Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. Thank God for showers of blessings. The whole nature is nourished by this warm Winter’s rain. God is love. We can find His expressions of love to us in many different ways. Rain, sunshine, fresh air, nature, ability to work, ability to enjoy friendship, and ability to enter communion (interaction with different senses) with God are signs of His Abundant Love for us. He is a creative God. I thank Him for creating you to be such a lovely beautiful being in Christ.
This is a common experience in the Valley of Elah (1 Samuel 17:19-54) when an amateur ventures into a field dominated by professionals. All around us people who care about us are suddenly there helping—piling armor on us, dressing us up in equipment that is going to qualify us is for the task (even though it didn’t seem to be doing them much good).We get advice. We get instruction. We are sent off to a training workshop. We find ourselves with an armload of books. These people are truly concerned about us and we are touched by their concern, in awe of their knowledge and experience. We listen to them and do what they tell us. And then we find that we can hardly move.
It wasn’t easy to do what David did that day David loved King Saul. He admired King Saul. He served King Saul. King Saul was splendid and powerful. King Saul loved him and was doing his best to help him. But despite all that, David removed the helmet. Unbelted the sword and took off the armor. It couldn’t have been easy to do that, walking away from all that proffered expertise. But to have gone to meet Goliath wearing Saul’s armor would have been a disaster. It always is. David needed what was authentic to him.
What strikes me so forcibly in this picture is that David was both modest enough and bold enough to reject the suggestion that he do his work inauthentically (by using Saul’s armor); and he was be modest and bold enough to use only that which he had been trained to use in his years as shepherd (his sling and some stones). And he killed the giant.
David left: Saul’s armor behind and walked out into the Valley of Elah clean and spare, traveling light, delivered from an immense clutter, and kneeled at the brook.
David at that moment, kneeling at the brook, frames something that is absolutely essential for each of us. Are we going to live this life from our knees imaginatively and personally.’’ Or are we going to live it conventionally and second-hand? Are we going to live out of our God-created, Spirit-anointed, Jesus-saved being.’’ Or are we going today and defer to eunuch professionals? Are we going to be shaped by our fears of Goliath or by God? Are we going to live by our admiration of Saul or by God?
God created each one of us for a purpose and equipped us with gifts and talents from above. If we busy ourselves with a lot of information regarding how others deal with life, but spend no time to reflect on what God has already given us to deal with life, we will not be able to conquer giants in our lives. A lot of time, the greatest enemy is ourselves. Only if we can conquer ourselves, we can conquer other giants or whatever difficulties that come our way. Many people will give us advise as we encounter giant. They all meant good. They want to provide us with the best advise that worked for them before, and hope it works for us. But their suggestions usually not totally fit our situation. There is no “one size fits all” in ministry or in life encountering. That’s why we need to be reflective to our potentials, attentive to the word of God with the help of the Holy Spirit, and selective in our methodology catering to our strength and His principles. There is nothing wrong to listen to “professional” advise. But at the end of the day, we need to sort out some major decision in life through prayer and meditations – allow God to speak to us and we respond with obedient heart.
With love in Christ,
Lawrence
Showing posts with label meditate in office after leading a prayer meeting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label meditate in office after leading a prayer meeting. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Devotional 241110
Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. It is good to be home again. Thanks for your prayer for my ministry in Philippines. The Word of God was preached and some responded positively to His prompting. Many felt that the sermons directed to the issues they encountered in church. This church is the most missional one among all Chinese churches. The Mission budget is 75% of their general fund. They supported missionaries all over the world. 38 missionaries came back to attend the 45th Mission Conference of their mother church. God is doing great things through this congregation both locally and globally. I thank God for giving me the opportunity to see how He uses this church for His glory. I was humbled by how the Holy Spirit used me to challenge this congregation to grow even more. My experience ties in well with what Eugene Peterson shared about in his devotion.
We are mistaken when we look at the Bible as a spiritual toolbox. We can’t take things out of the Bible and make them work for us. The whole process of the spiritual life is to come before the God who is alive, who becomes present to us in his Word, and who by means of that Word creates and redeems. We don’t use Scripture; God uses Scripture to work his will in us.
Jesus said, “You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you II find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me! And here I am, standing right before you, and you aren’t willing to receive from me the life you say you want” (John 5:39-40).
It is a great blessing to have God’s Word written so that we can read it at any time, but that the Word is written also involves us in difficulties not attended to often enough. These difficulties are at the very center of the spiritual life. The difficulties radiate out of a position of ownership—supposing that we own the Word, rather than letting the Word possess us. The simple act of buying a Bible has subtle side effects we need to counter. It is easy to suppose that since we bought it, we own it, and therefore can use it the way we wish.
This danger was not as acute when most Christians were illiterate, for they never read Scripture; they heard it. The words of the Bible were first spoken and listened to. Most of it was in oral form before it was written down. Even the Epistles, which originated as writings, were read aloud and listened to in the churches to which they were written.
Hearing a word is different from reading a word. When we hear, we are poised for response; something is happening. A listener doesn’t take a word or a phrase, then walk off and analyze it—that would be to miss the message. A speaking person presents a whole message to us, and we respond as whole persons. But the moment the message is written down, we can stop listening if we are so minded.
Have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account of the bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken! (Mark 12:26b-27)
I agreed with Peterson that our attitude toward Bible tends to be like reading a regular book that we possess. So we take it out to enjoy it if our mood is right. But if it does not give us what we want, we simply put it away back to our bookshelf and ignore it. We dictate and choose what we want from the Bible. Not unless we submit ourselves to the Bible just as we submit under God, we will not give Holy Spirit the freedom to speak to us through the Bible in whatever way He wants. The written word of God invites different analysis and interpretation, which creates division in church. The word of God is meant to call for our obedience to His Word instead of critical analysis of it. Have mercy on us O Lord. Help us to discern our attitude as we submit ourselves to your Word.
With Love through His Word,
Lawrence
Good morning. It is good to be home again. Thanks for your prayer for my ministry in Philippines. The Word of God was preached and some responded positively to His prompting. Many felt that the sermons directed to the issues they encountered in church. This church is the most missional one among all Chinese churches. The Mission budget is 75% of their general fund. They supported missionaries all over the world. 38 missionaries came back to attend the 45th Mission Conference of their mother church. God is doing great things through this congregation both locally and globally. I thank God for giving me the opportunity to see how He uses this church for His glory. I was humbled by how the Holy Spirit used me to challenge this congregation to grow even more. My experience ties in well with what Eugene Peterson shared about in his devotion.
We are mistaken when we look at the Bible as a spiritual toolbox. We can’t take things out of the Bible and make them work for us. The whole process of the spiritual life is to come before the God who is alive, who becomes present to us in his Word, and who by means of that Word creates and redeems. We don’t use Scripture; God uses Scripture to work his will in us.
Jesus said, “You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you II find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me! And here I am, standing right before you, and you aren’t willing to receive from me the life you say you want” (John 5:39-40).
It is a great blessing to have God’s Word written so that we can read it at any time, but that the Word is written also involves us in difficulties not attended to often enough. These difficulties are at the very center of the spiritual life. The difficulties radiate out of a position of ownership—supposing that we own the Word, rather than letting the Word possess us. The simple act of buying a Bible has subtle side effects we need to counter. It is easy to suppose that since we bought it, we own it, and therefore can use it the way we wish.
This danger was not as acute when most Christians were illiterate, for they never read Scripture; they heard it. The words of the Bible were first spoken and listened to. Most of it was in oral form before it was written down. Even the Epistles, which originated as writings, were read aloud and listened to in the churches to which they were written.
Hearing a word is different from reading a word. When we hear, we are poised for response; something is happening. A listener doesn’t take a word or a phrase, then walk off and analyze it—that would be to miss the message. A speaking person presents a whole message to us, and we respond as whole persons. But the moment the message is written down, we can stop listening if we are so minded.
Have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account of the bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken! (Mark 12:26b-27)
I agreed with Peterson that our attitude toward Bible tends to be like reading a regular book that we possess. So we take it out to enjoy it if our mood is right. But if it does not give us what we want, we simply put it away back to our bookshelf and ignore it. We dictate and choose what we want from the Bible. Not unless we submit ourselves to the Bible just as we submit under God, we will not give Holy Spirit the freedom to speak to us through the Bible in whatever way He wants. The written word of God invites different analysis and interpretation, which creates division in church. The word of God is meant to call for our obedience to His Word instead of critical analysis of it. Have mercy on us O Lord. Help us to discern our attitude as we submit ourselves to your Word.
With Love through His Word,
Lawrence
Friday, October 8, 2010
Devotional 081010
Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. It makes me feel so good to have a whole week at home. I treasure the time at home or in office more than at the lounge in airport. Praise God for giving me this ministry to mobilize churches for global missions in wherever God wants me to go. I am thankful to be at home as much as being on the road for His Kingdom’s sake. This is a gift from above that I can still travel and fall asleep on new bed wherever I go. I appreciate how Eugene Peterson caught so much insight from Psalm 131 in his meditation. I am sure his message is from God at all time, but we are simply too busy to listen when we study our bible.
My heart is not proud, O LORD, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the LORD both now and forevermore (Psalm 131).
Our lives are only lived well when they are lived in terms of their creation, with God loving and we being loved, with God making and we being made, with God revealing and we understanding, with God commanding and we responding. Being a Christian means accepting the terms of creation, accepting God as our maker and redeemer, and growing day by day into an increasingly glorious creature in Christ, developing joy, experiencing love, maturing in peace. By the grace of Christ we experience the marvel of being made in the image of God. If we reject this way the only alternative is to attempt the hopelessly fourth-rate, embarrassingly awkward imitation of God made in the image of man.
Many who have traveled this way of faith have described the transition from an infantile faith that grabs at God out of desperation to a mature faith that responds to God out of love … as content as a child that has been weaned.” Often our conscious Christian lives do begin at points of desperation, and God, of course, does not refuse to meet our needs. There are heavenly comforts that break through our despair and persuade us that “all will be well and all manner of things will be well.” The early stages of Christian belief are not infrequently marked with miraculous signs and exhilarations of spirit. But as discipleship continues the sensible comforts gradually disappear. For God does not want us neurotically dependent upon him but willingly trustful in him. And so he weans us. The period of infancy will not be sentimentally extended beyond what is necessary. The time of weaning is very often noisy and marked with misunderstandings: “I no longer feel like I did when I was first a Christian. Does that mean I am no longer a Christian? Has God abandoned me? Have I done something terribly wrong?”
The answer is, “Neither: God hasn’t abandoned you, and you haven’t done anything wrong. You are being weaned; the apron strings have been cut. You are free to come to God or not come to Him. You are, in a sense, on your own with an open invitation to listen and receive and enjoy our Lord.”
The last line of the psalm addresses this quality of newly acquired freedom: “O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and for evermore.” Choose to be with him; elect his presence; aspire to his ways; respond to his love. This is the expression of a mature child of God. We don’t crave for God’s constant attention. We love and enjoy His presence at all time. We have confidence or security that He is a faithful God who will never forsake us. Whether we “feel” His presence or not, we know He is always here for us. Earthly kingdom may change and economy may collapse but He remains in reign forever. This is the kind of hope we have in Him that can make a difference in our daily encountering with our world and the people around us. It should be our joy to see God’s name be glorified in and through our lives! Amen? Have a blessed weekend.
With love for His glory,
Lawrence
Good morning. It makes me feel so good to have a whole week at home. I treasure the time at home or in office more than at the lounge in airport. Praise God for giving me this ministry to mobilize churches for global missions in wherever God wants me to go. I am thankful to be at home as much as being on the road for His Kingdom’s sake. This is a gift from above that I can still travel and fall asleep on new bed wherever I go. I appreciate how Eugene Peterson caught so much insight from Psalm 131 in his meditation. I am sure his message is from God at all time, but we are simply too busy to listen when we study our bible.
My heart is not proud, O LORD, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the LORD both now and forevermore (Psalm 131).
Our lives are only lived well when they are lived in terms of their creation, with God loving and we being loved, with God making and we being made, with God revealing and we understanding, with God commanding and we responding. Being a Christian means accepting the terms of creation, accepting God as our maker and redeemer, and growing day by day into an increasingly glorious creature in Christ, developing joy, experiencing love, maturing in peace. By the grace of Christ we experience the marvel of being made in the image of God. If we reject this way the only alternative is to attempt the hopelessly fourth-rate, embarrassingly awkward imitation of God made in the image of man.
Many who have traveled this way of faith have described the transition from an infantile faith that grabs at God out of desperation to a mature faith that responds to God out of love … as content as a child that has been weaned.” Often our conscious Christian lives do begin at points of desperation, and God, of course, does not refuse to meet our needs. There are heavenly comforts that break through our despair and persuade us that “all will be well and all manner of things will be well.” The early stages of Christian belief are not infrequently marked with miraculous signs and exhilarations of spirit. But as discipleship continues the sensible comforts gradually disappear. For God does not want us neurotically dependent upon him but willingly trustful in him. And so he weans us. The period of infancy will not be sentimentally extended beyond what is necessary. The time of weaning is very often noisy and marked with misunderstandings: “I no longer feel like I did when I was first a Christian. Does that mean I am no longer a Christian? Has God abandoned me? Have I done something terribly wrong?”
The answer is, “Neither: God hasn’t abandoned you, and you haven’t done anything wrong. You are being weaned; the apron strings have been cut. You are free to come to God or not come to Him. You are, in a sense, on your own with an open invitation to listen and receive and enjoy our Lord.”
The last line of the psalm addresses this quality of newly acquired freedom: “O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and for evermore.” Choose to be with him; elect his presence; aspire to his ways; respond to his love. This is the expression of a mature child of God. We don’t crave for God’s constant attention. We love and enjoy His presence at all time. We have confidence or security that He is a faithful God who will never forsake us. Whether we “feel” His presence or not, we know He is always here for us. Earthly kingdom may change and economy may collapse but He remains in reign forever. This is the kind of hope we have in Him that can make a difference in our daily encountering with our world and the people around us. It should be our joy to see God’s name be glorified in and through our lives! Amen? Have a blessed weekend.
With love for His glory,
Lawrence
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Devotional 150910
Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. I believe God is doing new and wonderful thing in your life today. This is our Lord who proclaims this, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12). It is because of the work of the Holy Spirit in us, that we can accomplish great and fresh new things for His glory. Amen?
Most of us, most of the time, feel left out—misfits. We don’t belong. Others seem to be so confident, so sure of themselves, “insiders” who know the ropes, old hands in a club from which we are excluded.
One of the ways we have of responding to this is to form our own club, or join one that will have us. Here is at least one place where we are “in” and the others “out.” The clubs range from informal to formal in gatherings that are variously political, social, cultural, and economic. But the one thing they have in common is the principle of exclusion. Identity or worth is achieved by excluding all but the chosen. The terrible price we pay for keeping all those other people out so that we can savor the sweetness of being insiders is a reduction of reality, a shrinkage of life.
Nowhere is this price more terrible than when it is paid in the cause of religion. But religion has a long history of doing just that, of reducing the huge mysteries of God to the respectability of club rules, of shrinking the vast human community to a “membership.” But with God there are no outsiders.
God is the God of outsider non-Jews as well as insider Jews. How could it be otherwise since there is only one God? God sets right all who welcome his action and enter into it, both those who follow our religious system and those who have never heard of our religion (Romans 3:29b-30). God is bigger than our religion. Religion is a man made system in preserving some traditions, rituals or code of conducts that people use to experience God. It is easier and safer for believers or members of the same religion to identify with one another about their shared practice of belief system. It generates support and energy toward a religious piety. But religion could also confine or reduce the Almighty and unfathomed God into a man-made system – something within the finite system and human understanding of divinity. We do not want God to be dangerous and unsafe. Thus, a man made religion helps put God into a safe and secure container for people to “enjoy.” And the Son of God was killed by man made religion! He did not behave within the expectation of the religious leaders of his time.
Have mercy on us O Lord! How often we will replace the end by the means. Religion and church are supposed to be means to point us to the end – worship the Triune God. But throughout church history, religion and church could become the “end” that believers worship instead of God. Believers killed and fought against those who did not share the same tradition and ritual, even though they believed in the same Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing is wrong with religion and church if they are in the right place of serving as a means or agent to introduce people to the Triune God. But we should constantly recognize the fact that our God is much greater than human religion can contain and describe. We should abide in Christ but not in any man-made religion.
Enjoy His unfathomable love each day,
Lawrence
Good morning. I believe God is doing new and wonderful thing in your life today. This is our Lord who proclaims this, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12). It is because of the work of the Holy Spirit in us, that we can accomplish great and fresh new things for His glory. Amen?
Most of us, most of the time, feel left out—misfits. We don’t belong. Others seem to be so confident, so sure of themselves, “insiders” who know the ropes, old hands in a club from which we are excluded.
One of the ways we have of responding to this is to form our own club, or join one that will have us. Here is at least one place where we are “in” and the others “out.” The clubs range from informal to formal in gatherings that are variously political, social, cultural, and economic. But the one thing they have in common is the principle of exclusion. Identity or worth is achieved by excluding all but the chosen. The terrible price we pay for keeping all those other people out so that we can savor the sweetness of being insiders is a reduction of reality, a shrinkage of life.
Nowhere is this price more terrible than when it is paid in the cause of religion. But religion has a long history of doing just that, of reducing the huge mysteries of God to the respectability of club rules, of shrinking the vast human community to a “membership.” But with God there are no outsiders.
God is the God of outsider non-Jews as well as insider Jews. How could it be otherwise since there is only one God? God sets right all who welcome his action and enter into it, both those who follow our religious system and those who have never heard of our religion (Romans 3:29b-30). God is bigger than our religion. Religion is a man made system in preserving some traditions, rituals or code of conducts that people use to experience God. It is easier and safer for believers or members of the same religion to identify with one another about their shared practice of belief system. It generates support and energy toward a religious piety. But religion could also confine or reduce the Almighty and unfathomed God into a man-made system – something within the finite system and human understanding of divinity. We do not want God to be dangerous and unsafe. Thus, a man made religion helps put God into a safe and secure container for people to “enjoy.” And the Son of God was killed by man made religion! He did not behave within the expectation of the religious leaders of his time.
Have mercy on us O Lord! How often we will replace the end by the means. Religion and church are supposed to be means to point us to the end – worship the Triune God. But throughout church history, religion and church could become the “end” that believers worship instead of God. Believers killed and fought against those who did not share the same tradition and ritual, even though they believed in the same Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing is wrong with religion and church if they are in the right place of serving as a means or agent to introduce people to the Triune God. But we should constantly recognize the fact that our God is much greater than human religion can contain and describe. We should abide in Christ but not in any man-made religion.
Enjoy His unfathomable love each day,
Lawrence
Monday, September 13, 2010
Devotional 130910
Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. Thank you so much for some of your prayer support, I have finished all my course work from Western Seminary last week. At this point, I have to finish my three writing assignments, prepare for my final comprehensive examination, and begin to conduct my dissertation research in the month to come. I still covet your prayer for this journey of learning.
Even though the weather is foggy and gloomy in San Francisco, this new day is beautifully filled with the wonderful grace from the Lord. He is our Creator and Lover. He faithfully provides and protects us on earth until we see Him face to face. Life was constantly greeted by all kinds of ups and downs. On Saturday, we said farewell to our beloved sister, Joyce Lau, at her memorial service and received good news from Dorothy and Wilson about the arrival of a new life in the same day. Life comes and goes each day. And it is all in the sovereign hands of God. Thus, while we are enjoying the earthly provisions from God, we want to maximize the resources and opportunities He gives us for His glory. I like the motto of William Carey, “Expect great things from God, and attempt great things for God.” By conducting our lives with this kind of commitment, our lives will count each day in making greater impact as light and salt of the world.
Eugene Peterson has five items of counsel in matters of spirituality for all who hunger and thirst after intimacy and transcendence. Each item provides evangelical focus, precision, and rootage to spirituality. As we get it straight ourselves, we will be equipped to provide leadership to others, an evangelical leadership that is so conspicuously lacking at present.
1. Discover what Scripture says about spirituality and immerse yourself in it.
2. Avoid spirituality that does not require commitment.
3. Embrace friends in the faith wherever you find them.
4. But then return home and explore your own tradition.
5. Look for mature guides; honor wise leaders.
Spirituality is not the latest trend but the oldest truth. Spirituality, the alert attention we give to a living God and the faithful response we make to him in community, is at the heart of our Scriptures and is on display throughout the centuries of Israel and the church. We have been at this a long time. We have nearly four millennia of experience to draw upon. When someone hands you a new book, reach for an old one. Isaiah has far more to teach us about spirituality than Carl Jung (famous psychologist). Just as James said, “Take the old prophets as your mentors. They put up with anything. Went through everything, and never once quit, all the time honoring God. What a gift life is to those who stay the course (James 5:10-11a)!
We lost our freedom in talking about God with our friends and family members. Many people feel uneasy to even talk about their relationship with God to their spouse. They can talk about house chores or about their children. But it is hard for many couples to engage in some kind of “spiritual conversation” that is edifying to each other. We need to break this kind of bondage among us. Otherwise, we will become isolated from the community of faith, and compartmentalized as a person – we can’t see that spirituality is the base of our whole being. We are supposed to live, eat, sleep, walk and talk in Christ. If we only count God’s blessing in church but not in the office or at home, we are dividing ourselves into the secular and divine. This kind of attitude toward life will eventually hurt our growth as a godly person. Give us the freedom, O Lord, to live freely in the light of your presence each day.
Love you in His joy,
Lawrence
Good morning. Thank you so much for some of your prayer support, I have finished all my course work from Western Seminary last week. At this point, I have to finish my three writing assignments, prepare for my final comprehensive examination, and begin to conduct my dissertation research in the month to come. I still covet your prayer for this journey of learning.
Even though the weather is foggy and gloomy in San Francisco, this new day is beautifully filled with the wonderful grace from the Lord. He is our Creator and Lover. He faithfully provides and protects us on earth until we see Him face to face. Life was constantly greeted by all kinds of ups and downs. On Saturday, we said farewell to our beloved sister, Joyce Lau, at her memorial service and received good news from Dorothy and Wilson about the arrival of a new life in the same day. Life comes and goes each day. And it is all in the sovereign hands of God. Thus, while we are enjoying the earthly provisions from God, we want to maximize the resources and opportunities He gives us for His glory. I like the motto of William Carey, “Expect great things from God, and attempt great things for God.” By conducting our lives with this kind of commitment, our lives will count each day in making greater impact as light and salt of the world.
Eugene Peterson has five items of counsel in matters of spirituality for all who hunger and thirst after intimacy and transcendence. Each item provides evangelical focus, precision, and rootage to spirituality. As we get it straight ourselves, we will be equipped to provide leadership to others, an evangelical leadership that is so conspicuously lacking at present.
1. Discover what Scripture says about spirituality and immerse yourself in it.
2. Avoid spirituality that does not require commitment.
3. Embrace friends in the faith wherever you find them.
4. But then return home and explore your own tradition.
5. Look for mature guides; honor wise leaders.
Spirituality is not the latest trend but the oldest truth. Spirituality, the alert attention we give to a living God and the faithful response we make to him in community, is at the heart of our Scriptures and is on display throughout the centuries of Israel and the church. We have been at this a long time. We have nearly four millennia of experience to draw upon. When someone hands you a new book, reach for an old one. Isaiah has far more to teach us about spirituality than Carl Jung (famous psychologist). Just as James said, “Take the old prophets as your mentors. They put up with anything. Went through everything, and never once quit, all the time honoring God. What a gift life is to those who stay the course (James 5:10-11a)!
We lost our freedom in talking about God with our friends and family members. Many people feel uneasy to even talk about their relationship with God to their spouse. They can talk about house chores or about their children. But it is hard for many couples to engage in some kind of “spiritual conversation” that is edifying to each other. We need to break this kind of bondage among us. Otherwise, we will become isolated from the community of faith, and compartmentalized as a person – we can’t see that spirituality is the base of our whole being. We are supposed to live, eat, sleep, walk and talk in Christ. If we only count God’s blessing in church but not in the office or at home, we are dividing ourselves into the secular and divine. This kind of attitude toward life will eventually hurt our growth as a godly person. Give us the freedom, O Lord, to live freely in the light of your presence each day.
Love you in His joy,
Lawrence
Friday, September 3, 2010
Devotional 030910
Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. Thank God for giving us such beautiful weather – we can experience the feeling of “winter” and “summer” in just one day. This is the beauty of living in Daly City and working in Burlingame. This kind of swing in feelings happens all the time in our lives on earth – from one minute happiness to the other minute of sadness. I thank God for this emotional capability that God designs in us. But what is the purpose behind all our experience in life? Eugene Peterson gives me some good insight in his devotion.
If all your friends were suddenly to begin talking about the state of their digestion—comparing symptoms, calling up for advice, swapping remedies—you would not consider it a hopeful sign. Nor does his widespread interest in spirituality today lead me to think that the North American soul is in a flourishing condition.
A person who has a healthy digestion does not talk about it. Neither does a person who has a healthy soul. When our bodies and souls are working well, we are, for the most part, unaware of them. The frequency with which the word spirituality occurs these days is more likely to be evidence of pathology than health.
By taking this stance, I am not dismissing current interest in spirituality as sick. The interest itself is not sick, but sickness has provoked the interest. There is considerable confusion regarding the appropriate treatment, but virtual unanimity in the diagnosis: Our culture is sick with secularism.
But deeper and stronger than our illness is our cure. The Spirit of God that hovered over the primordial chaos (Gen. 1:2) hovers over our murderous and chaotic cities. The Spirit that descended on Jesus like a dove (Matt. 3:16) descends on the followers of Jesus. The Holy spirit that filled men and women with God at nine o’clock in the morning in Jerusalem during Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4) fills men and women still in Chicago and Calcutta, Moscow and Montreal, around the clock, 365 days a year.
Our culture has failed precisely because it is a secular culture. A secular culture is a culture reduced to thing and function. Typically, at the outset, people are delighted to find themselves living in such a culture. It is wonderful to have all these things coming our way, without having to worry about their nature or purpose. And it is wonderful to have this incredible freedom to do so much, without bothering about relationships or meaning. But after a few years of this, our delight diminishes as we find ourselves lonely among the things and bored with our freedom.
Our first response is to get more of what brought us delight in the first place: acquire more things, generate more activity. Get more. Do more. After a few years of this, we are genuinely puzzled that we are not any better.
We North Americans have been doing this for well over a century now, and we have succeeded in producing a culture that is reduced to thing and function. And we all seem to be surprised that this magnificent achievement of secularism—all these things! All these activities!—has produced an epidemic of loneliness and boredom. We are surprised to find ourselves lonely behind the wheel of a BMW or bored nearly to death as we advance from one prestigious job to another.
And then, one by one, a few people begin to realize that getting more and doing more only makes the sickness worse. They realize that if it gets much worse, the culture will be dead—a thoroughly secularized culture is a corpse. The psalmist was right in his experience, “Still, when I tried to figure it out, all I got was a splitting headache…until I entered the sanctuary of God, then I saw the whole picture: The slippery road you’ve put them on, with a final crash in a ditch of delusions” (Psalm 73:16-18).
I believe there is plenty of food for thought for you this weekend. When you enjoy all the convenience of things in this culture, hope you think about the meaning and purpose behind all these. How do these things help you accomplish the purpose of your life on earth, or what God intended for you to live on earth as salt and light? Have a fruitful long weekend to rest in the Lord…
Love you in Him,
Lawrence
Good morning. Thank God for giving us such beautiful weather – we can experience the feeling of “winter” and “summer” in just one day. This is the beauty of living in Daly City and working in Burlingame. This kind of swing in feelings happens all the time in our lives on earth – from one minute happiness to the other minute of sadness. I thank God for this emotional capability that God designs in us. But what is the purpose behind all our experience in life? Eugene Peterson gives me some good insight in his devotion.
If all your friends were suddenly to begin talking about the state of their digestion—comparing symptoms, calling up for advice, swapping remedies—you would not consider it a hopeful sign. Nor does his widespread interest in spirituality today lead me to think that the North American soul is in a flourishing condition.
A person who has a healthy digestion does not talk about it. Neither does a person who has a healthy soul. When our bodies and souls are working well, we are, for the most part, unaware of them. The frequency with which the word spirituality occurs these days is more likely to be evidence of pathology than health.
By taking this stance, I am not dismissing current interest in spirituality as sick. The interest itself is not sick, but sickness has provoked the interest. There is considerable confusion regarding the appropriate treatment, but virtual unanimity in the diagnosis: Our culture is sick with secularism.
But deeper and stronger than our illness is our cure. The Spirit of God that hovered over the primordial chaos (Gen. 1:2) hovers over our murderous and chaotic cities. The Spirit that descended on Jesus like a dove (Matt. 3:16) descends on the followers of Jesus. The Holy spirit that filled men and women with God at nine o’clock in the morning in Jerusalem during Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4) fills men and women still in Chicago and Calcutta, Moscow and Montreal, around the clock, 365 days a year.
Our culture has failed precisely because it is a secular culture. A secular culture is a culture reduced to thing and function. Typically, at the outset, people are delighted to find themselves living in such a culture. It is wonderful to have all these things coming our way, without having to worry about their nature or purpose. And it is wonderful to have this incredible freedom to do so much, without bothering about relationships or meaning. But after a few years of this, our delight diminishes as we find ourselves lonely among the things and bored with our freedom.
Our first response is to get more of what brought us delight in the first place: acquire more things, generate more activity. Get more. Do more. After a few years of this, we are genuinely puzzled that we are not any better.
We North Americans have been doing this for well over a century now, and we have succeeded in producing a culture that is reduced to thing and function. And we all seem to be surprised that this magnificent achievement of secularism—all these things! All these activities!—has produced an epidemic of loneliness and boredom. We are surprised to find ourselves lonely behind the wheel of a BMW or bored nearly to death as we advance from one prestigious job to another.
And then, one by one, a few people begin to realize that getting more and doing more only makes the sickness worse. They realize that if it gets much worse, the culture will be dead—a thoroughly secularized culture is a corpse. The psalmist was right in his experience, “Still, when I tried to figure it out, all I got was a splitting headache…until I entered the sanctuary of God, then I saw the whole picture: The slippery road you’ve put them on, with a final crash in a ditch of delusions” (Psalm 73:16-18).
I believe there is plenty of food for thought for you this weekend. When you enjoy all the convenience of things in this culture, hope you think about the meaning and purpose behind all these. How do these things help you accomplish the purpose of your life on earth, or what God intended for you to live on earth as salt and light? Have a fruitful long weekend to rest in the Lord…
Love you in Him,
Lawrence
Friday, May 14, 2010
Devotional 140510
Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. I did not have time to write my journal yesterday, because I was invited to update my ministry in a senior citizens’ fellowship in the morning. By the time I returned to office after lunch, I was scheduled to attend some meetings which took up almost the whole afternoon. That’s why I prefer to do my devotion first thing in the morning; otherwise I will have difficulty to find time to meditate. Again, this is not just a ritual to make me feel religious but a need to be recharged like eating a healthy meal.
"Have you understood all these things?" Jesus asked. "Yes," they replied. He said to them, "Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old" (Matt 13:51-52). For years I have searched the scriptures for help in pursuing my life as pastor or Christian leader. Time after time I have come upon rich treasures, but somehow I missed the book of Jonah. I missed, which turns out, three of the most provocative and amusing pages in the scriptures for my purpose as minister.
The Jonah story is sharply evocative of the vocational experience of minister or Christian leader. Story incites story. Story-tellers swap stories. As I tell this story among my friends, listen to them tell theirs, and in turn tell a few of my own, the stories develop images and metaphors that give shape to a spirituality adequate to shepherding ministry. Stanley Hauerwas argues [Vision and Virtue], convincingly to me, that if we want to change our way of life, acquiring the right image is far more important than diligently exercising willpower. Willpower is a notoriously powerful engine on which to rely for internal energy, but a right image silently and relentlessly pulls us into its field of reality, which is also a field of energy.
The book of Jonah is a parable at the center of which is a prayer. Parable and prayer are biblical tools for bringing a sharp personal awareness of truth to people whose spiritual perceptions are dulled by living habitually in an overtly religious context.
The moment we drift away from dealing with God primarily (and not merely peripherally), we are no longer living vocationally as Christian leaders, no longer living in conscious, willing, participatory relation with the vast reality that constitutes our lives and the entire world around us. The storm either exposes the futility of our work (as in Jonah) or confirms it (as in Paul). In either case, the storm forces the awareness that God constitutes our work, and it disabuses us of any suggestion that in our work we can avoid or manipulate God. Once that is established, we are ready to learn the spirituality that is adequate to our vocation, working truly, easily, fearlessly, without ambition or anxiety, without denial or sloth. So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear you vision—you’ll see it yet! Now that we’re on the right track, let’s stay on it (Philippians 3:15-16 The Message).
The book of Jonah to me is a metaphor of how God wanted to impart a vision to His servant who was reluctant to change his paradigm or mindset. Sometimes Christian leaders like pastor could minister within the little box of our theology, which come with various blind spot and prejudice. Even though he knew that God was merciful, Jonah could not accept the fact that God would love people like even his enemy in Nineveh. But God used different circumstantial factors attempting to change his mindset. Jonah exercised willpower to do what God commanded him to do in Nineveh, and it brought blessing to the people there. Imagine if Jonah were to go to Nineveh with a renewed vision, it would bring many folds of blessings to both the hearers and the preacher. Hope you will open up to God as He intend to renew our mindset and value system each day for His glory, and for the well being of all those around us.
Love you for His glory,
Lawrence
Good morning. I did not have time to write my journal yesterday, because I was invited to update my ministry in a senior citizens’ fellowship in the morning. By the time I returned to office after lunch, I was scheduled to attend some meetings which took up almost the whole afternoon. That’s why I prefer to do my devotion first thing in the morning; otherwise I will have difficulty to find time to meditate. Again, this is not just a ritual to make me feel religious but a need to be recharged like eating a healthy meal.
"Have you understood all these things?" Jesus asked. "Yes," they replied. He said to them, "Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old" (Matt 13:51-52). For years I have searched the scriptures for help in pursuing my life as pastor or Christian leader. Time after time I have come upon rich treasures, but somehow I missed the book of Jonah. I missed, which turns out, three of the most provocative and amusing pages in the scriptures for my purpose as minister.
The Jonah story is sharply evocative of the vocational experience of minister or Christian leader. Story incites story. Story-tellers swap stories. As I tell this story among my friends, listen to them tell theirs, and in turn tell a few of my own, the stories develop images and metaphors that give shape to a spirituality adequate to shepherding ministry. Stanley Hauerwas argues [Vision and Virtue], convincingly to me, that if we want to change our way of life, acquiring the right image is far more important than diligently exercising willpower. Willpower is a notoriously powerful engine on which to rely for internal energy, but a right image silently and relentlessly pulls us into its field of reality, which is also a field of energy.
The book of Jonah is a parable at the center of which is a prayer. Parable and prayer are biblical tools for bringing a sharp personal awareness of truth to people whose spiritual perceptions are dulled by living habitually in an overtly religious context.
The moment we drift away from dealing with God primarily (and not merely peripherally), we are no longer living vocationally as Christian leaders, no longer living in conscious, willing, participatory relation with the vast reality that constitutes our lives and the entire world around us. The storm either exposes the futility of our work (as in Jonah) or confirms it (as in Paul). In either case, the storm forces the awareness that God constitutes our work, and it disabuses us of any suggestion that in our work we can avoid or manipulate God. Once that is established, we are ready to learn the spirituality that is adequate to our vocation, working truly, easily, fearlessly, without ambition or anxiety, without denial or sloth. So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear you vision—you’ll see it yet! Now that we’re on the right track, let’s stay on it (Philippians 3:15-16 The Message).
The book of Jonah to me is a metaphor of how God wanted to impart a vision to His servant who was reluctant to change his paradigm or mindset. Sometimes Christian leaders like pastor could minister within the little box of our theology, which come with various blind spot and prejudice. Even though he knew that God was merciful, Jonah could not accept the fact that God would love people like even his enemy in Nineveh. But God used different circumstantial factors attempting to change his mindset. Jonah exercised willpower to do what God commanded him to do in Nineveh, and it brought blessing to the people there. Imagine if Jonah were to go to Nineveh with a renewed vision, it would bring many folds of blessings to both the hearers and the preacher. Hope you will open up to God as He intend to renew our mindset and value system each day for His glory, and for the well being of all those around us.
Love you for His glory,
Lawrence
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Devotional 120510
Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. Thank God for another beautiful day. Even though I had a lot to catch up in ministry and study, I found time to enjoy the Nature that God has prepared for us. It is indeed a free gift from our Creator God. I reminded myself that busyness is an illness of spirit, a rush form one thing to another because there is no weight of vocational integrity and no confidence in the primacy of grace. Busyness imposes on us the functional, technological, and dehumanizing definitions about life. If we allow busyness to dictate our daily encountering in life, we become corrupted in all kinds of meaningful relationship that God intended for us to enjoy. In busyness we have no time to explore who we are, what we have and why we exist in this time and culture. We feel like we are constantly under the threat of a Goliath from whom we try to flee.
The image of the stones, waiting to be selected from the brook by David as he prepares for his meeting with Goliath, holds my attention. David has just discarded King Saul?s armor as ill-fitting. The offer of bronze helmet and coat of mail was well intentioned. But accept it would have been disastrous. David needed what was authentic to him. This is equally true to my own situation. Even though the weaponry urged upon me by my culture in the form of science and knowledge is formidable, I cannot work effectively with what is imposed from the outside. Metallic forms hung on my frame will give me, perhaps, an imposing aspect but will not help me do my proper work.
And so I kneel at the brook of scripture, selecting there what God has long been preparing for the work at hand, and I find a few smooth stones. The rough edges have been knocked off. The soft parts have been eroded away. They are bare and hard. Nothing is superfluous. Nothing is decorative. They are clean and spare. Scripture has that quality for me?of essentiality, of the necessary. I feel that I am, again, traveling light, delivered from an immense clutter. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another?showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God's way Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us (2 Tim 3:16-17 The Message).
David was driven by a passion to become an instrument of God. He did not concern of what did not have. He was aware of what he had. Others may not see the power of his weapons ? a few smooth stones. They imposed on him the weaponry that he was not used to. He went to fight the giant not by self confidence but by his faith in the Almighty God. It is by this simple faith (other may see it as naive) that David removed the most fearful enemy of his time. Are you aware of what God has gifted you? Have you been using those spiritual gifts to serve God? Even though God had gifted David was the skill, it would not help if he did not practice or apply it before. The more you exercise your spiritual gifts, the more you are ready for God to use you for a greater purpose.
Love you by His grace,
Lawrence
Good morning. Thank God for another beautiful day. Even though I had a lot to catch up in ministry and study, I found time to enjoy the Nature that God has prepared for us. It is indeed a free gift from our Creator God. I reminded myself that busyness is an illness of spirit, a rush form one thing to another because there is no weight of vocational integrity and no confidence in the primacy of grace. Busyness imposes on us the functional, technological, and dehumanizing definitions about life. If we allow busyness to dictate our daily encountering in life, we become corrupted in all kinds of meaningful relationship that God intended for us to enjoy. In busyness we have no time to explore who we are, what we have and why we exist in this time and culture. We feel like we are constantly under the threat of a Goliath from whom we try to flee.
The image of the stones, waiting to be selected from the brook by David as he prepares for his meeting with Goliath, holds my attention. David has just discarded King Saul?s armor as ill-fitting. The offer of bronze helmet and coat of mail was well intentioned. But accept it would have been disastrous. David needed what was authentic to him. This is equally true to my own situation. Even though the weaponry urged upon me by my culture in the form of science and knowledge is formidable, I cannot work effectively with what is imposed from the outside. Metallic forms hung on my frame will give me, perhaps, an imposing aspect but will not help me do my proper work.
And so I kneel at the brook of scripture, selecting there what God has long been preparing for the work at hand, and I find a few smooth stones. The rough edges have been knocked off. The soft parts have been eroded away. They are bare and hard. Nothing is superfluous. Nothing is decorative. They are clean and spare. Scripture has that quality for me?of essentiality, of the necessary. I feel that I am, again, traveling light, delivered from an immense clutter. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another?showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God's way Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us (2 Tim 3:16-17 The Message).
David was driven by a passion to become an instrument of God. He did not concern of what did not have. He was aware of what he had. Others may not see the power of his weapons ? a few smooth stones. They imposed on him the weaponry that he was not used to. He went to fight the giant not by self confidence but by his faith in the Almighty God. It is by this simple faith (other may see it as naive) that David removed the most fearful enemy of his time. Are you aware of what God has gifted you? Have you been using those spiritual gifts to serve God? Even though God had gifted David was the skill, it would not help if he did not practice or apply it before. The more you exercise your spiritual gifts, the more you are ready for God to use you for a greater purpose.
Love you by His grace,
Lawrence
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Devotional 110510
Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. Thanks for many of your comments on my devotional yesterday. I am glad that the subject matter captured your attention and stimulated you to meditate. There are many lessons we can learn about our new life in Christ, as we going through different stages of personal growth. Sometimes we are too busy to engage our soul in spiritual dialogue with God. We don’t pause and think. We just accept Satan’s excuse for us: my soul is willing but my flesh is weak. As a result, we sink deeply into the black hole of narcissism or self-centeredness, and harvest only self-destruction without even aware of it. Therefore, it is important to take time out to meditate, and allow God to free you from Satan’s hidden traps in your life.
Adolescents exhibit the process of growing up into adulthood in a particularly vivid form. Their parents are unavoidably involved in it. Every parent of an adolescent is thus provided with a gift — It is a kind of living laboratory in which to take the data of growing up, work experiments with it in personal ways, and then re-experience it in an act of faith to the glory of God. Parents don’t always look at it this way. Not infrequently, they are heard to complain about it. Many stoically stick it out, assured by the experts that adolescence is self-curing and will be over in seven or eight years. They never open the gift; they never enter the laboratory.
But adolescence is a gift, God’s gift, and it must not be wasted in complaints or stoic resistance. There is a strong Christian conviction, substantiated by centuries of devout thinking and faithful living, that everything given to us in our bodies and in our world is the raw material for holiness. Nature is brought to maturity by grace and only by grace. Nothing in nature—nothing in our muscles and emotions, nothing in our geography and our genes—is exempt from this activity of grace. And adolescence is not exempt.
Apostle Paul reminded the believers in Ephesus, “No prolonged infancies among us, please. Well not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are an easy mark for imposters. God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love— like Christ in everything” (Eph 4:14-15 The Message). Ephesus was a sophisticated city in Ancient time. When I walked on the ruins of this city last year, I marveled with their architecture and city design. They even had a beautiful library in the center of the city. Ephesians were not illiterates. Greeks uplifted education and philosophy. They were eager to learn new things. That’s why when Paul began his ministry in Ephesus, he daily engaged in debate with scholars and local people at their lecture hall, “Paul took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord” (Acts 19:9-10).
The problem with learned people or scholars is their sophistication. They are too complicated that they cannot make up their minds on simple truth and follow Christ with childlike faith. They are being tossed around by new theories and philosophies. They are like teenagers who are influenced by whatever new trends in the market or on Internet. They want to follow the trend and open to all kinds of sophistications and philosophies of life. The problem of Ephesians’ believers were like the teenagers’. They were being tossed around by different cultic teachings, and that’s why Apostle Paul reminded them to stand firm in their faith. We need to be equipped on the Word of God continuously. But we also need to accept the Biblical Truth by childlike faith. This balance is what adolescence needs to learn in their laboratory of life. Many of us may be still struggling in this stage of life even though we should be in a maturing age. It is time to grow up and pursue the whole measure of the fullness of Christ (Eph 4:13b).
Love you according to the measure of Christ,
Lawrence
Good morning. Thanks for many of your comments on my devotional yesterday. I am glad that the subject matter captured your attention and stimulated you to meditate. There are many lessons we can learn about our new life in Christ, as we going through different stages of personal growth. Sometimes we are too busy to engage our soul in spiritual dialogue with God. We don’t pause and think. We just accept Satan’s excuse for us: my soul is willing but my flesh is weak. As a result, we sink deeply into the black hole of narcissism or self-centeredness, and harvest only self-destruction without even aware of it. Therefore, it is important to take time out to meditate, and allow God to free you from Satan’s hidden traps in your life.
Adolescents exhibit the process of growing up into adulthood in a particularly vivid form. Their parents are unavoidably involved in it. Every parent of an adolescent is thus provided with a gift — It is a kind of living laboratory in which to take the data of growing up, work experiments with it in personal ways, and then re-experience it in an act of faith to the glory of God. Parents don’t always look at it this way. Not infrequently, they are heard to complain about it. Many stoically stick it out, assured by the experts that adolescence is self-curing and will be over in seven or eight years. They never open the gift; they never enter the laboratory.
But adolescence is a gift, God’s gift, and it must not be wasted in complaints or stoic resistance. There is a strong Christian conviction, substantiated by centuries of devout thinking and faithful living, that everything given to us in our bodies and in our world is the raw material for holiness. Nature is brought to maturity by grace and only by grace. Nothing in nature—nothing in our muscles and emotions, nothing in our geography and our genes—is exempt from this activity of grace. And adolescence is not exempt.
Apostle Paul reminded the believers in Ephesus, “No prolonged infancies among us, please. Well not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are an easy mark for imposters. God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love— like Christ in everything” (Eph 4:14-15 The Message). Ephesus was a sophisticated city in Ancient time. When I walked on the ruins of this city last year, I marveled with their architecture and city design. They even had a beautiful library in the center of the city. Ephesians were not illiterates. Greeks uplifted education and philosophy. They were eager to learn new things. That’s why when Paul began his ministry in Ephesus, he daily engaged in debate with scholars and local people at their lecture hall, “Paul took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord” (Acts 19:9-10).
The problem with learned people or scholars is their sophistication. They are too complicated that they cannot make up their minds on simple truth and follow Christ with childlike faith. They are being tossed around by new theories and philosophies. They are like teenagers who are influenced by whatever new trends in the market or on Internet. They want to follow the trend and open to all kinds of sophistications and philosophies of life. The problem of Ephesians’ believers were like the teenagers’. They were being tossed around by different cultic teachings, and that’s why Apostle Paul reminded them to stand firm in their faith. We need to be equipped on the Word of God continuously. But we also need to accept the Biblical Truth by childlike faith. This balance is what adolescence needs to learn in their laboratory of life. Many of us may be still struggling in this stage of life even though we should be in a maturing age. It is time to grow up and pursue the whole measure of the fullness of Christ (Eph 4:13b).
Love you according to the measure of Christ,
Lawrence
Monday, May 10, 2010
Devotional 100510
Dear brothers and sisters,Good morning. It has been two weeks since I sent you my last devotional. The two weeks of study in seminary was really intensive. It was also the time for me to catch up with my homework from last courses. During these two weeks of study, I had the bonus to celebrate Loretta’s birthday at Portland. I invited Loretta to spend the weekend with me so that I could show her my school and environment. Spring time in Portland was beautiful. The whole city became like a huge garden. Flowers were blooming everywhere. If you look at the slide show in my blog, you will see a lot of flowers we captured during Loretta’s birthday weekend. Enjoy it.
When I talk with people who come to me in preparation for marriage I often say, “Weddings are easy; marriages are difficult.” The couple wants to plan a wedding; I want to plan a marriage. They want to know where the bridesmaids will stand; I want to develop a plan for forgiveness. They want to discuss the music of the wedding; I want to talk about the emotions of the marriage. I can do a wedding in twenty minutes with my eyes shut; a marriage takes year after year of alert, wide-eyed attention.
Weddings are important. They are beautiful; they are impressive; they are emotional; sometimes they are expensive. We weep at weddings and we laugh at weddings. We take care to be at the right place at the right time and say the right words. Where people stand is important. The way people dress is significant. Every detail—this flower, that candle—is memorable. All the same, weddings are easy.
But marriages are complex and difficult. In marriage we work out in every detail of life the promises and commitments spoken at the wedding. In marriage we develop the long and rich life of faithful love that the wedding announces. The event of the wedding without the life of marriage doesn’t amount to much. It hardly matters if the man and woman dress up in their wedding clothes and reenact the ceremony every anniversary and say “I’m married, I’m married, I’m married” if there is no daily love shared, if there is no continuing tenderness, no attentive listening, no inventive giving, no creative blessing…
Make sure you don’t take things for granted and go slack in working for the common good; share what you have with others. God takes particular pleasure in acts of worship—a different kind if “sacrifice”—that take place in kitchen and workplace and on the streets (Hebrews 13:16 The Message).
I was asked to provide pre-marital counseling for a missionary who will get married in the field. It is difficult and challenging because I don’t know this couple at all. There are a lot of potential issues that may involve in their background as they enter into marriage. It is easy to prepare a wedding for them. But to prepare them for a life time commitment and adjustment is not easy. Definitely not a few session of premarital counseling can prepare a couple for such a life time commitment. There are a lot of variables, inward and outward factors that could affect the health of a marriage. It requires God’s grace and love to daily flow through this couple, so that they will become a mutual blessing to one another. A marriage is like a new creation in Christ that needs to be transformed daily through our abidance in Christ. Without the power of God’s love, our will power for such a life time commitment cannot last too long. Indeed, we love because we experience God’s love (paraphrased from 1 John 4:19).
Love you in Christ,
Lawrence
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Devotional 210410
Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. God chose not to speak to Prophet Elijah in storm like we have this morning, or in earthquake like we had experienced worldwide in the last couple of months. God chose to speak in gentle whisper/silence. And it is in silence that Elijah came out from his cave to meet God (1 King 19:12). Are you willing to leave your cave and meet God in silence? In a fearful environment that we live today, hiding in the comfort of our cave/home does not give you true security of life. Leave your cave and listen to His gentle whisper in your heart. This is how Elijah found strength to enter his fearful world again with a strong sense of mission.
Jesus said, “I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of” (John 10:10b).It is enormously difficult to portray goodness in an attractive way; it is much easier to make a scoundrel interesting. All of us have so much more experience in sin than in goodness that a writer has far more imaginative material to work with in presenting a bad character than a good person. In novels and poems and plays most t of the memorable figures are either villains or victims. Good people, virtuous lives, mostly seem a bit dull. Jeremiah is a stunning exception. For most of my adult life he has attracted me. The complexity and misty of his personhood caught and kept my attention. The captivating quality in the man is his goodness, his virtue, his excellence. He lived at his best. His was not a hot-house piety, for he lived through crushing storms of hostility and furies of bitter doubt. There is not a trace of smugness or complacency or gullibility in Jeremiah—every muscle in his body was stretched to the limits by fatigue, every thought in his mind subjected to rejection, every feeling in his heart put through fires of ridicule. Goodness in Jeremiah was not “being nice.” It was something more like competency.
We live in a society that tries to diminish us to the level of the ant heap so that we rush mindlessly, getting and consuming. It is essential to take counteraction. Jeremiah is counteraction: a well developed human being, mature and robust, living by faith. His life can be described by what our Lord said, “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness?” (Matt 5:13a).
In Jeremiah it is clear that the excellence comes from a life of faith, from being more interested in God than in self, and has almost nothing to do with comfort or esteem or achievement. Here is a person who has lived life to the cutting edge, but there is not a hint of human pride or worldly success or personal achievement in the story. Jeremiah arouses my passion for a full life – a life that is contagious and influential. This is the kind of life that our Lord wants all of His disciples to live, “Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven” (Matt 5:16).
Many of his contemporaries described Jesus as like Jeremiah or one of the prophets (Matt 16:14). It is the same kind of life like Jeremiah that God wants all of His children to live on earth, so that we can truly become light and salt of the world. We don’t have to form ourselves into political pressure groups or use political manipulations. We need more genuine and ordinary Christians who seek to be Christ like in their workplace and neighborhood – live a life of goodness without just being nice, a life of piety without judgmental, and a life of love without overbearing. We can’t live out this kind of life by our own strength; it has to be empowered by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we need to constantly draw close to God through meditation and prayer, so that the power of God can freely flow through us according to His timing and method. We just need to make ourselves available to Him. Amen.
Love you because He is Love,
Lawrence
Good morning. God chose not to speak to Prophet Elijah in storm like we have this morning, or in earthquake like we had experienced worldwide in the last couple of months. God chose to speak in gentle whisper/silence. And it is in silence that Elijah came out from his cave to meet God (1 King 19:12). Are you willing to leave your cave and meet God in silence? In a fearful environment that we live today, hiding in the comfort of our cave/home does not give you true security of life. Leave your cave and listen to His gentle whisper in your heart. This is how Elijah found strength to enter his fearful world again with a strong sense of mission.
Jesus said, “I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of” (John 10:10b).It is enormously difficult to portray goodness in an attractive way; it is much easier to make a scoundrel interesting. All of us have so much more experience in sin than in goodness that a writer has far more imaginative material to work with in presenting a bad character than a good person. In novels and poems and plays most t of the memorable figures are either villains or victims. Good people, virtuous lives, mostly seem a bit dull. Jeremiah is a stunning exception. For most of my adult life he has attracted me. The complexity and misty of his personhood caught and kept my attention. The captivating quality in the man is his goodness, his virtue, his excellence. He lived at his best. His was not a hot-house piety, for he lived through crushing storms of hostility and furies of bitter doubt. There is not a trace of smugness or complacency or gullibility in Jeremiah—every muscle in his body was stretched to the limits by fatigue, every thought in his mind subjected to rejection, every feeling in his heart put through fires of ridicule. Goodness in Jeremiah was not “being nice.” It was something more like competency.
We live in a society that tries to diminish us to the level of the ant heap so that we rush mindlessly, getting and consuming. It is essential to take counteraction. Jeremiah is counteraction: a well developed human being, mature and robust, living by faith. His life can be described by what our Lord said, “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness?” (Matt 5:13a).
In Jeremiah it is clear that the excellence comes from a life of faith, from being more interested in God than in self, and has almost nothing to do with comfort or esteem or achievement. Here is a person who has lived life to the cutting edge, but there is not a hint of human pride or worldly success or personal achievement in the story. Jeremiah arouses my passion for a full life – a life that is contagious and influential. This is the kind of life that our Lord wants all of His disciples to live, “Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven” (Matt 5:16).
Many of his contemporaries described Jesus as like Jeremiah or one of the prophets (Matt 16:14). It is the same kind of life like Jeremiah that God wants all of His children to live on earth, so that we can truly become light and salt of the world. We don’t have to form ourselves into political pressure groups or use political manipulations. We need more genuine and ordinary Christians who seek to be Christ like in their workplace and neighborhood – live a life of goodness without just being nice, a life of piety without judgmental, and a life of love without overbearing. We can’t live out this kind of life by our own strength; it has to be empowered by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we need to constantly draw close to God through meditation and prayer, so that the power of God can freely flow through us according to His timing and method. We just need to make ourselves available to Him. Amen.
Love you because He is Love,
Lawrence
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