Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. Thanks for praying for my ministry at a summer retreat. If you visit my blog you will see some of the pictures I took since last weekend. It was a pleasure to witness God’s work in the lives of different brothers and sisters; hearing their struggles and stories reaffirmed the fact that our sweet Holy Spirit is always active in the lives of His children and in His church. I enjoyed some quiet time I had with the Lord in the beautiful campground of Redwood Christian Park, and the fellowship I had with this lovely group of people who seeks to become the community of the cross.
"Quench not the Spirit" (1 Thessalonians 5:19). The voice of the Spirit is as gentle as a light breeze, so gentle that unless you are living in perfect communion with God, you never hear it. The checks of the Spirit come in the most extraordinarily gentle ways, and if you are not sensitive enough to detect His voice you will quench it, and your personal spiritual life will be impaired. His checks always come as a still small voice, so small that no one but the saint notices them.
Beware if in personal testimony you have to look back and say - "Once, so many years ago, I was saved." If you are walking in the light, there is no looking back, the past is transfused into the present wonder of communion with God. If you get out of the light you become a sentimental Christian and live on memories, your testimony has a hard, metallic note. Beware of trying to patch up a present refusal to walk in the light by recalling past experiences when you did walk in the light. Whenever the Spirit checks, call a halt and get the thing right, or you will go on grieving Him without knowing it.
Suppose God has brought you up to a crisis and you nearly go through but not quite, He will engineer the crisis again, but it will not be as obvious as it was before. There will be less discernment of God and more humiliation at not having obeyed; and if you go on grieving the Spirit, there will come a time when that crisis cannot be repeated, you have grieved Him away. But if you go through the crisis, there will be the rise of praise to God. Never sympathize with the thing that is hurting God all the time. God has to remove all our sharp edges in life.
God never stops working in the life of His beloved. Sometimes we wished God would slow down His shaping work in our lives, but He would not. The author of Hebrews said, “The Lord disciplines those he loves…” (Heb 12:6). When we go through His discipline, we should have full confidence in His love and wisdom. He knows better than we know ourselves. God wants to give us the best in life. He wants to shapes us to the kind of person that will bring joy to Him, to ourselves and to others. A life in God’s hands is a life with many scars; those scars are like scars that a skillful designer cuts on a piece of raw diamond, for the purpose of bringing out its beauty. The hardship you have gone through in life represents the beauty of character that God wants to shape you through it. Remind us O Lord of your love, so that we can rejoice in the dark light of our souls, celebrate in the midst of suffering, serene in the middle of storm, hope in the midst of crisis. This is Christian living and this is Christian joy, “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior” (Habakkuk 3:17-18). Rejoice in the Lord, my beloved brothers and sisters. God is with you always…
Love you for His delights,
Lawrence
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Summer retreat of Chinese United Methodist Church
Thanks for praying for my preaching at CUMC retreat. It was fun to share the word of God with a very lovely group of brothers and sisters. I have seldom seen a church retreat that runs for five days long. And the attendance was pretty good too. I enjoyed preaching to the Cantonese adults and the English youth and young adults as well. Praise the Lord!Sunday, August 9, 2009
What a hot weekend!
What a hot summer picnic! It looks like everybody enjoyed the fun and food together. Praise God for a great family time!
Sunday begins my preaching ministry with Chinese United Methodist Church retreat. Will give you more pictures after we go to Christian Redwood Park.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Devotional 070809
Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. I have been extremely busy in trying to meet many deadlines for conferences, sermons, seminary studies, work projects and annual evaluations. I wished I had more than 24 hours per day. But God is fair and kind; He only gives each one of us the same amount of time, and holds us accountable to work within that time frame. Therefore, we learn to work faithfully with the best of our knowledge as a good steward, and rest faithfully to acknowledge who is God, just as the Lord said, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).
"Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" (Luke 2:49) Our Lord's childhood was not immature man-hood; our Lord's childhood is an eternal fact. Am I a holy innocent child of God by identification with my Lord and Savior? Do I look upon life as being in my Father's house? Is the Son of God living in His Father's house in me?
The abiding Reality is God, and His order comes through the moments. Am I always in contact with Reality, or do I only pray when things have gone wrong, when there is a disturbance in the moments of my life? I have to learn to identify myself with my Lord in Holy Communion in ways some of us have not begun to learn as yet. "I had to be in my Father's house " - live the moments in My Father's house.
Narrow it down to your individual circumstances - are you so identified with the Lord's life that you are simply a child of God, continually talking to Him and realizing that all things come from His hands? Is the Eternal Child in you living in the Father's house? Are the graces of His work flow through you in your home, in your business, in your inner circle? Have you been wondering why you are going through the things you are? It is not that you have to go through them; it is because of the relation into which the Son of God has come in accordance to the Will of God for your sanctification. Let Him be the Lord of your life, and keep in perfect union with Him.
The redemptive life of your Lord should become your vital simple life; the way He worked and lived among men must be the way He lives in and through you. This is how our Lord’s “incarnation” continues to take place through His Body on earth. “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Each member of the Body of Christ must be closely connected with the Head and one another, before this Body can fully effective in living out the life of Christ on earth.
Satan knew he lost his significant battle on the cross. Many of his “prisoners or slaves” had been delivered from his domain since then. In order to slow down his final judgment, he will do whatever he can to reduce the effectiveness of the church on earth. Satan knows the compassion of Christ for the lost, and he knows the love of God, “who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). Therefore if the church fails to live out the life of Christ on earth, Satan will prolong his evil influence in this world and within the hearts of all men. We will see more suffering, human disasters, horrible tragedies among men, severely domestic violence, lawlessness, senseless and cold blooded killing, and evil will continue to rise. Governments will only compromise their laws to accommodate evil because of their helplessness. In deed, we are helpless in curtailing evil on earth. There is only one way to resist and overcome evil on earth, and it is by the work of the Holy Spirit, through the Body of Christ on earth. Let’s pray that God will give us a revival for His church like He did for His people in Ezekiel’s time, “This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: ‘I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord…Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them’” (Ezekiel 37:5-6, 13). Somehow God chose to use a messenger to ignite this miracle; unless the Prophet obeyed to proclaim accordingly, revival would not take place. God posted the same challenge for the church today. Will you obey what the Lord has already spoken to you?
Have a blessed and fruitful weekend in enjoying the presence of God!
Love you because of His love,
Lawrence
Good morning. I have been extremely busy in trying to meet many deadlines for conferences, sermons, seminary studies, work projects and annual evaluations. I wished I had more than 24 hours per day. But God is fair and kind; He only gives each one of us the same amount of time, and holds us accountable to work within that time frame. Therefore, we learn to work faithfully with the best of our knowledge as a good steward, and rest faithfully to acknowledge who is God, just as the Lord said, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).
"Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" (Luke 2:49) Our Lord's childhood was not immature man-hood; our Lord's childhood is an eternal fact. Am I a holy innocent child of God by identification with my Lord and Savior? Do I look upon life as being in my Father's house? Is the Son of God living in His Father's house in me?
The abiding Reality is God, and His order comes through the moments. Am I always in contact with Reality, or do I only pray when things have gone wrong, when there is a disturbance in the moments of my life? I have to learn to identify myself with my Lord in Holy Communion in ways some of us have not begun to learn as yet. "I had to be in my Father's house " - live the moments in My Father's house.
Narrow it down to your individual circumstances - are you so identified with the Lord's life that you are simply a child of God, continually talking to Him and realizing that all things come from His hands? Is the Eternal Child in you living in the Father's house? Are the graces of His work flow through you in your home, in your business, in your inner circle? Have you been wondering why you are going through the things you are? It is not that you have to go through them; it is because of the relation into which the Son of God has come in accordance to the Will of God for your sanctification. Let Him be the Lord of your life, and keep in perfect union with Him.
The redemptive life of your Lord should become your vital simple life; the way He worked and lived among men must be the way He lives in and through you. This is how our Lord’s “incarnation” continues to take place through His Body on earth. “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Each member of the Body of Christ must be closely connected with the Head and one another, before this Body can fully effective in living out the life of Christ on earth.
Satan knew he lost his significant battle on the cross. Many of his “prisoners or slaves” had been delivered from his domain since then. In order to slow down his final judgment, he will do whatever he can to reduce the effectiveness of the church on earth. Satan knows the compassion of Christ for the lost, and he knows the love of God, “who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). Therefore if the church fails to live out the life of Christ on earth, Satan will prolong his evil influence in this world and within the hearts of all men. We will see more suffering, human disasters, horrible tragedies among men, severely domestic violence, lawlessness, senseless and cold blooded killing, and evil will continue to rise. Governments will only compromise their laws to accommodate evil because of their helplessness. In deed, we are helpless in curtailing evil on earth. There is only one way to resist and overcome evil on earth, and it is by the work of the Holy Spirit, through the Body of Christ on earth. Let’s pray that God will give us a revival for His church like He did for His people in Ezekiel’s time, “This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: ‘I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord…Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them’” (Ezekiel 37:5-6, 13). Somehow God chose to use a messenger to ignite this miracle; unless the Prophet obeyed to proclaim accordingly, revival would not take place. God posted the same challenge for the church today. Will you obey what the Lord has already spoken to you?
Have a blessed and fruitful weekend in enjoying the presence of God!
Love you because of His love,
Lawrence
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Devotional 060809
Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. Thank God for another beautiful day in Daly City that, I can sit in my sun lighted kitchen to enjoy my meditation of God’s words and prayer. It is such a peaceful, lovely and re-charging moment that I really need. God is always here rain or shine. The problem is whether we are willing to spend time with Him or not.
"In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf" (John 16:26). We are too much given to thinking of the Cross as something we have to get through; we get through it only in order to get into it. The Cross stands for one thing only for us - a complete and entire and absolute identification with the Lord Jesus Christ, and there is nothing in which this identification is realized more than in prayer.
"Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him." Then why ask? The idea of prayer is not in order to get answers from God; prayer is perfect and complete oneness with God. If we pray because we want answers, we will get huffed with God. The answers come every time, but not always in the way we expect, and our spiritual huff shows a refusal to identify ourselves with Our Lord in prayer. We are not here to prove God answers prayer; we are here to be living monuments of God's grace.
"I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God" (v. 26-27) Have you reached such an intimacy with God that the Lord Jesus Christ's life of prayer is the only explanation of your life of prayer? Has Our Lord's vicarious life become your vital life? "In that day" you will be so identified with Jesus that there will be no distinction.
When prayer seems to be unanswered, beware of trying to fix the blame on someone else. That is always a snare of Satan. You will find there is a reason which is a deep instruction to you, not to anyone else.
Unanswered prayer is an answer from God. When we focus our prayers on a “getting” mode, we will miss the relation aspect of prayer. Prayer is to build intimate relationship with God. That’s why prayer has to be a two way street; we need to speak and listen as well. We don’t choose to listen to what we want to hear or like to hear. We listen with an open mind. And the purpose is not to get what we want, but to enter into a deeper relationship with our Heavenly Father, the Almighty God. There are issues and images that will surface in our mind as we pray. We need to discern whether those are from God or not. In my experience, I will ask the Holy Spirit to show me what He may want me to learn from them, or if they were really from God in the first place. If not, then I would surrender those issues to His care and move on to another conversation with Him.
Sometimes God would surface an issue in my life to remind me of His attributes. Sometimes He would use it to remind me of my hidden sins or blind spots. I would listen quietly before Him in prayer as He showed me what I need to learn. There are numerous times that God only reassured me of His love when I was encountering some pressing issues in ministry or in life. He did not give me specific answer or direction. He just wanted me to know that I was always His beloved because of our Lord Jesus Christ. And it generated enough strength for me to press on in life or in ministry. So takes time to pray and listen what God has to say to you today.
Love you in Christ,
Lawrence
Good morning. Thank God for another beautiful day in Daly City that, I can sit in my sun lighted kitchen to enjoy my meditation of God’s words and prayer. It is such a peaceful, lovely and re-charging moment that I really need. God is always here rain or shine. The problem is whether we are willing to spend time with Him or not.
"In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf" (John 16:26). We are too much given to thinking of the Cross as something we have to get through; we get through it only in order to get into it. The Cross stands for one thing only for us - a complete and entire and absolute identification with the Lord Jesus Christ, and there is nothing in which this identification is realized more than in prayer.
"Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him." Then why ask? The idea of prayer is not in order to get answers from God; prayer is perfect and complete oneness with God. If we pray because we want answers, we will get huffed with God. The answers come every time, but not always in the way we expect, and our spiritual huff shows a refusal to identify ourselves with Our Lord in prayer. We are not here to prove God answers prayer; we are here to be living monuments of God's grace.
"I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God" (v. 26-27) Have you reached such an intimacy with God that the Lord Jesus Christ's life of prayer is the only explanation of your life of prayer? Has Our Lord's vicarious life become your vital life? "In that day" you will be so identified with Jesus that there will be no distinction.
When prayer seems to be unanswered, beware of trying to fix the blame on someone else. That is always a snare of Satan. You will find there is a reason which is a deep instruction to you, not to anyone else.
Unanswered prayer is an answer from God. When we focus our prayers on a “getting” mode, we will miss the relation aspect of prayer. Prayer is to build intimate relationship with God. That’s why prayer has to be a two way street; we need to speak and listen as well. We don’t choose to listen to what we want to hear or like to hear. We listen with an open mind. And the purpose is not to get what we want, but to enter into a deeper relationship with our Heavenly Father, the Almighty God. There are issues and images that will surface in our mind as we pray. We need to discern whether those are from God or not. In my experience, I will ask the Holy Spirit to show me what He may want me to learn from them, or if they were really from God in the first place. If not, then I would surrender those issues to His care and move on to another conversation with Him.
Sometimes God would surface an issue in my life to remind me of His attributes. Sometimes He would use it to remind me of my hidden sins or blind spots. I would listen quietly before Him in prayer as He showed me what I need to learn. There are numerous times that God only reassured me of His love when I was encountering some pressing issues in ministry or in life. He did not give me specific answer or direction. He just wanted me to know that I was always His beloved because of our Lord Jesus Christ. And it generated enough strength for me to press on in life or in ministry. So takes time to pray and listen what God has to say to you today.
Love you in Christ,
Lawrence
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Devotional 050809
Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. In our staff prayer meeting this morning, our devotional reading came to Romans 10. Apostle Paul made it so clear for his readers a life cycle of discipleship, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent?” (10:13-15) I see a cycle that goes like this (the cycle goes from 1 to 7 and should return to 1 again) :
1. Obey His commission
2. Preach the gospel
3. Hears the gospel
4. Believe He is risen
5. Confess He is Lord
6. Call upon the Lord
7. Saved by His Grace
The problem we encounter in churches nowadays is that Christians ignore the Great Commission of Christ after they were saved by His Grace. Even though they confessed with their mouth that Christ was their Lord, they did not act according to what they confessed. They did not obey. And when Christians continue to live such inconsistent life, they cease to experience the abundant life in Christ, and they cease to become light and salt of the world. On a contrary, they even stumble others from entering into the Body of Christ. There is a big need for revival today, and let it starts with myself... Have mercy on us O Lord!
"And all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man shall be accomplished . . . And they understood none of these things" (Luke 18:31, 34). God called Jesus Christ to what seemed absolute disaster. Jesus Christ called His disciples to see Him put to death; He led every one of them to the place where their hearts were broken. Jesus Christ's life was an absolute failure from every standpoint but God's. But what seemed failure from man's standpoint was a tremendous triumph from God's, because God's purpose is never man's purpose.
There comes the mysterious call of God in our lives also. The call of God can never be stated explicitly; it is hidden. The call of God is like the call of the sea; no one hears it but the one who has the nature of the sea in him. It cannot be stated definitely what the call of God is to, because His call is to be in partnership with Himself for His own purposes, and the test is to believe that God knows what He is after. The things that happen do not happen by chance, they happen entirely in the decree of God. God is working out His own purposes.
If we are in communion with God and recognize that He is taking us into His purposes, we shall no longer try to find out what His purposes are. As we go on in the Christian life it gets simpler, because we are less inclined to say - Now why did God allow this and that? Behind the whole thing lies the compelling of God. "There's a divinity that shapes our ends." A Christian is one who trusts the intelligence and the wisdom of God, and not his own understanding. If we have a purpose of our own, it destroys the simplicity and the leisureliness which ought to characterize the children of God.
The problem of mankind is that we always think we know better than God; of course, as good Christians we will not explicitly say so. We analyze the work and plan of God. We try to discern with our own common senses, without knowing how limited our common sense or intelligence is in comparing with God’s. Not only we analyze God’s purpose and plan, we make decision as to whether we want to join His plan or not. We calculate the cost and we try to cut a bargain with God from time to time. Just as a disciple said to Jesus, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." But Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead" (Matt 8:21-22). In another word, there is something more important in life to do. You have no clue whether you still alive tomorrow or not. Take advantage of this present moment while you are still alive. Re-prioritize your lives and follow the plan of Christ.
Love you as fellow partners in Christ,
Lawrence
Good morning. In our staff prayer meeting this morning, our devotional reading came to Romans 10. Apostle Paul made it so clear for his readers a life cycle of discipleship, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent?” (10:13-15) I see a cycle that goes like this (the cycle goes from 1 to 7 and should return to 1 again) :
1. Obey His commission
2. Preach the gospel
3. Hears the gospel
4. Believe He is risen
5. Confess He is Lord
6. Call upon the Lord
7. Saved by His Grace
The problem we encounter in churches nowadays is that Christians ignore the Great Commission of Christ after they were saved by His Grace. Even though they confessed with their mouth that Christ was their Lord, they did not act according to what they confessed. They did not obey. And when Christians continue to live such inconsistent life, they cease to experience the abundant life in Christ, and they cease to become light and salt of the world. On a contrary, they even stumble others from entering into the Body of Christ. There is a big need for revival today, and let it starts with myself... Have mercy on us O Lord!
"And all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man shall be accomplished . . . And they understood none of these things" (Luke 18:31, 34). God called Jesus Christ to what seemed absolute disaster. Jesus Christ called His disciples to see Him put to death; He led every one of them to the place where their hearts were broken. Jesus Christ's life was an absolute failure from every standpoint but God's. But what seemed failure from man's standpoint was a tremendous triumph from God's, because God's purpose is never man's purpose.
There comes the mysterious call of God in our lives also. The call of God can never be stated explicitly; it is hidden. The call of God is like the call of the sea; no one hears it but the one who has the nature of the sea in him. It cannot be stated definitely what the call of God is to, because His call is to be in partnership with Himself for His own purposes, and the test is to believe that God knows what He is after. The things that happen do not happen by chance, they happen entirely in the decree of God. God is working out His own purposes.
If we are in communion with God and recognize that He is taking us into His purposes, we shall no longer try to find out what His purposes are. As we go on in the Christian life it gets simpler, because we are less inclined to say - Now why did God allow this and that? Behind the whole thing lies the compelling of God. "There's a divinity that shapes our ends." A Christian is one who trusts the intelligence and the wisdom of God, and not his own understanding. If we have a purpose of our own, it destroys the simplicity and the leisureliness which ought to characterize the children of God.
The problem of mankind is that we always think we know better than God; of course, as good Christians we will not explicitly say so. We analyze the work and plan of God. We try to discern with our own common senses, without knowing how limited our common sense or intelligence is in comparing with God’s. Not only we analyze God’s purpose and plan, we make decision as to whether we want to join His plan or not. We calculate the cost and we try to cut a bargain with God from time to time. Just as a disciple said to Jesus, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." But Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead" (Matt 8:21-22). In another word, there is something more important in life to do. You have no clue whether you still alive tomorrow or not. Take advantage of this present moment while you are still alive. Re-prioritize your lives and follow the plan of Christ.
Love you as fellow partners in Christ,
Lawrence
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Devotional 040809
Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. What a wonderful blessing to see sunshine in Daly City again! Though we have no certainty how long this beautiful weather will last, we simply enjoy it when it is available. Life is full of uncertainty. It is not always filled with sunshine, nor is foggy at all time. No matter how our circumstances may change, we learn to rejoice in the Lord always, because He is the ultimate source of our joy and fulfillment in life. In Him there is no darkness. And in Him we find true security and peace. Let's continue to meditate with Brother Chambers on the same passage we read yesterday.
"Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, "We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled" (Luke 18:31). The bravery of God in trusting us! You say - "But He has been unwise to choose me, because there is nothing in me; I am not of any value." That is why He chose you. As long as you think there is something in you, He cannot choose you because you have ends of your own to serve; but if you have let Him bring you to the end of your self-sufficiency then He can choose you to go with Him to Jerusalem, and that will mean the fulfillment of purposes which He does not discuss with you.
We tend to believe that because a man has natural ability, therefore he will make a good Christian. It is not a question of our strength but of our poverty, not of what we bring with us, but of what God puts into us; not a question of natural virtues of strength of character, knowledge, and experience - all that is of no advantage in this matter. The only thing that avails is that we are taken up into the big missions of God and became His partner. Apostle Paul reminded us of how we became His chosen partners, “Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:26-30). The partnership of God is made up out of men who know their poverty. He can do nothing with the man who thinks that he is great asset to God. As Christians we are not out for our own cause at all, we are out for the cause of God, which can never be our cause. We do not know what God is after, but we have to maintain our relationship with Him whatever happens. We must never allow anything to injure our relationship with God; if it does get injured we must take time and get it put right. The main thing about Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain and the atmosphere produced by that relationship. That is all God asks us to look after, and it is the one thing that is being continually attacked by Satan.
Being a self-centered being, we have a tendency to think how important we are or how much we deserve other’s attention and recognition. Even for those who have inferiority complex or low self-esteem problem, they basically want to think the same way except they are conditioned to express in a contrary manner. They became too absorbed into their negative “self” image (dwell in their negative nutshell), that they even nullify what God can do with or in their lives. Yes. I totally agree with Brother Chambers that we need to fully recognize our inadequacy or insufficiency, before we can partner with God in His grant plan on earth. But this is very different from people who stubbornly refuse God’s work in their lives, simply because they have made up their mind that they are useless. They don’t think God can change such useless person to become His vessel of Grace. They can’t accept God’s grace through other people who offer to help. They just concluded that they know better than God; they are nothing but lowly dirt.
Romans 9:20-21 says, “But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?” If you are truly humble before God, you have no right to nullify how God want to do with your lives. Why can’t you let Him make you a noble vessel, a beautiful person, a gracious channel of His blessing, or a lovely person like angel? God can make you in whatever way He wants, we just let go of our stubborn mindset or our success-driven mentality that interferes with His work.
Let’s walk close to the Lord and learn to truly live a submissive lifestyle for His glory.
Love you by His strength,
Lawrence
Good morning. What a wonderful blessing to see sunshine in Daly City again! Though we have no certainty how long this beautiful weather will last, we simply enjoy it when it is available. Life is full of uncertainty. It is not always filled with sunshine, nor is foggy at all time. No matter how our circumstances may change, we learn to rejoice in the Lord always, because He is the ultimate source of our joy and fulfillment in life. In Him there is no darkness. And in Him we find true security and peace. Let's continue to meditate with Brother Chambers on the same passage we read yesterday.
"Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, "We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled" (Luke 18:31). The bravery of God in trusting us! You say - "But He has been unwise to choose me, because there is nothing in me; I am not of any value." That is why He chose you. As long as you think there is something in you, He cannot choose you because you have ends of your own to serve; but if you have let Him bring you to the end of your self-sufficiency then He can choose you to go with Him to Jerusalem, and that will mean the fulfillment of purposes which He does not discuss with you.
We tend to believe that because a man has natural ability, therefore he will make a good Christian. It is not a question of our strength but of our poverty, not of what we bring with us, but of what God puts into us; not a question of natural virtues of strength of character, knowledge, and experience - all that is of no advantage in this matter. The only thing that avails is that we are taken up into the big missions of God and became His partner. Apostle Paul reminded us of how we became His chosen partners, “Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:26-30). The partnership of God is made up out of men who know their poverty. He can do nothing with the man who thinks that he is great asset to God. As Christians we are not out for our own cause at all, we are out for the cause of God, which can never be our cause. We do not know what God is after, but we have to maintain our relationship with Him whatever happens. We must never allow anything to injure our relationship with God; if it does get injured we must take time and get it put right. The main thing about Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain and the atmosphere produced by that relationship. That is all God asks us to look after, and it is the one thing that is being continually attacked by Satan.
Being a self-centered being, we have a tendency to think how important we are or how much we deserve other’s attention and recognition. Even for those who have inferiority complex or low self-esteem problem, they basically want to think the same way except they are conditioned to express in a contrary manner. They became too absorbed into their negative “self” image (dwell in their negative nutshell), that they even nullify what God can do with or in their lives. Yes. I totally agree with Brother Chambers that we need to fully recognize our inadequacy or insufficiency, before we can partner with God in His grant plan on earth. But this is very different from people who stubbornly refuse God’s work in their lives, simply because they have made up their mind that they are useless. They don’t think God can change such useless person to become His vessel of Grace. They can’t accept God’s grace through other people who offer to help. They just concluded that they know better than God; they are nothing but lowly dirt.
Romans 9:20-21 says, “But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?” If you are truly humble before God, you have no right to nullify how God want to do with your lives. Why can’t you let Him make you a noble vessel, a beautiful person, a gracious channel of His blessing, or a lovely person like angel? God can make you in whatever way He wants, we just let go of our stubborn mindset or our success-driven mentality that interferes with His work.
Let’s walk close to the Lord and learn to truly live a submissive lifestyle for His glory.
Love you by His strength,
Lawrence
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