Because of love

Jacob, because of his love for Rachel, could work 7 years for Laban so that he can marry her (Gen 29:18-20). Time flies very fast when you are having a good time with your loved ones. Similarly, if we love God so much, we will do anything for Him, no matter how tired it makes us and how time consuming it might be. No matter what, for God we will give our bestest. Let's evaluate ourselves. How much have we given to God? How much can be measured in term of money, time, energy, emotion, and anything worth giving to God. Have I done my best for Jesus? 7 years is not too long if we work for God. Even a lifetime is still very short to be dedicated to God, because we enjoy every moment with Him. Eternity is the most appropriate portion. (29/01/2011)

Vanity

Ecclesiastes 2:15-26

It is true what the author said in the passage. Everything we do under the sun is vanity. All the hard works we have put out and toils we have experienced leave us nothing in the end. If we are to think only the end results, we would find that all our works in this world is vanity, because we will eventually depart from this world and leave behind everything that we have earned. Moreover, the author reflected to himself that he would eventually leave all the good works he had done in toils to his successor, who might be incapable of handling them. If we only consider that end itself, it is true that in the end we have not done anything because nothing lasts forever. However, I realize that there are at least two reasons why we should still live and give our best in life, although we know that all will perish in the end.

First, do not see the end products as the motivation of our work. See God as the motivation of our life! When we do everything for Him, all things seem to make sense. God does not ask the end products, He asks for faithfulness, perseverance, diligence, patience, and thanksgiving. God knows that the material results will perish. Moreover, He is the Creator and the Owner of the whole universe, so why would He need our works when He can do better than we do? But, what He wants is characters, values, attitudes, and faith. If we start each day with this kind of mindset, we can do anything without being bored, distressed, or hopeless, because we know that our works are not to yield the results at the first place, but to praise God in Heaven.

Second, related to our work for God, we work not merely to pill up wealth, gather skills, receive benefits, become famous, seek honor and respect, collect rewards and praises, or other things that the author of Ecclesiastes had described as vanity at the end of the day. Indeed, if we work for these worldly things we will realize about the vanity of our life soon or later. But, we should work in order to build our characters, to give other people opportunities to feel love and experience comfort, to make this world a better place to live until God comes again, and to make ourself useful to others, to the world, and to God. If we have these ambitions behind every work that we do, we will not see our works as vanity. Our body may decay, but our spirit with our characters and faith remain. The gifts we give to others might not last, but the experience of being loved and cared for last forever. It may even lead people to God. So, it is wisest to pursue these higher purposes.

Let's do our 'homework', not worrying what we can get from doing it, but what we can contribute through it. Learn to give rather than receive, and be thankful!

Live your words

Luke 6:46-49

“Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord', and you do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46)

It is ironic for many people who call themselves Christians but who do not live according to the way of Christ. It is like calling oneself a nationalist, but forget the lyric of one's national anthem. All these superficial descriptions will just be mere labels, with no underlying loyalty and passion for the belief.

However, that's not what Jesus expected from His followers. He questioned those who followed Him and claimed to be His disciples, and yet did not live according to His directions. When we call ourselves Christians, we should be Christ-like. The name given to us should reflect who we truly are. In that way, people might glorify the Lord when they see how His people live. But if a claim of Christianity is not followed by Christian lifestyle, we only disgrace the name of the Lord and we are not fit to be called His children.

So, stop all the pretensions behind the name of Christ. Do not claim Christ as your Savior and God, if you still want to follow the world. One can't follow the world and the Lord at the same time. A decision must be made. Be a real Christian or completely abstain from it. Don't be a so-so Christian.

12th August 2009 - Emptiness

Psalm 42:1-6
My soul is thirst for God, for the living God. Where can I go and meet with God? (Ps.42:2)

There is always a longing in human heart for a love and an understanding. This particular space in our heart is not satiable by human affection or by loving things in this world. This desire to know the unknown is never quenched by search of wisdom in the world. This emptiness is never filled no matter how hard we are looking around. This unique longing is the mark that the Creator left in His creations. Only the Creator Himself to fill the emptiness and satisfy our thirst. This thirst is actually the thirst for His love and for the understanding of His ways. This hunger is the hunger for God.

But many people do not realize this. They keep looking at the wrong things to satisfy their divine needs. Some fall to drug addiction and some to alcohols. Still others derive their fulfillment through dangerous stunts or sexual pleasures. The more decent group of people delve deep into the books and scholarly studies. But none of them find what they are looking for. Everything they find is always short of the satisfaction needed to quench their thirst because it is all not God.

Some people are privileged to hear about God. They are told that He is the way to fulfill their empty space. But they reject the option. They still think they can be happy and satisfied outside the spiritual realm. They have plenty of reasons and experiences to decline the offer to enter a relationship with God.

As for those who embrace the offer, they are startled with the transforming power of God. They are surprised with the satisfaction they have when they receive Christ into their hearts. They cannot believe their belief. They become so much blessed such that they passionately tell others about this secret to happiness and eternity.

How about you? Has your heart been filled or do you still feel the emptiness?

July, 27th 2009 - I demand you to...!

Nehemiah 5:14-19

In spite of all this, I never demanded the food alloted to the governor because the demands were heavy on these people. (Neh.5:18b)

Everybody thinks they deserve to be treated according to the status they acquire or they possess. People expect special treatment with respect to the position they are in. Husband, wife, best friend, parents, children, boyfriend, girlfriend, supervisor, chairman, boss; each requires special treatment because of the status. People are easy to demand. It is even worse when people demand blindly without first observing the others' conditions.

We often demand others to suit our feelings. We require others to make us happy. We expect others to fulfill our ideal type of husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, best friend, employee, etc. But many times, we put these 'heavy' demands before our responsibilities. The golden rule says 'Don't expect others to do more that you would do for them'. It is an exploitation to expect others to do more for us. It is best if we can observe others' conditions before we demand them anything. Don't judge people easily. Judgment belongs to God. Don't say 'you are a lousy husband', 'you are an uncaring wife', 'you are an unloving boyfriend', 'you are an unfaithful girlfriend', 'you are a disrespectful child', etc. Don't readily attribute peoples' shortcomings to their natures. Just because he is late, it does not mean that he is a lazy person. There are thousands of possibilities that we should inquire on why he is late. Again, don't be easy to judge. Always try to understand other peoples' positions before we expect them to do anything.

Nehemiah did the opposite to what many people would do. He was appointed as a governor. He was in that post for at least 12 years, but never at single occasion did he ever claim his special rights. He did not claim the extra food he could have according to his status. He knew it would burden the people and he did not want that to happen. He rather rejected the special offers than burdening the people. That's the ideal leader, the ideal companion. If every leader, president, supervisor, husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, best friend, etc, would be caring enough like Nehemiah, there would be no unhealthy conflicts and separations. If everyone reflects on themselves and think about others before they demand something, this world will be full of love and will be peaceful. Be a good buddy to other people before expecting them to be your buddy. I think that's what the Father in heaven wants from His children.

28 June 2009 - The Little Ones

And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, that he will certainly not lose his reward. (Matt.10:42)

We often forget the needy people around us. When we are too 'captivated' with celebration of God's goodness within the church, we forget to get out of the church facade and share the love. We often secure our own comfort inside a limited circle of friends and colleagues. We limit our love to those we know, to those who are kind to us, to those who are 'like' us, and to those whom we are comfortable with. But...

How about those poor children on the streets,

those starving beggars walking from home to home for alms,

those hardworking maids who try to earn just enough for their families,

those sick people with no money to treat their diseases,

those illiterate kids who dream of going to school and learning to read,

those young people that must sacrifice their dreams and help their parents collecting garbages?

Where is Christian's love in this sad reality? If all those who do not know Christ do not care about these 'little' ones, what difference do we make, as Christians, if we also close our eyes? What difference do churches make, if they are keeping God's grace within those facades?

The passage from Matt.10:40-42 really prompts us to act, not just being an observer. It is not enough to sympathize these people. Pitying them will not change their lives. Be empathetic! Feel what they feel, stop merely observing, and act! Jesus promised great rewards for those who are willing to share with the needy. Beyond the rewards, Jesus commands us to 'love one another as we love ourselves.' We have been saved although we are unworthy. Even there is no reward for the good things we are doing, we are still obliged to do it, because God has loved us first. So do not seek the reward, but seek the opportunity to do good, to be more and more like Jesus. There is always enough needy people around us. The world will never lack of them. So, there are plenty of opportunities to share our love with them. Use it wisely!

18 July 2009 - Unity in love is destiny

Ephesians 5:22-33
Man must not separate, then, what God has joined together. (Mark 10:9)

Love is a gift from God. God unites couple. God knits their life together into a beautiful love story. God intertwines the strands of their life into one golden cord. Every relationship is beautifully designed by God, the Master of love. God, the love Himself, has shown His greatest love to mankind by giving us His only Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus becomes the groom and we, His church, become His wife. Our love with God is eternal. It is blessed to its fullest. So does the love between a man and a woman, whom God has designed even before they meet.

When a boy and a girl meet and feel attraction between them, it is not just an accident. There is no such thing as accidentally in love. All love, beautiful and successful love stories, are planned and designed by God. It does not happen just like that. When two persons grow stronger in affection and care for each other, it is not by their own effort. We cannot nurture true love without God's help. It is God that keeps supplying us with constant fuel of romance, intimacy, respect, understanding, self-sacrificing, and pure love. Without God's gift of love, no relationship shall sustain the storms.

We must thank God for all the love we have in our life, especially love from the special ones. They are precious gifts in our life. Let's learn to feel their love everyday and return their love abundantly. Let's not find faults and weaknesses from our loved ones. Let's see them in a more positive way. They are there not by accident, but by God's intervention. When God wants us together, nothing can separate us. When God brings two people in unity, He will nurture and grow the love more abundantly.