Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. The whole Nature is so fresh after the rain. Therefore, the shower of His blessings does not only give us our needy rain or provision in life, it also helps to cleanse our soul or whole being. Whenever God provides us our physical needs, He also wants to give us spiritual refreshment to know Him better. One of the coworkers of our sister company shared how she experienced the provision of God lately. She thought her ministry came under financially after she sent out her last check to the mission field; she had only three hundreds left in her company’s account with four coworkers waiting for their pay checks of this month. Yesterday, the Lord provided ten thousands through a church that met their needs. Once again, her soul is refreshed by the provision of God; knowing that God is in ultimate control. Not that she did not know the sovereignty of God theologically, she now know experientially the true Nature of God. Indeed, our Lord wants us to experience Him in a fresh new way and on a daily basis.
"Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" (Luke 24:26) Our Lord's Cross is the gateway into His life: His Resurrection means that He has power now to convey His life to me. When I am born again from above, I receive from the Risen Lord His very life.
Our Lord's Resurrection destiny is to bring "many sons unto glory." The fulfilling of His destiny gives Him the right to make us sons and daughters of God. We are never in the relationship to God that the Son of God is in; but we are brought by the Son into the relation of sonship. When Our Lord rose from the dead, He rose to an absolutely new life, to a life He did not live before He was incarnate. He rose to a life that had never been before; and His resurrection means for us that we are raised to His risen life, not to our old life. One day we shall have a body like unto His glorious body, but we can know now the effectiveness of His resurrection and walk in newness of life. "I would know Him in the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings; becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead" (Phil 3:10-11).
" For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him" (John 17:2). "Holy Spirit" is the experimental name for Eternal Life working in human beings here and now. The Holy Spirit is the Deity in proceeding power Who applies the Atonement to our experience. Thank God it is gloriously and majestically true that the Holy Spirit can work in us the very nature of Jesus if we will obey Him.
We have yet fully realized the abundant life we have in Christ. We know theologically that we are a new creation in Christ. But are we living this kind of new life? We admire the way Paul said, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Phil 1:21). But is it our daily experience? Dear Holy Spirit, show me how to realize this kind of life each day. Help me start with my inner desire - not to seek for your provision in life, but to seek you instead. A lot of time, we focus only on the temporal things on earth but not the eternal. We spend time worrying about our daily needs, but not meditating on our relationship with our eternal Provider and Protector. Change our perspectives in life and our operating mindset. Give us a new paradigm because we are truly a new creation in Christ.
Love you because of this new life,
Lawrence
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Devotional 070309
Dear brothers and sisters,
Good Afternoon. We thank God for rain. I think my allergy will be better after the cleansing of rain. Praise the Lord! Lately, a message has been capturing my attention ever since last Thursday. It was a testimony shared by a brother who went to visit a Muslim community in China. The unity of this community had impressed him so much that he wondered why we Christians could not share the same unity in Christ. It is a fact that Christians some how do not get along even though we said we shared the same faith and love in Christ. That's why we have so many different denominations. What divides us? Do we share the same Holy Spirit who lives within us? Yes, we do. Then, why can’t we unite as one family? Muslim believes all Muslims belong to one family. This family tie is so strong that they can risk their lives for other Muslims if they are under attack or danger. Why can’t we do the same? The devotion we read today may give us some insight.
"As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead" (Mark 9:9). Say nothing until the Son of man is risen in you - until the life of the risen Christ so dominates you that you understand what the historic Christ taught. When you get to the right state on the inside, the word that Jesus has spoken is so plain that you are amazed you did not see it before. You could not understand it before; you were not in the place in disposition where the Word of Christ could be borne in you.
Our Lord does not hide these things; they are unbearable until we get into a mature condition of spiritual life. "I have yet many things to say unto you, but you cannot bear them now." There must be communion with His risen life before a particular word can be borne by us. Do we know anything about the impartation of the risen life of Jesus? The evidence that we do is that His word is becoming interpretable to us. God cannot reveal anything to us if we have not His Spirit. An stubborn outlook will effectually hinder God from revealing anything to us. If we have made up our minds about a doctrine or theology, the light of God will come no more to us on that line, we cannot get it. This insensitive stage of mind will end immediately when His resurrection life has its way with us.
"Tell no man…" - so many do tell what they saw on the mount of transfiguration. They have had the vision and they testify to it, but their life does not register with such vision, because the risen life of Christ is not in them yet. I wonder when He is going to be formed in you and in me?
Church history tells us that Protestant churches had been arguing among themselves who were more “correct or dogmatic” than others in their theology, to a point of persecuting one another and dividing the Body of Christ. As a result, Protestant Church has so many different denominations among us. If we have the life of Christ within us, why couldn’t we get along with one another? Unless our theological arguments did not really come out of the risen life of Christ, but was an expression of our self-righteous spirit of pride. Knowledge divides and love unites.
I am the first one to repent when I made such statement. I need to remind myself from time to time not falling into this snare of Satan. Jesus said, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand” (Matt 12:25). If Christians continued to fall into this trap of self-righteousness, we will not be able to stand against the satanic force that swift through the Christian world today. If we all shared the risen life of Christ, let’s listen carefully to the prayer of Christ before He went to the cross, “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one” (John 17:20-22). As we entered into the Easter week, let’s be reminded of the fact that Jesus went to the cross for the sake of our union with God and with one another. Remember. The New Commandment from Christ is to "love one another."
Love you because of His command,
Lawrence
Good Afternoon. We thank God for rain. I think my allergy will be better after the cleansing of rain. Praise the Lord! Lately, a message has been capturing my attention ever since last Thursday. It was a testimony shared by a brother who went to visit a Muslim community in China. The unity of this community had impressed him so much that he wondered why we Christians could not share the same unity in Christ. It is a fact that Christians some how do not get along even though we said we shared the same faith and love in Christ. That's why we have so many different denominations. What divides us? Do we share the same Holy Spirit who lives within us? Yes, we do. Then, why can’t we unite as one family? Muslim believes all Muslims belong to one family. This family tie is so strong that they can risk their lives for other Muslims if they are under attack or danger. Why can’t we do the same? The devotion we read today may give us some insight.
"As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead" (Mark 9:9). Say nothing until the Son of man is risen in you - until the life of the risen Christ so dominates you that you understand what the historic Christ taught. When you get to the right state on the inside, the word that Jesus has spoken is so plain that you are amazed you did not see it before. You could not understand it before; you were not in the place in disposition where the Word of Christ could be borne in you.
Our Lord does not hide these things; they are unbearable until we get into a mature condition of spiritual life. "I have yet many things to say unto you, but you cannot bear them now." There must be communion with His risen life before a particular word can be borne by us. Do we know anything about the impartation of the risen life of Jesus? The evidence that we do is that His word is becoming interpretable to us. God cannot reveal anything to us if we have not His Spirit. An stubborn outlook will effectually hinder God from revealing anything to us. If we have made up our minds about a doctrine or theology, the light of God will come no more to us on that line, we cannot get it. This insensitive stage of mind will end immediately when His resurrection life has its way with us.
"Tell no man…" - so many do tell what they saw on the mount of transfiguration. They have had the vision and they testify to it, but their life does not register with such vision, because the risen life of Christ is not in them yet. I wonder when He is going to be formed in you and in me?
Church history tells us that Protestant churches had been arguing among themselves who were more “correct or dogmatic” than others in their theology, to a point of persecuting one another and dividing the Body of Christ. As a result, Protestant Church has so many different denominations among us. If we have the life of Christ within us, why couldn’t we get along with one another? Unless our theological arguments did not really come out of the risen life of Christ, but was an expression of our self-righteous spirit of pride. Knowledge divides and love unites.
I am the first one to repent when I made such statement. I need to remind myself from time to time not falling into this snare of Satan. Jesus said, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand” (Matt 12:25). If Christians continued to fall into this trap of self-righteousness, we will not be able to stand against the satanic force that swift through the Christian world today. If we all shared the risen life of Christ, let’s listen carefully to the prayer of Christ before He went to the cross, “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one” (John 17:20-22). As we entered into the Easter week, let’s be reminded of the fact that Jesus went to the cross for the sake of our union with God and with one another. Remember. The New Commandment from Christ is to "love one another."
Love you because of His command,
Lawrence
Monday, April 6, 2009
Devotional 060409
Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. It is good to have an extra day of rest to spend with the Lord because of our budget crisis. In order to trim our general fund shortage, our office has to implement ‘no pay leave’ policy for headquarters staff. Therefore, every month I have two special days off. Praise the Lord! I need time to really rest in Christ.
"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed" (1 Peter 2:24). The Cross of Jesus is the revelation of God's judgment on sin. Never tolerate the idea of martyrdom about the Cross of Jesus Christ. The Cross was a superb triumph in which the foundations of hell were shaken. There is nothing more certain in Time or Eternity than what Jesus Christ did on the Cross: He switched the whole of the human race back into a right relationship with God. He made Redemption the basis of human life, that is, He made a way for every son of man to get into communion with God.
The Cross did not happen to Jesus: He came on purpose for it. He is "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." The whole meaning of the Incarnation is the Cross. Beware of separating God manifest in the flesh from the Son becoming sin. The Incarnation was for the purpose of Redemption. God became incarnate for the purpose of putting away sin; not for the purpose of Self-realization. The Cross is the centre of Time and of Eternity, the answer to the mystery of both.
The Cross is not the cross of a man but the Cross of God, and the Cross of God can never be realized in human experience. The Cross is the exhibition of the nature of God, the gateway whereby any individual of the human race can enter into union with God. When we get to the Cross, we do not go through it; we abide in the life to which the Cross is the gateway.
The centre of salvation is the Cross of Jesus, and the reason it is so easy to obtain salvation is because it cost God so much. The Cross is the point where God and sinful man merge with a crash and the way to life is opened - but the crash is on the heart of God.
Thank God for taking the wound of our sins to Himself. He bore our pain and condemnations. The general impression of God in most human religions is angry and serious – it reflects the reaction of the sinful nature of man. Adam and Eve might have passed on to their children that God was a mean and terrible God because He kicked them out of the Garden of Eden, and never allowed them to re-enter His heaven again. It was true if the Bible stops at chapter three of Genesis. But what human beings did not know was the fact that God reached out to mankind ever since in order to bring them back to eternal Garden of Eden. After all the human effort failed, God came into the world to rescue man to Himself again. This is what the cross is all about. And this is the most precious gifts that we can receive from the Lord. Praise His holy name.
Hope you will find time to spend with your savior and your Father today.
Love you in Christ,
Lawrence
Good morning. It is good to have an extra day of rest to spend with the Lord because of our budget crisis. In order to trim our general fund shortage, our office has to implement ‘no pay leave’ policy for headquarters staff. Therefore, every month I have two special days off. Praise the Lord! I need time to really rest in Christ.
"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed" (1 Peter 2:24). The Cross of Jesus is the revelation of God's judgment on sin. Never tolerate the idea of martyrdom about the Cross of Jesus Christ. The Cross was a superb triumph in which the foundations of hell were shaken. There is nothing more certain in Time or Eternity than what Jesus Christ did on the Cross: He switched the whole of the human race back into a right relationship with God. He made Redemption the basis of human life, that is, He made a way for every son of man to get into communion with God.
The Cross did not happen to Jesus: He came on purpose for it. He is "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." The whole meaning of the Incarnation is the Cross. Beware of separating God manifest in the flesh from the Son becoming sin. The Incarnation was for the purpose of Redemption. God became incarnate for the purpose of putting away sin; not for the purpose of Self-realization. The Cross is the centre of Time and of Eternity, the answer to the mystery of both.
The Cross is not the cross of a man but the Cross of God, and the Cross of God can never be realized in human experience. The Cross is the exhibition of the nature of God, the gateway whereby any individual of the human race can enter into union with God. When we get to the Cross, we do not go through it; we abide in the life to which the Cross is the gateway.
The centre of salvation is the Cross of Jesus, and the reason it is so easy to obtain salvation is because it cost God so much. The Cross is the point where God and sinful man merge with a crash and the way to life is opened - but the crash is on the heart of God.
Thank God for taking the wound of our sins to Himself. He bore our pain and condemnations. The general impression of God in most human religions is angry and serious – it reflects the reaction of the sinful nature of man. Adam and Eve might have passed on to their children that God was a mean and terrible God because He kicked them out of the Garden of Eden, and never allowed them to re-enter His heaven again. It was true if the Bible stops at chapter three of Genesis. But what human beings did not know was the fact that God reached out to mankind ever since in order to bring them back to eternal Garden of Eden. After all the human effort failed, God came into the world to rescue man to Himself again. This is what the cross is all about. And this is the most precious gifts that we can receive from the Lord. Praise His holy name.
Hope you will find time to spend with your savior and your Father today.
Love you in Christ,
Lawrence
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Preahed at Chinese Church in Christ
The Chinese Church in Christ at Milpitas is a multi-lingual and multi-congregational church like ours. We appreciated the opportunity to speak at their Cantonese congregation. This church focuses on discipleship and Great Commission. It is a vibrant and growing church. Praise the Lord!
Friday, April 3, 2009
Devotional 030409
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Good morning. It is exuberance to engage the world with Christ. We know that God has a plan for each individual in this planet earth. And His plan is to have each one of us enjoy our lives with Him to the fullest. And the best way to do it is by ‘show and tell.’ Show the world how it is like to have an intimate relationship with Christ; to show how a life may be different from the one without Christ? Every religion on earth demonstrates the kind of ‘god’ that they believe. Every believer is a show case of their Bible, no matter whether they actually live according to the teaching of the Bible or not. Therefore, we are called to bear fruits for God. And the way to do it is to abide in Him each day. Our Lord Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing… You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last” (John 15:5, 16a). We are engaging a world that is overwhelmed by information. People can be lost to find God in the midst of different theology or messages about God that they can easily access on Internet. But they will definitely observe the lives of their neighbors or coworkers, who appear to have a different perspective on life and of ‘god,’ especially during this economic down time. They want to find out how their lives could be so peaceful and joyful when there is absolutely nothing in the world to call for them. You may spark off their interest, and God may use this curiosity to bring them closer to His love. Amen? Let’s look at our devotional reading of today…
"If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace--but now it is hidden from your eyes" (Luke 19:42). Jesus had entered into Jerusalem in triumph, the city was stirred to its foundations; but a strange god was there, the pride of Pharisee; it was religious and upright, but a ‘white grave’ or ‘glorified hypocrisy.’
What is it that blinds me in this "my day"? Have I blinded by a strange god - not a disgusting monster, but a self-centered nature that rules me? More than once God has brought me face to face with the strange god that I thought I should have to yield, but I did not do it. I got through the crisis by the skin of my teeth and I find myself in the possession of the strange god still; I am blind to the things, which belong to my peace. It is an appalling thing that we can be in the place where the Spirit of God should be getting at us unhinderedly, but on the other hand, increases our condemnation in God's sight.
"If you had only known" - God goes directly to the heart, with the tears of Jesus behind. These words imply we deserve the blame; God holds us responsible for what we do not see. "Now it is hidden from your eyes " – it is because our attitude and nature have never been yielded to God. The unfathomable sadness and regret of the "might have been!" God never opens doors that have been closed. But He opens other doors for us, and He reminds us that there are doors, which we have shut because of our ignorance, doors that never should have been shut; and imaginations that never should have been too slow to discern His work. Therefore, never be afraid when God brings back the past. Let memory serves as a minister of God that brings us rebuke, discipline and sorrow. God will turn the regret of "might have been" into a wonderful lesson for the future.
This is a difficult reading from Chambers; not only the way he tried to express his insight from the passage, but the message itself is hard to comprehend. It reminds me of my old nature, blind spot or ‘strange god like the way Chamber described,” that could blind me from seeing the work of God around me. Sometimes we refused God’s open doors because we lacked of courage and faith. Sometimes we relentlessly sought the doors that God had closed because of our desires or ignorance. God allows us to make mistake provided that we learned from our mistake. Otherwise, we will be continuously blinded or fooled by our own nature or old self. Reflection is a way to deliver us from the bondage of this strange god hidden in our old self. We need to uncover them by looking back to our past and ask God to reveal to us how we had misinterpreted His will. Unfortunately, many Christians are too busy to engage in self-reflection or meditation. In another word, they seldom spend time with God but allow their “strange gods” to dictate their perspective or interpretation of God’s will for their lives. Our Holy Spirit determines to show us God’s open doors and closed doors. He will continuously help us understand God’s will because this is His Nature. What we need to do is to stop justifying our self-centeredness, and submit to the Word of God. By nurturing our desire and passion for God by abiding in Him each day, I believe we will be able to discern the leadership of God more effectively.
Hope you have a nice weekend to enjoy the presence and love of God.
Your brother in Christ,
Lawrence
Good morning. It is exuberance to engage the world with Christ. We know that God has a plan for each individual in this planet earth. And His plan is to have each one of us enjoy our lives with Him to the fullest. And the best way to do it is by ‘show and tell.’ Show the world how it is like to have an intimate relationship with Christ; to show how a life may be different from the one without Christ? Every religion on earth demonstrates the kind of ‘god’ that they believe. Every believer is a show case of their Bible, no matter whether they actually live according to the teaching of the Bible or not. Therefore, we are called to bear fruits for God. And the way to do it is to abide in Him each day. Our Lord Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing… You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last” (John 15:5, 16a). We are engaging a world that is overwhelmed by information. People can be lost to find God in the midst of different theology or messages about God that they can easily access on Internet. But they will definitely observe the lives of their neighbors or coworkers, who appear to have a different perspective on life and of ‘god,’ especially during this economic down time. They want to find out how their lives could be so peaceful and joyful when there is absolutely nothing in the world to call for them. You may spark off their interest, and God may use this curiosity to bring them closer to His love. Amen? Let’s look at our devotional reading of today…
"If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace--but now it is hidden from your eyes" (Luke 19:42). Jesus had entered into Jerusalem in triumph, the city was stirred to its foundations; but a strange god was there, the pride of Pharisee; it was religious and upright, but a ‘white grave’ or ‘glorified hypocrisy.’
What is it that blinds me in this "my day"? Have I blinded by a strange god - not a disgusting monster, but a self-centered nature that rules me? More than once God has brought me face to face with the strange god that I thought I should have to yield, but I did not do it. I got through the crisis by the skin of my teeth and I find myself in the possession of the strange god still; I am blind to the things, which belong to my peace. It is an appalling thing that we can be in the place where the Spirit of God should be getting at us unhinderedly, but on the other hand, increases our condemnation in God's sight.
"If you had only known" - God goes directly to the heart, with the tears of Jesus behind. These words imply we deserve the blame; God holds us responsible for what we do not see. "Now it is hidden from your eyes " – it is because our attitude and nature have never been yielded to God. The unfathomable sadness and regret of the "might have been!" God never opens doors that have been closed. But He opens other doors for us, and He reminds us that there are doors, which we have shut because of our ignorance, doors that never should have been shut; and imaginations that never should have been too slow to discern His work. Therefore, never be afraid when God brings back the past. Let memory serves as a minister of God that brings us rebuke, discipline and sorrow. God will turn the regret of "might have been" into a wonderful lesson for the future.
This is a difficult reading from Chambers; not only the way he tried to express his insight from the passage, but the message itself is hard to comprehend. It reminds me of my old nature, blind spot or ‘strange god like the way Chamber described,” that could blind me from seeing the work of God around me. Sometimes we refused God’s open doors because we lacked of courage and faith. Sometimes we relentlessly sought the doors that God had closed because of our desires or ignorance. God allows us to make mistake provided that we learned from our mistake. Otherwise, we will be continuously blinded or fooled by our own nature or old self. Reflection is a way to deliver us from the bondage of this strange god hidden in our old self. We need to uncover them by looking back to our past and ask God to reveal to us how we had misinterpreted His will. Unfortunately, many Christians are too busy to engage in self-reflection or meditation. In another word, they seldom spend time with God but allow their “strange gods” to dictate their perspective or interpretation of God’s will for their lives. Our Holy Spirit determines to show us God’s open doors and closed doors. He will continuously help us understand God’s will because this is His Nature. What we need to do is to stop justifying our self-centeredness, and submit to the Word of God. By nurturing our desire and passion for God by abiding in Him each day, I believe we will be able to discern the leadership of God more effectively.
Hope you have a nice weekend to enjoy the presence and love of God.
Your brother in Christ,
Lawrence
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Devotional 020409
Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. It is a short day for our office, therefore, I could run some errand before I came to office. Life is good when you choose to walk with your Maker. Every little thing could remind you of the grace of God. We don’t deserve to live. Our existence came not because of our parents but because of God. There are so many people rushing on the road each day. They are busily pursuing ‘things’ in life. But do they know what they exist for? Many are simply too busy to ask such question. What about the children of God like us? Are we too busy to ‘run’ our lives but never pause to ask our meaning in doing all these?
"Brother Saul, the Lord--Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here--has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 9:17). When Paul received his sight, he received spiritually an insight into the Person of Jesus Christ, and the whole of his subsequent life and preaching was nothing but Jesus Christ - "I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified." No attraction was ever allowed to hold the mind and soul of Paul save the face of Jesus Christ.
We have to learn to maintain an unimpaired state of character up to the last notch revealed in the vision of Jesus Christ. The abiding characteristic of a spiritual man is the interpretation of the Lord Jesus Christ to himself, and the interpretation to others of the purposes of God. The one concentrated passion of the life is Jesus Christ. Whenever you meet this note in a man, you feel he is a man after God's own heart.
Never allow anything to detour you from insight into Jesus Christ. It is the test of whether you are spiritual or not. To be unspiritual means that other things have a growing fascination for you than Christ Himself.
The question: “what would Jesus do?” came to my mind every now and then. It usually came when I was confronted with a situation where I was not sure how to react. There are many grey areas in life that we don’t really know what to do and say. The Bible did not give us black and white guideline to all situations. We need to exercise our discretion or discernment by asking ourselves this very question: “what would Jesus do if He were put in this situation.” Paul said, “Everything is permissible for me--but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me--but I will not be mastered by anything” (1 Cor 6:12). On one hand, Paul did not want to be dogmatic in some cultural practice that the Corinthians accustomed to, like food and festivity celebration etc. But on the other hand, he gave the church a very broad but essential guideline: 1) is it beneficial to me physically, spiritually and socially? Sometimes, we have to consider the benefit of others who could be stumbled by my freedom (1 Cor 8:9). 2) Will I be bonded or dictated or hooked up by it? There is only one Master whom I can’t live without. Everything else on earth becomes secondary. This is the kind of focus of passion that our Lord demanded from His disciples. That’s why He said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26-27).
May you consume your passion onto the Lord, and pursue Him more than anything else on earth. Yes, there is room for romance, family relationship, friendship and fellowship. But we don’t let those dictate or master your life. Therefore, never make your spouse, children, parent, teacher or pastor become your god. None deserve your worship than Jesus Christ our Lord. It is not a fanatic or extreme religiosity. It is a value system that will give us a healthy perspective on our relationship in the world.
Love you because of His love in me,
Lawrence
Good morning. It is a short day for our office, therefore, I could run some errand before I came to office. Life is good when you choose to walk with your Maker. Every little thing could remind you of the grace of God. We don’t deserve to live. Our existence came not because of our parents but because of God. There are so many people rushing on the road each day. They are busily pursuing ‘things’ in life. But do they know what they exist for? Many are simply too busy to ask such question. What about the children of God like us? Are we too busy to ‘run’ our lives but never pause to ask our meaning in doing all these?
"Brother Saul, the Lord--Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here--has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 9:17). When Paul received his sight, he received spiritually an insight into the Person of Jesus Christ, and the whole of his subsequent life and preaching was nothing but Jesus Christ - "I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified." No attraction was ever allowed to hold the mind and soul of Paul save the face of Jesus Christ.
We have to learn to maintain an unimpaired state of character up to the last notch revealed in the vision of Jesus Christ. The abiding characteristic of a spiritual man is the interpretation of the Lord Jesus Christ to himself, and the interpretation to others of the purposes of God. The one concentrated passion of the life is Jesus Christ. Whenever you meet this note in a man, you feel he is a man after God's own heart.
Never allow anything to detour you from insight into Jesus Christ. It is the test of whether you are spiritual or not. To be unspiritual means that other things have a growing fascination for you than Christ Himself.
The question: “what would Jesus do?” came to my mind every now and then. It usually came when I was confronted with a situation where I was not sure how to react. There are many grey areas in life that we don’t really know what to do and say. The Bible did not give us black and white guideline to all situations. We need to exercise our discretion or discernment by asking ourselves this very question: “what would Jesus do if He were put in this situation.” Paul said, “Everything is permissible for me--but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me--but I will not be mastered by anything” (1 Cor 6:12). On one hand, Paul did not want to be dogmatic in some cultural practice that the Corinthians accustomed to, like food and festivity celebration etc. But on the other hand, he gave the church a very broad but essential guideline: 1) is it beneficial to me physically, spiritually and socially? Sometimes, we have to consider the benefit of others who could be stumbled by my freedom (1 Cor 8:9). 2) Will I be bonded or dictated or hooked up by it? There is only one Master whom I can’t live without. Everything else on earth becomes secondary. This is the kind of focus of passion that our Lord demanded from His disciples. That’s why He said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26-27).
May you consume your passion onto the Lord, and pursue Him more than anything else on earth. Yes, there is room for romance, family relationship, friendship and fellowship. But we don’t let those dictate or master your life. Therefore, never make your spouse, children, parent, teacher or pastor become your god. None deserve your worship than Jesus Christ our Lord. It is not a fanatic or extreme religiosity. It is a value system that will give us a healthy perspective on our relationship in the world.
Love you because of His love in me,
Lawrence
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Devotional 010409
Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. Thank God for another beautiful day. As I watched the Nature, it reminded me that the work of the Holy Spirit might not be visible by human eyesight just as I couldn’t really see how the wind blew. I saw waving trees and flying flags, which showed me the direction and strength of wind. Our Lord Jesus used similar illustration to explain to Nicodemus concerning the work of the Spirit, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit” (John 3:8). We don’t exactly know how the Spirit works in our world today. But when we see many people who have dedicated their lives to serve God in global missions, we know the Spirit is moving Chinese churches toward the direction of cross-cultural missions. It is about time for Chinese Christians worldwide to answer this mission call. It is time for Christian professionals to seriously consider how they can become bi-vocational missionaries to serve God overseas. Let’s begin with intercession for one another toward this direction.
"He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will...Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us" (Romans 8:27, 34). Do we need any more argument than this to become intercessors - that Christ "is also interceding for us;" that the Holy Spirit " intercedes for the saints "? Are we living in such a vital relationship to our fellow men that we do the work of intercession as the Spirit-taught children of God? Begin with the circumstances we are in - our homes, our workplace, our country, and the present crisis as it touches us and others - are these things crushing us? Are they pushing us out of the presence of God and leaving us no time for worship? Then let us call a halt, and get into such living relationship with God that our relationship to others may be maintained on the line of intercession whereby God works His marvels.
Beware of outstripping God by your very longing to do His will. We run ahead of Him in a thousand and one activities, consequently we get so burdened with persons and with difficulties that we do not worship God, we do not intercede. If once the burden and the pressure come upon us and we are not in the worshipping attitude, it will produce not only hardness toward God but despair in our own souls. God continually introduces us to people for whom we have no similarity, and unless we are worshipping God, the most natural thing to do is to treat them heartlessly, to give them a text like the poke of a spear, or leave them with a rapped-out counsel of God and go. A heartless Christian must be a terrible grief to Our Lord.
Are we in the direct line of the intercession of our Lord and of the Holy Spirit? Chamber’s message is a challenge for myself. I need to dedicate more time to intercede for those people that God has put in my heart; I need to spend more time to pray for those missionary applicants. Many of them are in the process of discerning God’s guidance; applying visa, or doing fundraising. They are at the crossroad of not knowing when and where they should proceed. They may be anxious, frustrated, confused and worry. They certainly need our prayers for them. Will you draw close to the Lord in worship and listen attentively of His prayer for these brothers and sisters, and pray accordingly for them?
Love you in the family of God,
Lawrence
Good morning. Thank God for another beautiful day. As I watched the Nature, it reminded me that the work of the Holy Spirit might not be visible by human eyesight just as I couldn’t really see how the wind blew. I saw waving trees and flying flags, which showed me the direction and strength of wind. Our Lord Jesus used similar illustration to explain to Nicodemus concerning the work of the Spirit, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit” (John 3:8). We don’t exactly know how the Spirit works in our world today. But when we see many people who have dedicated their lives to serve God in global missions, we know the Spirit is moving Chinese churches toward the direction of cross-cultural missions. It is about time for Chinese Christians worldwide to answer this mission call. It is time for Christian professionals to seriously consider how they can become bi-vocational missionaries to serve God overseas. Let’s begin with intercession for one another toward this direction.
"He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will...Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us" (Romans 8:27, 34). Do we need any more argument than this to become intercessors - that Christ "is also interceding for us;" that the Holy Spirit " intercedes for the saints "? Are we living in such a vital relationship to our fellow men that we do the work of intercession as the Spirit-taught children of God? Begin with the circumstances we are in - our homes, our workplace, our country, and the present crisis as it touches us and others - are these things crushing us? Are they pushing us out of the presence of God and leaving us no time for worship? Then let us call a halt, and get into such living relationship with God that our relationship to others may be maintained on the line of intercession whereby God works His marvels.
Beware of outstripping God by your very longing to do His will. We run ahead of Him in a thousand and one activities, consequently we get so burdened with persons and with difficulties that we do not worship God, we do not intercede. If once the burden and the pressure come upon us and we are not in the worshipping attitude, it will produce not only hardness toward God but despair in our own souls. God continually introduces us to people for whom we have no similarity, and unless we are worshipping God, the most natural thing to do is to treat them heartlessly, to give them a text like the poke of a spear, or leave them with a rapped-out counsel of God and go. A heartless Christian must be a terrible grief to Our Lord.
Are we in the direct line of the intercession of our Lord and of the Holy Spirit? Chamber’s message is a challenge for myself. I need to dedicate more time to intercede for those people that God has put in my heart; I need to spend more time to pray for those missionary applicants. Many of them are in the process of discerning God’s guidance; applying visa, or doing fundraising. They are at the crossroad of not knowing when and where they should proceed. They may be anxious, frustrated, confused and worry. They certainly need our prayers for them. Will you draw close to the Lord in worship and listen attentively of His prayer for these brothers and sisters, and pray accordingly for them?
Love you in the family of God,
Lawrence
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