but very good article by Randy Alcorn about the importance of having grace and truth together, at all times.

Quote:

"Truth-oriented Christians love studying Scripture and theology. But sometimes they're quick to judge and slow to forgive. They're strong on truth, weak on grace.

Grace-oriented Christians love forgiveness and freedom. But sometimes they neglect biblical study and see moral standards as "legalism." They're strong on grace, weak on truth."

Ouch. I admit that I'm usually truth-oriented and quick to judge. (But the Lord knows how hard I try to suppress this tendency because haughty eyes are sooooo wrong, not to mention despicable in the Lord's sight.) When I am gracious, I sometimes fail to endorse the truth coz I don't know how to do it without seeming un-gracious... So it seems I have truth and I have grace, but hardly ever at the same time. God has grace and God has truth, and He has them working together in perfect harmony.

"Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart." Proverbs 3:3 (NASB)

Ann Coulter on faith, God and Liberals

Forgive me for washing my hands of this, I really am ignorant when it comes to politics, but I found this hilarious and not without some pretty good insights. Check out the entire interview here.

a few quotes:

You title your book "Godless." Are all liberals atheists?

No, but it increases the odds.

When you say that most liberals don't believe in God, what is your evidence? According to a Fox News poll last year, 92 percent of Americans believe in God. And nearly half of Americans voted Democratic in the 2004 election. So doesn't that suggest that most liberals do believe in God?

First let me say that I think it's terrific to hear a journalist citing a Fox News poll as authoritative evidence and would like to encourage this development. I don't say “most liberals don't believe in God”; I say liberalism is a godless religion. Some liberals don't understand the underlying religious dogma and principles of liberalism--if they did, they would flee the building.

You say: "The core of environmentalism is that they hate mankind." But in February the National Association of Evangelicals, including such signers as Ted Haggard, James Dobson, and Chuck Colson, etc., issued a statement urging Christian stewardship of the environment, "creation care," and so forth. Are these people godless liberals who hate mankind?

Of course not--but I'm beginning to suspect you are. As Dobson and Colson say: God asks us to be good stewards--a statement that presupposes we are stewards of the plants and the animals, they are not stewards of us, as liberals prefer. We are commanded to worship the Creator of the environment, not the environment. As Jesus said, we are of "more value than many sparrows" (Matthew 10:21).

You say you're a Christian. Do you think Jesus would want you to be nicer to your political opponents?

Who knows? Maybe He'll say I was too tough or maybe He'll chastise me for not being tough enough on those who hate Him. Ask the money-changers in the temple how “nice” Jesus was. Maybe He'll say I needed more jokes or fewer adjectives. I'll just apologize for not getting it right and thank him for dying for my sins.

Music for Shattered Dreams

been reading "Shattered Dreams" by Dr. Larry Crabb, and here's a nice prayer/song from Nichole Nordeman (Gratitude) that goes well with the book.

Send some rain, would You send some rain?
Cause the earth is dry and needs to drink again
And the sun is high and we are sinking in the shade
Would You send a cloud, thunder long and loud?
Let the sky grow black and send some mercy down
Surely You can see that we are thirsty and afraid
But maybe not, not today
Maybe You'll provide in other ways
And if that's the case ...

We'll give thanks to You with gratitude
For lessons learned in how to thirst for You
How to bless the very sun that warms our face
If You never send us rain



Daily bread, give us daily bread
Bless our bodies, keep our children fed
Fill our cups, then fill them up again tonight
Wrap us up and warm us through
Tucked away beneath our sturdy roofs
Let us slumber safe from danger's view this time
Or maybe not, not today
Maybe You'll provide in other ways
And if that's the case...

We'll give thanks to You with gratitude
A lesson learned to hunger after You
That a starry sky offers a better view
If no roof is overhead
And if we never taste that bread

Oh, the differences that often are between
Everything we want and what we really need



So grant us peace, Jesus, grant us peace
Move our hearts to hear a single beat
Between alibis and enemies tonight
Or maybe not, not today
Peace might be another world away
And if that's the case...

We'll give thanks to You with gratitude
For lessons learned in how to trust in You
That we are blessed beyond what we could ever dream
In abundance or in need
And if You never grant us peace...

But, Jesus, would You please...

Work and Pleasure

C.S. Lewis was a man of great insight. Today, I encountered an excerpt from his book, The Screwtape Letters. The Screwtape Letters was written as a series of exchanges between a senior devil named Screwtape and his amateur nephew tempter. I have a copy of this book. =)

Here's the excerpt:
(In the words of Ravi Zacharias from his article here - also highly recommended.)

The junior (devil) is being urged to go and lure an individual suspended between going God's way or the devil's way. "Go get him away from the Enemy," says the senior devil. Sometime later the young imp returns and says, "We lost him, he has gone all the way over to the Enemy's side." "How did that happen," inquires the evil one? "Well," comes the answer, "he started to take a long walk every morning, just for the pleasure of it, and on these walks, the Enemy* became more audible to him. Further, he read a good book, just for the pleasure of it, and the Enemy found him more receptive." "That's where you blew it," comes the response. "If you had only had him walk for the sake of exercise, it would have become dreaded and tedious, devoid of pleasure. If you had only had him reading so he could parrot the contents to someone else, reading would become burdensome and boring rather than pleasurable. We could then have easily snared him." (End of quote)

Alright, how true is that in your life? I know I've blown off many good books because my focus shifted from reading for the pleasure of it to reading so that I could improve my vocabulary, so that I could write about it in my blog, so that I could blab about it to a friend etc. etc. These aren't bad aims. See, I am writing now about something I've just read. Still, the worthy pursuits of reading, listening to Christian music, washing the dishes (yes, I find pleasure in that!), organizing files, cleaning my room and writing random ideas often change into something dreaded and tedious in my mind when I begin to regard them as inescapable, mandatory errands rather than little tasks from which I derive pleasure.

And what about attending Church services for example? Instead of going there to build up and be built up, how many times do we force ourselves to go there just because we think it's expected of us? Then instead of waking up excited to encounter God through the sermon, songs and the fellowship, we wake up dreading the prospects before us. Perspective makes a huge difference.

"The nearer we are to legitimate pleasure, the nearer we get to God's voice," (Ravi Zacharias, Bring me the books) Please read Dr. Ravi's article for insight into this and more, especially if you love books like I do. :-)

*The Enemy referred to by the devils is, of course, God.

John Piper doesn't watch TV!

neither do his wife and kids. says Piper, "you can raise five culturally sensitive and Biblically informed children without it. They never complained about it. In fact they often wondered out loud how people found the time to watch as much (television) as they do."

A chapter from the book 'Pierced by the Word' has this heading:

You have one precious life

Is TV too big a part of it?

My mind struggled with extra-defensive arguments about positive things to be gained from watching TV as I read Piper's ardently written case against it. Being a highly enthusiastic Korean drama fan, I am guilty of watching TV for hours and hours on end even when pressing issues demand my attention. I don't know how many drama series I've finished this past year alone. (Note: One drama series can be anywhere from 16-75 hours long.) Sometimes I'd have a huge exam (or two) the next morning but the evening prior would find me lying on the couch telling my mom "I can afford to watch another one," and decisively inserting the next CD into our tired video player. Every time I wondered whether God wanted me to slacken my zeal in this area or stop watching k-dramas altogether, I denied the thought further entry and vomited it out of my mind by overeating on trite justifications. When I overindulged myself and felt terrible afterwards, I just told myself to forget about it and remember all the other times I'd had such fun watching TV. I was closing my eyes to the truth that fantasy was taking more of my time than reality. I was hardly living, really. I just kept watching and watching and watching, while my own life sped by me.

It was during the youth camp last May that God changed my perspective of things. That one week in Baguio was fun. It was relaxing. It challenged my old way of thinking and reawakened my passion for things of God. I discovered my life's calling there. My whole life began to make sense - everything that had ever happened to me, my greatest triumphs and most devastating experiences, appeared exceedingly pleasant as I realized that they were all part of a perfect plan that no one and no thing could ever thwart. I learned countless lessons; I prayed many prayers; I laughed and lived; I cried and found comfort; I made important decisions; I experienced God; I made new friends; I raised my stock of precious memories... and there was no TV, not even a minute of it, all throughout those 7 days. It was then that God granted me the wisdom to see the folly of my alibis and the truth of my excesses. I came back home renewed, determined to stay away from anything that kept me from loving God with all my heart and all my soul. My TV hours declined significantly. It felt exceedingly good to know that I was obeying God. I was praying more, reading more, gaining more and loving more. Those were the sweetest days.

I shouldn't have thought it would be so easy. I couldn't go cold turkey on TV. I encountered a particularly good program and my old addiction was roused from its comatose. After days of devotion to the fantastic fictional story radiating from the TV, the story ended, as all similar stories do. I was left empty, listless and disappointed (not because the story didn't end well but because it ended, period.). I definitely shouldn't have thought it would be easy. The Bible teaches us to always be on our toes especially when we think we are standing firm. But then again, I don't regret believing that it would be perfectly easy for the Spirit to conquer all my weaknesses. I still believe that God can and will bring me to the designated end in His mind, no matter how many times I seemingly backtrack to square one.

And hey, God is good. He is there to catch you when you fall. If I learned anything from this experience, it is that nothing satisfies like Jesus Christ. I thank my God that He is consistently there, a neverending source of joy, fulfillment and satisfaction. Neverending doesn't mean 75 episodes or 20 seasons - it means forever, without stopping, without running out, not even for a moment. What a comfort to know that God will never cease to be real in my life, that I will never run out of reasons to delight in Him, and that He will always be...

On the side, I almost bought a computer game last week while reminiscing about my King's Quest days, but then I realized that I didn't want to dig a pit for myself to fall into. Knowing how addicting these games could be (just like korean dramas), I wasn't willing to be consumed with thoughts and dreams of them anymore. I turned my back to the store and walked away, knowing that I was making the right decision. TV is enough of a snare. Why add to it?

That TV is all bad is probably not true. But we have to ask ourselves whether we are getting the good from it, coz for all we know, we could be soaking up only the bad. And what is bad? Whatever drives your thoughts away from God and His word, whatever makes you form selfish ambitions in your mind, whatever deceives you into thinking that this present life is all that matters, whatever keeps you from worshipping the Lord with reverence and fear, whatever you like so much that your love for God is diluted...

"But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts." Romans 13:14 NASB