Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. Thank God for another beautiful day in Daly City that, I can sit in my sun lighted kitchen to enjoy my meditation of God’s words and prayer. It is such a peaceful, lovely and re-charging moment that I really need. God is always here rain or shine. The problem is whether we are willing to spend time with Him or not.
"In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf" (John 16:26). We are too much given to thinking of the Cross as something we have to get through; we get through it only in order to get into it. The Cross stands for one thing only for us - a complete and entire and absolute identification with the Lord Jesus Christ, and there is nothing in which this identification is realized more than in prayer.
"Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him." Then why ask? The idea of prayer is not in order to get answers from God; prayer is perfect and complete oneness with God. If we pray because we want answers, we will get huffed with God. The answers come every time, but not always in the way we expect, and our spiritual huff shows a refusal to identify ourselves with Our Lord in prayer. We are not here to prove God answers prayer; we are here to be living monuments of God's grace.
"I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God" (v. 26-27) Have you reached such an intimacy with God that the Lord Jesus Christ's life of prayer is the only explanation of your life of prayer? Has Our Lord's vicarious life become your vital life? "In that day" you will be so identified with Jesus that there will be no distinction.
When prayer seems to be unanswered, beware of trying to fix the blame on someone else. That is always a snare of Satan. You will find there is a reason which is a deep instruction to you, not to anyone else.
Unanswered prayer is an answer from God. When we focus our prayers on a “getting” mode, we will miss the relation aspect of prayer. Prayer is to build intimate relationship with God. That’s why prayer has to be a two way street; we need to speak and listen as well. We don’t choose to listen to what we want to hear or like to hear. We listen with an open mind. And the purpose is not to get what we want, but to enter into a deeper relationship with our Heavenly Father, the Almighty God. There are issues and images that will surface in our mind as we pray. We need to discern whether those are from God or not. In my experience, I will ask the Holy Spirit to show me what He may want me to learn from them, or if they were really from God in the first place. If not, then I would surrender those issues to His care and move on to another conversation with Him.
Sometimes God would surface an issue in my life to remind me of His attributes. Sometimes He would use it to remind me of my hidden sins or blind spots. I would listen quietly before Him in prayer as He showed me what I need to learn. There are numerous times that God only reassured me of His love when I was encountering some pressing issues in ministry or in life. He did not give me specific answer or direction. He just wanted me to know that I was always His beloved because of our Lord Jesus Christ. And it generated enough strength for me to press on in life or in ministry. So takes time to pray and listen what God has to say to you today.
Love you in Christ,
Lawrence
Showing posts with label meditate at home before leaving for office. Show all posts
Showing posts with label meditate at home before leaving for office. Show all posts
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Devotional 160709
Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. I have a slow start this morning so that I can spend more time to meditate on God’s word at home. It is to my advantage to focus my energy on God then let my mind wandering uncontrollably; it will waste my time and energy on negative, fleshy or ungodly thoughts that will go against the knowledge of God. Once I warm up my wandering mind by submitting to God’s Word, I find my mind to be productive in the rest of my day. Indeed, our beautiful mind is too wonderful to be wasted…
"If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him" (Matthew 7:11)? Jesus is laying down rules of conduct for those who have His Spirit. By the simple argument of these verses He urges us to keep our minds filled with the notion of God's control behind everything, which means that the disciple must maintain an attitude of perfect trust and an eagerness to ask and to seek.
Focus your mind with the idea that God is there. If once the mind is focused along that line, then when you are in difficulties it is as easy as breathing to remember - Why, my Father knows all about it! It is not an effort; it comes naturally when perplexities press. Before, you used to go to this person and that, but now the notion of the Divine control is forming so powerfully in you that you go to God about it. Jesus is laying down the rules of conduct for those who have His Spirit, and it works on this principle - God is my Father, He loves me, I shall never think of anything He will forget, why should I worry?
There are times, says Jesus, when God cannot lift the darkness from you, but trust Him. God will appear like an unkind friend, but He is not; He will appear like an unnatural Father, but He is not; He will appear like an unjust judge, but He is not. Keep the notion of the mind of God behind all things strong and growing. Nothing happens in any particular unless God's will is behind it; therefore you can rest in perfect confidence in Him. Prayer is not only asking, but an attitude of mind which produces the atmosphere in which asking is perfectly natural. "Ask, and it shall be given to you."
This is a habit of a contemplatively lifestyle; you always maintain an inner connection with the Holy Spirit in your mind. Contemplation is meditation or reflection on the Word of God. The more you feed your mind with the Word of God, the more you can apply the Word of God in whatever situation you encounter in your daily life. Contemplation is not day dreaming, fantasizing or free flow of thought. It is a deliberate act of focusing on God and His attributes through meditating on His Words. When you constantly reflect your life in the light of God’s Word, your inner reaction on circumstances, attitude toward things and people, decision making process, value judgments and conception of plans for your future will all be guided by His Words. This kind of contemplative lifestyle will change the way you pray, you think, you listen, you speak; therefore it will directly affect your relationship with God and with people in general. You are becoming a Godly or Christ-centered person.
There is no short-cut in approaching this goal. It takes constant effort or relentless pursuit in building this contemplative lifestyle. But the good news is you are not alone. Our Lord Jesus has sent the Holy Spirit to be our enabler. He is always there to provide us with the strength once we decide to embark the journey toward this goal. It was like the way God divide the Red Sea for Moses. God did not cause the miracle to happen until Moses deliberately acted out of obedience. Dear Holy Spirit, give us the eagerness to develop this kind of Godly lifestyle, and the strength to obey! Amen.
Love you with His passion,
Lawrence
Good morning. I have a slow start this morning so that I can spend more time to meditate on God’s word at home. It is to my advantage to focus my energy on God then let my mind wandering uncontrollably; it will waste my time and energy on negative, fleshy or ungodly thoughts that will go against the knowledge of God. Once I warm up my wandering mind by submitting to God’s Word, I find my mind to be productive in the rest of my day. Indeed, our beautiful mind is too wonderful to be wasted…
"If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him" (Matthew 7:11)? Jesus is laying down rules of conduct for those who have His Spirit. By the simple argument of these verses He urges us to keep our minds filled with the notion of God's control behind everything, which means that the disciple must maintain an attitude of perfect trust and an eagerness to ask and to seek.
Focus your mind with the idea that God is there. If once the mind is focused along that line, then when you are in difficulties it is as easy as breathing to remember - Why, my Father knows all about it! It is not an effort; it comes naturally when perplexities press. Before, you used to go to this person and that, but now the notion of the Divine control is forming so powerfully in you that you go to God about it. Jesus is laying down the rules of conduct for those who have His Spirit, and it works on this principle - God is my Father, He loves me, I shall never think of anything He will forget, why should I worry?
There are times, says Jesus, when God cannot lift the darkness from you, but trust Him. God will appear like an unkind friend, but He is not; He will appear like an unnatural Father, but He is not; He will appear like an unjust judge, but He is not. Keep the notion of the mind of God behind all things strong and growing. Nothing happens in any particular unless God's will is behind it; therefore you can rest in perfect confidence in Him. Prayer is not only asking, but an attitude of mind which produces the atmosphere in which asking is perfectly natural. "Ask, and it shall be given to you."
This is a habit of a contemplatively lifestyle; you always maintain an inner connection with the Holy Spirit in your mind. Contemplation is meditation or reflection on the Word of God. The more you feed your mind with the Word of God, the more you can apply the Word of God in whatever situation you encounter in your daily life. Contemplation is not day dreaming, fantasizing or free flow of thought. It is a deliberate act of focusing on God and His attributes through meditating on His Words. When you constantly reflect your life in the light of God’s Word, your inner reaction on circumstances, attitude toward things and people, decision making process, value judgments and conception of plans for your future will all be guided by His Words. This kind of contemplative lifestyle will change the way you pray, you think, you listen, you speak; therefore it will directly affect your relationship with God and with people in general. You are becoming a Godly or Christ-centered person.
There is no short-cut in approaching this goal. It takes constant effort or relentless pursuit in building this contemplative lifestyle. But the good news is you are not alone. Our Lord Jesus has sent the Holy Spirit to be our enabler. He is always there to provide us with the strength once we decide to embark the journey toward this goal. It was like the way God divide the Red Sea for Moses. God did not cause the miracle to happen until Moses deliberately acted out of obedience. Dear Holy Spirit, give us the eagerness to develop this kind of Godly lifestyle, and the strength to obey! Amen.
Love you with His passion,
Lawrence
Thursday, June 25, 2009
devotional 250609
Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. I guess my coughing came to its peak. I have consumed a lot of tissue papers because of my running nose. It so happened that this week is my turn to lead devotional sharing at staff prayer meeting, and we will also have a video conference with our missionary candidates at Thailand in late afternoon. I can’t afford to be sick today…please pray for God’s grace to strengthen me for this day.
"Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour"（John 12:27-29）. My attitude as a saint to sorrow and difficulty is not to ask that they may be prevented, but to ask that I may preserve the self God created me to be through every fire of sorrow. Our Lord received Himself in the fire of sorrow, He was saved not from the hour, but out of the hour.
We say that there ought to be no sorrow, but there is sorrow, and we have to receive ourselves in its fires. If we try and avoid sorrow, refuse to lay our account with it, we are foolish. Sorrow is one of the biggest facts in life; it is no use saying sorrow ought not to be. Sin and sorrow and suffering are realities of life, and it is not for us to say that God has made a mistake in allowing them.
Sorrow burns up a great amount of shallowness, but it does not always make a man better. Suffering either gives me my self or it destroys my self. You cannot receive your self in success, you lose your head; you cannot receive your self in boredom, you complaint. The way to find yourself is in the fires of sorrow. Why it should be so is another matter, but that it is so is true in the Scriptures and in human experience. You always know the man who has been through the fires of sorrow and received himself, you are certain you can go to him in trouble and find that he has ample leisure for you. If a man has not been through the fires of sorrow, he is apt to be contemptuous; he has no time for you. If you receive yourself in the fires of sorrow, God will make you nourishment for other people.
When Jesus said, “I have come in order that you might have life - life in all its fullness,” it does not mean you will not experience sorrow. If our Lord, who is the source of abundant life, went through sorrow and agony of the cross, we will not be immune from it. A full or abundant life in Christ is a transformed life that gives us the inner strength to remain peaceful in the face of suffering, joyful in the face of difficulties, and stamina to press on in the face of failures or fear. Abundant life in Christ is not a shallow life that decorated for others to see. It is the inner strength to encounter reality of life in whatever forms (happiness or sorrow, boredom or excitement and so forth) with the presence of God in a truthful manner.
A full life is definitely not to practice a few hours of religious piety in church, or engage in some kind of spiritual dialogue in fellowship. It is a sincere and dedicated life in pursuing holiness by abandoning oneself to the hands of God, and abiding in the mind of Christ. Paul said, “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive of love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind…Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus” (Phil 2:1-2, 5 RSV). This full life in Christ is an contagious life. It will influence or impact other life. This is this kind of changed life can really changes other people’s life. Discipleship is not taught but caught. Instead of just putting people through a discipleship training course, you let others observe how you live as a true disciple of Christ from inside out. It does not mean you have to be strong and blameless all the time; you will stumble and fall in life. The key is how you press on through abandoning and abiding in the mercy and grace of God.
Love you because He is love,
Lawrence
Good morning. I guess my coughing came to its peak. I have consumed a lot of tissue papers because of my running nose. It so happened that this week is my turn to lead devotional sharing at staff prayer meeting, and we will also have a video conference with our missionary candidates at Thailand in late afternoon. I can’t afford to be sick today…please pray for God’s grace to strengthen me for this day.
"Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour"（John 12:27-29）. My attitude as a saint to sorrow and difficulty is not to ask that they may be prevented, but to ask that I may preserve the self God created me to be through every fire of sorrow. Our Lord received Himself in the fire of sorrow, He was saved not from the hour, but out of the hour.
We say that there ought to be no sorrow, but there is sorrow, and we have to receive ourselves in its fires. If we try and avoid sorrow, refuse to lay our account with it, we are foolish. Sorrow is one of the biggest facts in life; it is no use saying sorrow ought not to be. Sin and sorrow and suffering are realities of life, and it is not for us to say that God has made a mistake in allowing them.
Sorrow burns up a great amount of shallowness, but it does not always make a man better. Suffering either gives me my self or it destroys my self. You cannot receive your self in success, you lose your head; you cannot receive your self in boredom, you complaint. The way to find yourself is in the fires of sorrow. Why it should be so is another matter, but that it is so is true in the Scriptures and in human experience. You always know the man who has been through the fires of sorrow and received himself, you are certain you can go to him in trouble and find that he has ample leisure for you. If a man has not been through the fires of sorrow, he is apt to be contemptuous; he has no time for you. If you receive yourself in the fires of sorrow, God will make you nourishment for other people.
When Jesus said, “I have come in order that you might have life - life in all its fullness,” it does not mean you will not experience sorrow. If our Lord, who is the source of abundant life, went through sorrow and agony of the cross, we will not be immune from it. A full or abundant life in Christ is a transformed life that gives us the inner strength to remain peaceful in the face of suffering, joyful in the face of difficulties, and stamina to press on in the face of failures or fear. Abundant life in Christ is not a shallow life that decorated for others to see. It is the inner strength to encounter reality of life in whatever forms (happiness or sorrow, boredom or excitement and so forth) with the presence of God in a truthful manner.
A full life is definitely not to practice a few hours of religious piety in church, or engage in some kind of spiritual dialogue in fellowship. It is a sincere and dedicated life in pursuing holiness by abandoning oneself to the hands of God, and abiding in the mind of Christ. Paul said, “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive of love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind…Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus” (Phil 2:1-2, 5 RSV). This full life in Christ is an contagious life. It will influence or impact other life. This is this kind of changed life can really changes other people’s life. Discipleship is not taught but caught. Instead of just putting people through a discipleship training course, you let others observe how you live as a true disciple of Christ from inside out. It does not mean you have to be strong and blameless all the time; you will stumble and fall in life. The key is how you press on through abandoning and abiding in the mercy and grace of God.
Love you because He is love,
Lawrence
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Devotional 110609
Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. A cramp on my leg woke me up earlier than my alarm clock. It gave me more time to draw close to the Lord before I go to office at 10 am. I will have a long day today because I will lead worship at our annual city-wide revival meeting. Every year, the Lord would use different speaker to remind us of His presence in our lives. This year, the theme is “love in the tsunami of life.” And we have three different speakers instead of one because the original speaker from Hong Kong suffered a heart surgery lately, and his doctor does not advise him to fly. But It would be a triple blessing through three well known Chinese speakers from the Bay Area. I hope you will find time to come if you are in town. The meeting is bilingual (Cantonese and Mandarin).
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). Do I want to get there? I can now. The questions that matters in life are remarkably few, and they are all answered by the words - "Come to Me." Not - Do this, or don't do that; but - "Come to Me." If I will come to Jesus my actual life will be brought into accordance with my real desires; I will actually cease from sin, and actually find the song of the Lord begins.
Have you ever come to Jesus? Watch the stubbornness of your heart, you will do anything rather than the one simple childlike thing - "Come to Me." If you want the actual experience of ceasing from sin, you must come to Jesus.
Jesus Christ makes Himself the touchstone. Watch how He used the word "Come." At the most unexpected moments there is the whisper of the Lord - "Come to Me," and you are drawn immediately. Personal contact with Jesus alters everything. Be stupid enough to come and commit yourself to what He says. The attitude of coming is that the will resolutely lets go of everything and deliberately commits all to Him.
". . . and I will give you rest," i.e., I will stay by you. Not - I will put you to bed and hold your hand and sing you to sleep; but - I will get you out of bed, out of the laziness and exhaustion, out of the state of being half dead while you are alive; I will fill you with the spirit of life, and you will be stayed by the perfection of vital activity. We get pathetic and talk about "suffering the will of the Lord!" Where is the majestic vitality and might of the Son of God about that?
We have hard time to let go of our own weary or burden and commit it to the Lord. We got used to taking care of our own problems and saving our own lives. Deep down inside we echo with the “theology” of our pre-Christian friends who said, “I don’t believe in anything. I only believe in myself.” Though we believe in Christ as our Lord and Savior, we still can’t trust Him with our own burdens. Many Christians conclude that Jesus is only good for their “spiritual or emotional” problems. The rest has to rest on them to handle. Therefore, at the end of the day they puzzle what abundant life in Christ really means? They can’t tell the difference between life with Christ and without Christ. When they are too weary and stressful to discern their problems, they become indifference with God or even distance from God. They may say, “Since I have to deal with life by my own strength, why bother to call on Him to help? Yes it is good to “buy” some eternal security from God, by “attending church or doing some religious rituals” whenever I have time. But after church, I still need to resume “the control of my own destiny” in full gear.”
I don’t know whether it is your “theology and philosophy of life” or not. You will still hear our Lord saying the same simple phrase in His gentle voice, “Come to Me.” Yes, we still need to do our part in making our living. Just as Paul gave this rule to the church, “If a man will not work, he shall not eat” (2 Thess 3:10b), we do not glorify laziness or passivity by casting everything burden to God and do nothing. We do our responsibility by constantly abiding to Christ. Work and abiding in Christ are not contradictive or exclusive. We can do both at the same time. As a matter of fact, when we do abide in Him while we work, we experience His presence in a concrete way. He is there by our side offering timely help and guidance. You will hear Him telling you. “My beloved child, you don’t need to be so frustrated and mad. I am right here with you. I can carry this burden with you. You just need to come close to me…”
Draw close to your Divine Lover now.
Love you by His presence,
Lawrence
Good morning. A cramp on my leg woke me up earlier than my alarm clock. It gave me more time to draw close to the Lord before I go to office at 10 am. I will have a long day today because I will lead worship at our annual city-wide revival meeting. Every year, the Lord would use different speaker to remind us of His presence in our lives. This year, the theme is “love in the tsunami of life.” And we have three different speakers instead of one because the original speaker from Hong Kong suffered a heart surgery lately, and his doctor does not advise him to fly. But It would be a triple blessing through three well known Chinese speakers from the Bay Area. I hope you will find time to come if you are in town. The meeting is bilingual (Cantonese and Mandarin).
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). Do I want to get there? I can now. The questions that matters in life are remarkably few, and they are all answered by the words - "Come to Me." Not - Do this, or don't do that; but - "Come to Me." If I will come to Jesus my actual life will be brought into accordance with my real desires; I will actually cease from sin, and actually find the song of the Lord begins.
Have you ever come to Jesus? Watch the stubbornness of your heart, you will do anything rather than the one simple childlike thing - "Come to Me." If you want the actual experience of ceasing from sin, you must come to Jesus.
Jesus Christ makes Himself the touchstone. Watch how He used the word "Come." At the most unexpected moments there is the whisper of the Lord - "Come to Me," and you are drawn immediately. Personal contact with Jesus alters everything. Be stupid enough to come and commit yourself to what He says. The attitude of coming is that the will resolutely lets go of everything and deliberately commits all to Him.
". . . and I will give you rest," i.e., I will stay by you. Not - I will put you to bed and hold your hand and sing you to sleep; but - I will get you out of bed, out of the laziness and exhaustion, out of the state of being half dead while you are alive; I will fill you with the spirit of life, and you will be stayed by the perfection of vital activity. We get pathetic and talk about "suffering the will of the Lord!" Where is the majestic vitality and might of the Son of God about that?
We have hard time to let go of our own weary or burden and commit it to the Lord. We got used to taking care of our own problems and saving our own lives. Deep down inside we echo with the “theology” of our pre-Christian friends who said, “I don’t believe in anything. I only believe in myself.” Though we believe in Christ as our Lord and Savior, we still can’t trust Him with our own burdens. Many Christians conclude that Jesus is only good for their “spiritual or emotional” problems. The rest has to rest on them to handle. Therefore, at the end of the day they puzzle what abundant life in Christ really means? They can’t tell the difference between life with Christ and without Christ. When they are too weary and stressful to discern their problems, they become indifference with God or even distance from God. They may say, “Since I have to deal with life by my own strength, why bother to call on Him to help? Yes it is good to “buy” some eternal security from God, by “attending church or doing some religious rituals” whenever I have time. But after church, I still need to resume “the control of my own destiny” in full gear.”
I don’t know whether it is your “theology and philosophy of life” or not. You will still hear our Lord saying the same simple phrase in His gentle voice, “Come to Me.” Yes, we still need to do our part in making our living. Just as Paul gave this rule to the church, “If a man will not work, he shall not eat” (2 Thess 3:10b), we do not glorify laziness or passivity by casting everything burden to God and do nothing. We do our responsibility by constantly abiding to Christ. Work and abiding in Christ are not contradictive or exclusive. We can do both at the same time. As a matter of fact, when we do abide in Him while we work, we experience His presence in a concrete way. He is there by our side offering timely help and guidance. You will hear Him telling you. “My beloved child, you don’t need to be so frustrated and mad. I am right here with you. I can carry this burden with you. You just need to come close to me…”
Draw close to your Divine Lover now.
Love you by His presence,
Lawrence
Monday, June 8, 2009
Devotional 080609
Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. Praise God for a new week of service to Him. I woke up early this morning in preparing for a long day of meeting. Several missions organizations and seminaries will come together to talk about strategy of promoting missions education. Since I am a new kid on the block, my involvement is to listen and learn. I thank the Lord for giving me opportunity to learn from so many experts in this field. Pray that God will help me put into practice of what I learn. Otherwise, it will be futile to study if I do not apply what I learn to either my life or the ministry that God appoints me to do.
"Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them" (John 13:17). If you do not cut the moorings, God will have to break them by a storm and send you out. Launch all on God, go out on the great swelling tide of His purpose, and you will get your eyes open. If you believe in Jesus, you are not to spend all your time in the smooth waters just inside the harbor bar, full of delight, but always tied up; you have to get out through the harbor bar into the great deeps of God and begin to know for yourself, begin to have spiritual discernment.
When you know you should do a thing, and do it, immediately you know more. Revise where you have become indigestible spiritually, and you will find it goes back to a point where there was something you knew you should do, but you did not do it because there seemed no immediate call to, and now you have no awareness, no discernment; at a time of crisis you are spiritually distracted instead of spiritually self-possessed. It is a dangerous thing to refuse to go on knowing.
The counterfeit of obedience is a state of mind in which you work up occasions to sacrifice yourself; enthusiasm is mistaken for discernment. It is easier to sacrifice yourself than to fulfill your spiritual destiny, which is stated in Romans 12:1-2, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.” It is a great deal better to fulfill the purpose of God in your life by discerning His will than to perform great acts of self-sacrifice. "To obey is better than sacrifice." Beware of harking back to what you were once when God wants you to be something you have never been. "If any man will do . . . he shall know."
Experience God involves Obedience. Without obeying what we know about God’s guidance and expectations, we will not know who He really is. God wants to reveal Himself to us at all times. It is God’s nature to communicate because ‘logos’ is His name. Everything we see and hear in Nature is God’s way to communicate to us. God wants to have intimate relationship with us. That’s why He created us to be relational. Any meaningful relationship involves two ways communication. When one party chooses to ignore or appear indifference to what the other party tries to say, there is communication break down. It will hurt the relationship as a result. If we choose not to obey or respond to God’s word, we will have communication break down with God. We fail to know God affectively. We distance from God to a point that we doubt His existence at the end.
God wants to re-establish His relationship with mankind, even though we chose to distance from Him. “The Word became flesh” means God wanted to communicate with mankind again by getting involved. The word communication does not mean broadcasting (one way street), it means “communion” or “community.” God wants to have communion or community with us. That’s why He entered into human history as a man. This gesture that God expects a response from us is obedience. We don’t have to guess what God wants from us. The Bible makes it very clear to us what God wants. The problem is whether we want to obey. When we obey, it means that we are saying 'Yes' to God. Then, you will know Him even more each day. Let’s encourage each other to put off our self-centeredness and put on the Christ-centered lifestyle.
Love you out of obedience,
Lawrence
Good morning. Praise God for a new week of service to Him. I woke up early this morning in preparing for a long day of meeting. Several missions organizations and seminaries will come together to talk about strategy of promoting missions education. Since I am a new kid on the block, my involvement is to listen and learn. I thank the Lord for giving me opportunity to learn from so many experts in this field. Pray that God will help me put into practice of what I learn. Otherwise, it will be futile to study if I do not apply what I learn to either my life or the ministry that God appoints me to do.
"Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them" (John 13:17). If you do not cut the moorings, God will have to break them by a storm and send you out. Launch all on God, go out on the great swelling tide of His purpose, and you will get your eyes open. If you believe in Jesus, you are not to spend all your time in the smooth waters just inside the harbor bar, full of delight, but always tied up; you have to get out through the harbor bar into the great deeps of God and begin to know for yourself, begin to have spiritual discernment.
When you know you should do a thing, and do it, immediately you know more. Revise where you have become indigestible spiritually, and you will find it goes back to a point where there was something you knew you should do, but you did not do it because there seemed no immediate call to, and now you have no awareness, no discernment; at a time of crisis you are spiritually distracted instead of spiritually self-possessed. It is a dangerous thing to refuse to go on knowing.
The counterfeit of obedience is a state of mind in which you work up occasions to sacrifice yourself; enthusiasm is mistaken for discernment. It is easier to sacrifice yourself than to fulfill your spiritual destiny, which is stated in Romans 12:1-2, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.” It is a great deal better to fulfill the purpose of God in your life by discerning His will than to perform great acts of self-sacrifice. "To obey is better than sacrifice." Beware of harking back to what you were once when God wants you to be something you have never been. "If any man will do . . . he shall know."
Experience God involves Obedience. Without obeying what we know about God’s guidance and expectations, we will not know who He really is. God wants to reveal Himself to us at all times. It is God’s nature to communicate because ‘logos’ is His name. Everything we see and hear in Nature is God’s way to communicate to us. God wants to have intimate relationship with us. That’s why He created us to be relational. Any meaningful relationship involves two ways communication. When one party chooses to ignore or appear indifference to what the other party tries to say, there is communication break down. It will hurt the relationship as a result. If we choose not to obey or respond to God’s word, we will have communication break down with God. We fail to know God affectively. We distance from God to a point that we doubt His existence at the end.
God wants to re-establish His relationship with mankind, even though we chose to distance from Him. “The Word became flesh” means God wanted to communicate with mankind again by getting involved. The word communication does not mean broadcasting (one way street), it means “communion” or “community.” God wants to have communion or community with us. That’s why He entered into human history as a man. This gesture that God expects a response from us is obedience. We don’t have to guess what God wants from us. The Bible makes it very clear to us what God wants. The problem is whether we want to obey. When we obey, it means that we are saying 'Yes' to God. Then, you will know Him even more each day. Let’s encourage each other to put off our self-centeredness and put on the Christ-centered lifestyle.
Love you out of obedience,
Lawrence
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