"Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge." Jesus is telling them that Jesus is not here to give glory to himself, but to give the glory to the Father! He told them that he was sent here by his Father, that his Father is the one who did all of those things. Jesus claimed that his Father is the one who has the authority to do all of those things! Even Jesus claimed that he does nothing on his own. Jesus showed the humility by saying that he didn't do anything, but his Father had!
"If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, 'He is our God.'" I love how God designed us to give Him glory and then He will glorify us! He will lit the inner glow within us, so that the multitudes will follow us! It is funny how "we must decrease, and He must increase" ended up with this, "then He will raise us up". I love how God makes things so simple! All we need to do is to praise Him and give all of the glory to Him and let Him do the rest! God will boast about us, so that the world will see Him through us! All we need to do is enjoy being in His presence and let Him work in then He will send us out!
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." Eph 2:8-9
Here are two ways that we can boast:
2 Corinthians 10:17But, "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."
2 Corinthians 12:5I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses.
Share and let this blog fly!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Not Competing (John 4-6)
"The Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), he left Judea."
This verse really hits me, I love how Jesus acted in humility! Jesus decided to leave before the competition begins to rise. Jesus didn't want to hurt John the Baptist by allowing the Pharisees to stir up the troubles, to stir up the competition. So he decided that it will be better for him to leave it all to John and go somewhere else although it wasn't Jesus who was baptizing the people. He left to avoid the competition.
If Jesus was here to set an example for us to follow. Then here is a wonderful example of humility. Jesus didn't compete against John, or even allow the people to start the competition. In the same way, we shouldn't compete against others in winning the souls, in discipling, in mentoring, in our ministry, in churches, etc. We all should focus on the ministry of reconcilation, to help the people to find Him again, to get their relationship with Him restored!
Let's dump all of the titles. Such as saying, "My church won most souls", "I did this", "My church did that", or so. But to work with others instead, like how Jesus worked with John the Baptist. Jesus allowed his disciples to work among John the Baptist's disciples. In the same way, we should work with other churches, or other ministries. It is all about the unity, the Oneness. We are all brethens. Love one another like yourself and myself. =)
This verse really hits me, I love how Jesus acted in humility! Jesus decided to leave before the competition begins to rise. Jesus didn't want to hurt John the Baptist by allowing the Pharisees to stir up the troubles, to stir up the competition. So he decided that it will be better for him to leave it all to John and go somewhere else although it wasn't Jesus who was baptizing the people. He left to avoid the competition.
If Jesus was here to set an example for us to follow. Then here is a wonderful example of humility. Jesus didn't compete against John, or even allow the people to start the competition. In the same way, we shouldn't compete against others in winning the souls, in discipling, in mentoring, in our ministry, in churches, etc. We all should focus on the ministry of reconcilation, to help the people to find Him again, to get their relationship with Him restored!
Let's dump all of the titles. Such as saying, "My church won most souls", "I did this", "My church did that", or so. But to work with others instead, like how Jesus worked with John the Baptist. Jesus allowed his disciples to work among John the Baptist's disciples. In the same way, we should work with other churches, or other ministries. It is all about the unity, the Oneness. We are all brethens. Love one another like yourself and myself. =)
Monday, March 29, 2010
Not Yet Come, Then Come! (John 1-3)
"Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come." Jesus told his mother when she told him that this wedding just ran out of wine. But his mother went ahead and told the servants to heed him anyway. It seems like there is some disagreement here!
Here's what amazed me, something switched in Jesus. So, Jesus told the servants what to do. So, the bridegroom got the "miracle wine". After tasting it, he declared that, "Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now." So, Jesus' disciples were with him when they saw the first of his signs and they believed him.
But what switched Jesus? Was it his mother's faith? Or was it the time? Or was Jesus just testing her mother's faith? But here is what amazed me: his mother went ahead. I think she knew what to do from raising Jesus. She knew him. She saw that he was ready. She went ahead by her faith! Where is Jesus today? Is He alredy in you? Is He already in me? I don't know about you, but I know that He is already in me by the Holy Spirit. So, the question is how can we switch something in us? Here's the deal, Jesus also switched something in his twelve disciples, they are with him first so that he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons. (Mark 3:14-15)
But let's look closer at this: "my hour hasn't yet come" and "you have kept the good wine until now". His mother's faith came between those two different phrases of time! His mother knew Jesus well enough to know that it is time to pour a new wine into a new wineskin, which triggers a new movement! How do we know? We need to follow Jesus' mother's example by living with Jesus daily to know Him well. We are called to know Him. God created us to be with Him.
Here's what amazed me, something switched in Jesus. So, Jesus told the servants what to do. So, the bridegroom got the "miracle wine". After tasting it, he declared that, "Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now." So, Jesus' disciples were with him when they saw the first of his signs and they believed him.
But what switched Jesus? Was it his mother's faith? Or was it the time? Or was Jesus just testing her mother's faith? But here is what amazed me: his mother went ahead. I think she knew what to do from raising Jesus. She knew him. She saw that he was ready. She went ahead by her faith! Where is Jesus today? Is He alredy in you? Is He already in me? I don't know about you, but I know that He is already in me by the Holy Spirit. So, the question is how can we switch something in us? Here's the deal, Jesus also switched something in his twelve disciples, they are with him first so that he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons. (Mark 3:14-15)
But let's look closer at this: "my hour hasn't yet come" and "you have kept the good wine until now". His mother's faith came between those two different phrases of time! His mother knew Jesus well enough to know that it is time to pour a new wine into a new wineskin, which triggers a new movement! How do we know? We need to follow Jesus' mother's example by living with Jesus daily to know Him well. We are called to know Him. God created us to be with Him.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Action Speaks Louder Volume (Mark 15-16)
"Pilate asked him, "Are you the 'King of the Jews'?"
He answered, "If you say so." The high priests let loose a barrage of accusations.
Pilate asked again, "Aren't you going to answer anything? That's quite a list of accusations." Still he said nothing. Pilate was impressed, really impressed." 15:2-5 MSG
Why was Pilate impressed? Here is a raw deal, Jesus said nothing! There are a barrage of accusations before him and he said nothing! Not even a word of defense! Innocence or not, we usually reacted quickly when someone offended us or accused us. But Jesus didn't! I think Pilate saw something in Jesus, something supernatural. So, Pilate figuratively came into Jesus' side by telling the crowd, "So what do I do with this man you call King of the Jews?" It is as if Pilate accused them back for calling him the King of the Jews. Jesus didn't call himself the King of the Jews, nor did he deny it. But Pilate believed that Jesus didn't call himself the King of the Jews without hearing anything from him. Action speaks louder volume.
The crowd was so stubborn, they wanted him crucified and set Barabbas the murderer free. Pilate once objected, "But for what crime?" He tried to save Jesus, but he saw something stirring in the crowd and Jesus' silence. Those are beyond his control, so he had to let him be crucified. I wonder if Pilate was ready to save Jesus if he said something to defend himself? I think Jesus knew that Pilate would, so he kept his silence so that the Father's plan will be accomplished! More than that, I think Jesus knew that his action on that day will impact the many through his story!
"Pilate questioned whether he could be dead that soon and called for the captain to verify that he was really dead." (15:44 MSG) Pilate was surprised that Jesus was already dead so he summoned the captain to verify. I think Pilate expected something more from Jesus and was surprised, but what he didn't know was that Jesus will resurrect on the 3rd day! The Good News! While Joseph of Arimathea buried Jesus into the tomb, they waited unknowingly for 3 days until the Good News begun!
He answered, "If you say so." The high priests let loose a barrage of accusations.
Pilate asked again, "Aren't you going to answer anything? That's quite a list of accusations." Still he said nothing. Pilate was impressed, really impressed." 15:2-5 MSG
Why was Pilate impressed? Here is a raw deal, Jesus said nothing! There are a barrage of accusations before him and he said nothing! Not even a word of defense! Innocence or not, we usually reacted quickly when someone offended us or accused us. But Jesus didn't! I think Pilate saw something in Jesus, something supernatural. So, Pilate figuratively came into Jesus' side by telling the crowd, "So what do I do with this man you call King of the Jews?" It is as if Pilate accused them back for calling him the King of the Jews. Jesus didn't call himself the King of the Jews, nor did he deny it. But Pilate believed that Jesus didn't call himself the King of the Jews without hearing anything from him. Action speaks louder volume.
The crowd was so stubborn, they wanted him crucified and set Barabbas the murderer free. Pilate once objected, "But for what crime?" He tried to save Jesus, but he saw something stirring in the crowd and Jesus' silence. Those are beyond his control, so he had to let him be crucified. I wonder if Pilate was ready to save Jesus if he said something to defend himself? I think Jesus knew that Pilate would, so he kept his silence so that the Father's plan will be accomplished! More than that, I think Jesus knew that his action on that day will impact the many through his story!
"Pilate questioned whether he could be dead that soon and called for the captain to verify that he was really dead." (15:44 MSG) Pilate was surprised that Jesus was already dead so he summoned the captain to verify. I think Pilate expected something more from Jesus and was surprised, but what he didn't know was that Jesus will resurrect on the 3rd day! The Good News! While Joseph of Arimathea buried Jesus into the tomb, they waited unknowingly for 3 days until the Good News begun!
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Keep Anticipating! (Mark 13-14)
I don't know why, but I wept this morning. Sometimes we just wept when we see some changes ahead and knew that things will change for the best! I think this is the tears of hope and joy, of anticipating! I think weeping is part of our prayer life. Just like how your tears may impact your friends when you allowed your authentic tears to flow, God was impacted by your tears when you weep freely before Him. When things became more and more stable, it is time for us to start anticipating for some changes to come, to keep us anticipating!
"But the exact day and hour? No one knows that, not even heaven's angels, not even the Son. Only the Father. So keep a sharp lookout [anticipate], for you don't know the timetable. It's like a man who takes a trip, leaving home and putting his servants in charge, each assigned a task, and commanding the gatekeeper to stand watch [anticipate]. So, stay at your post, watching [anticipating]." 13:32-34 MSG
Maybe we hate some changes, but if we look harder into Jesus' prayer at Gethsemane we will see that Jesus anticipated a time shift. He knew that it is time for His plan to be accomplished and that he will suffer greatly for the best! He even begged, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." Jesus begged God to remove his burden, but he told Him that he rather His plan to be accomplished than his desire for the pain to go away! I love how Jesus anticipated prophetically! Jesus knew that the hours are near, so he prayed and sweated for this hour to come! He sweated a blood sweat! Did you know that we sweat a tiniest ounce of blood sweat from sorrow? We cannot see our blood sweat because they are so small, because our grief isn't like Jesus' grief! Supernatural-Grief shows that Jesus had the Supernatural-Holy-Anticipation!
"Watch and pray [anticipate] that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." We all need some changes in our life to keep us anticipating so that we will keep seeking Him to strengthing our weak flesh. Check your seats! Too warm? It's time to anticipate some changes!
"But the exact day and hour? No one knows that, not even heaven's angels, not even the Son. Only the Father. So keep a sharp lookout [anticipate], for you don't know the timetable. It's like a man who takes a trip, leaving home and putting his servants in charge, each assigned a task, and commanding the gatekeeper to stand watch [anticipate]. So, stay at your post, watching [anticipating]." 13:32-34 MSG
Maybe we hate some changes, but if we look harder into Jesus' prayer at Gethsemane we will see that Jesus anticipated a time shift. He knew that it is time for His plan to be accomplished and that he will suffer greatly for the best! He even begged, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." Jesus begged God to remove his burden, but he told Him that he rather His plan to be accomplished than his desire for the pain to go away! I love how Jesus anticipated prophetically! Jesus knew that the hours are near, so he prayed and sweated for this hour to come! He sweated a blood sweat! Did you know that we sweat a tiniest ounce of blood sweat from sorrow? We cannot see our blood sweat because they are so small, because our grief isn't like Jesus' grief! Supernatural-Grief shows that Jesus had the Supernatural-Holy-Anticipation!
"Watch and pray [anticipate] that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." We all need some changes in our life to keep us anticipating so that we will keep seeking Him to strengthing our weak flesh. Check your seats! Too warm? It's time to anticipate some changes!
Friday, March 26, 2010
Holy Spirit degree (Mark 11-12)
The high priests, religion scholars and leaders demanded, "Show us your credentials. Who authorized you to speak and act like this?" And Jesus responded, "First let me ask you... about John the Baptist- who authorized it: heaven or humans? Tell me." The leaders refused to answer because they are afraid of the people. They didn't believe in John, so they cannot say that John got the authority from heaven, and if they said that he got the authority from the humans, then the people will be up against them because the people believed that John is a prophet.
I love hearing my mom's stories about what God did for her in her life as I grew up. She once told me that she once was asked by the people about her degree. Since she didn't graduated from Gallaudet University, she withdrawed after failing one of the classes. However, she answsered, "Holy Spirit is my degree" and she didn't know where she got this idea from! That's right! If you would like to look at John, he was filled with the Holy Spirit when he was in the womb, before he was known as a prophet! Jeremiah was called to be a prophet to the nations before God shaped him in the womb! And you and me!
Jesus told them, "Watch out for the religion scholars. They love to walk around in academic gowns, preening in the radiance of public flattery, basking in prominent positions, sitting at the head table at every church function. And all the time they are exploiting the weak and helpless. The longer their prayers, the worse they get."... then He went on to explain that, "the truth is that this poor widow gave more to the collection than all the others put together. All the others gave what they'll never miss, she gave EXTRAVAGANTLY what she couldn't afford- she gave her all."
Who cares how much money we got, how much education we got, how much skills we got, always remember that we have the Holy Spirit degree. Your GPA is how much we love God by EXTRAVAGANTLY using up all of our passion, prayer, intelligence, and energy that we have for Him! If you have "zero", then give Him all of your "zero"... that is 100%!
I love hearing my mom's stories about what God did for her in her life as I grew up. She once told me that she once was asked by the people about her degree. Since she didn't graduated from Gallaudet University, she withdrawed after failing one of the classes. However, she answsered, "Holy Spirit is my degree" and she didn't know where she got this idea from! That's right! If you would like to look at John, he was filled with the Holy Spirit when he was in the womb, before he was known as a prophet! Jeremiah was called to be a prophet to the nations before God shaped him in the womb! And you and me!
Jesus told them, "Watch out for the religion scholars. They love to walk around in academic gowns, preening in the radiance of public flattery, basking in prominent positions, sitting at the head table at every church function. And all the time they are exploiting the weak and helpless. The longer their prayers, the worse they get."... then He went on to explain that, "the truth is that this poor widow gave more to the collection than all the others put together. All the others gave what they'll never miss, she gave EXTRAVAGANTLY what she couldn't afford- she gave her all."
Who cares how much money we got, how much education we got, how much skills we got, always remember that we have the Holy Spirit degree. Your GPA is how much we love God by EXTRAVAGANTLY using up all of our passion, prayer, intelligence, and energy that we have for Him! If you have "zero", then give Him all of your "zero"... that is 100%!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Reversed Impossibles (Mark 9-10)
It's amazing how God can change men's impossibles into possibles! There are two impossibles:
"'If you can'! All things are possible for one who believes." Jesus told the father. Then the father cried out, "I believe; help my unbelief!" Now the father's unbelief was reversed! So, his child was healed of the demon possessed spirit! Jesus turned his disbelief into believing! It is amazing how the father's unbelief was reversed after this conversation with Jesus!
"With man it's impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God." Jesus looked at his disciples as He told them that it is possible with God. They were amazed after seeing how the young wealthy guy leaving. This young wealthy guy followed all of the ten commandments, but he was downcast when Jesus asked him to sell everything he has and give them to the poor to follow Jesus. So, he left. It is hard for someone with wealth to give up everything to follow him, but Jesus said that with God it is possible! This young guy left without asking Jesus to help him to reverse his unbelief (to turn his believing into action)...
How?! Yeah the disciples asked the same question! How? Jesus answered after they failed to cast out the demons, "this kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer (and fasting)." Do you want to increase your faith, to believe and to act upon believing? Keep praying and fasting. Talk with Him (pray) and strip off any physical hindrances that prevent you from having a full conversation with Him (fast). In Him, your impossibles will be reversed!
"'If you can'! All things are possible for one who believes." Jesus told the father. Then the father cried out, "I believe; help my unbelief!" Now the father's unbelief was reversed! So, his child was healed of the demon possessed spirit! Jesus turned his disbelief into believing! It is amazing how the father's unbelief was reversed after this conversation with Jesus!
"With man it's impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God." Jesus looked at his disciples as He told them that it is possible with God. They were amazed after seeing how the young wealthy guy leaving. This young wealthy guy followed all of the ten commandments, but he was downcast when Jesus asked him to sell everything he has and give them to the poor to follow Jesus. So, he left. It is hard for someone with wealth to give up everything to follow him, but Jesus said that with God it is possible! This young guy left without asking Jesus to help him to reverse his unbelief (to turn his believing into action)...
How?! Yeah the disciples asked the same question! How? Jesus answered after they failed to cast out the demons, "this kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer (and fasting)." Do you want to increase your faith, to believe and to act upon believing? Keep praying and fasting. Talk with Him (pray) and strip off any physical hindrances that prevent you from having a full conversation with Him (fast). In Him, your impossibles will be reversed!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Nicknames for 17 Nica Disciples!
I jotted down the nicknames for each of the disciples when we were in the air! I wanted to share about them here for us to remember something about each other from this trip! Ta-Da!
I love reread about each of us and see how God created each of us uniquelly!
Alyson- Bridge Watcher
She always added or corrected the translator, so she had to watch Danny's translation to be able to spot any problem and give the aid! She daydreamed once to found Danny struggling, oops! So she got herself up and kept her watch!
Anne Marie- Root Cutter
She trimmed the roots from the deep pit to make the way for the digger! She also ran under Jon to be his spotter in case if he falls. She knew how to bring a sunshine to the team or to the kids! Oh yeah, she is a teacher! She knew how to cut roots right and let them bloom!
Ashley- Stuffed Crust
She once hide her second plate under the table because she felt bad that she took the second! But with many eyes on her, she pulled out the second plate and land it on the top! Hilarous! Oh yeah, I am concerned about her!
Bill- "I'm All Good" Guy
He once claimed that everyone keep on asking him if he needs a seat because he is the oldest person in the group. But he is allright! He worked hard, often caught him closing his eyes for a while! But he interpreted ceaselessly with his expression in a full motion! Yeah he's all good!
Daniel- Tearer of Communication Barrier
He discovered that he had to translate Spoken Spanish into Spoken English or the other way! Now he realized that he just took over his wife's role! He is like an intpereter for the whole week! He smiled as he saw through the wall he tore to see his wife's glowing eyes!
Dasha- Undercover Ironwoman
We often see Dasha in different spots, sweeping the floor, hammering the walls, talking to Spanish people, and everywhere! We couldn't expect what she will do at the moment, she walked around to find the gap and filled herself in strong!
Diana- Blanket Carrier
She made sure that everyone is okay. She checked with everyone to be sure that we got enough water. She opened herself to us. She laughed. She cried. She smiled. She spreaded her arm wide. She touched.
Dominque-Tattooed Ankles
She is dangerous because she is tall and her ankles was tattooed! But if you looked closer, you will find out that her ankles aren't tattooed but webbed with an unique band-aid! That's what she is, unique and charming! She will flip her braided hair over her shoulder and grin!
Eleasha- People-Hopper
She sat far away, sat close by, or sat somewhere else! She hopped into my room and started a "line-up massage" once. So, we ladies enjoyed our massage to relieve our soreness! Like an island-hopper, she hopped over each person.
Elissa- Professional Wheelbarrow Trainer
She once lifted me up in a wheelbarrow in front of a camera. She also lifted someone else in a wheelbarrow in front of camera I believe. She kept herself clean as she kept her full focus upon her assignment! She had her hair up and rolled properly for the work!
Jason- Clown-Eyes Giver
He gave us his sense of humor, he once caught Elissa commenting her husband, then he asked Shelly and Anne Marie to see if they have any comments! They were befuddled, later they realized that they are wives of someone! Jason! He led us by making us laugh! So that we will be ready to follow! Smart-pant!
Jon- St. Bernard in Action
He is an athletic trainer at Gallaudet, but he was St. Bernard in Action in Nicaragua! He will bring the first aid kit. He stretched guys, band aid my blistered finger, eye dropped eyes, taped his wife's wrists for some supports, and much more! He also washed our feet (literally)!
Kari =) - Rosie the Riveter Syndrome
She is obsessed with her hard work! Sometimes people heard her breath and told her, but she kept on shovelling or hammering til she was ready, or willingly, to stop! She often talk about Rosie and even persuaded other three gals to pose like Rosie the Riveter for the picture! We can!
Kathryn- Well-Dressed Wheelbarrow Runner
She was dressed up properly for the first day of work to show how expert she was in dressing up! She had handkerchief around her neck and working clothes on! She often accomplished the wheelbarrow task by running fast upon the top of the hill to dump the soil or rocks victoriously!
Priya- Moments Capturer
She took a total of 1,200 pictures of us, including herself! She also taped some videos! She kept her eyes open for any greatest moments that she should capture and TA-DA! She showed us some pictures to encourage us in our hard working. We worked hard hoping for some greatest moment to be captured (to show our "macho")! Framed!
Shelly- Pluck-n-Fill Commander
She had to count every head, carry some snacks, gloves, water bottles, and etc. She pulled some people out to tell them that they need to rest! She provided us gloves to protect our hands. She ran to stand behind Jason to be his spotter in case if he falls. Need anything, she will take care!
Rusty-Sledge Hammer Hulk
He will grab the 20-25 pounds sledge hammer and hit the tiles or walls with it in a full motion! He will lift it up high, then swing it down in a full body motion. Cracked! The bricks will fall down or the tiles will crack! He also walked tall among us. He also showed his tae-kwon-do skills to the deaf students at the school!
I love reread about each of us and see how God created each of us uniquelly!
Alyson- Bridge Watcher
She always added or corrected the translator, so she had to watch Danny's translation to be able to spot any problem and give the aid! She daydreamed once to found Danny struggling, oops! So she got herself up and kept her watch!
Anne Marie- Root Cutter
She trimmed the roots from the deep pit to make the way for the digger! She also ran under Jon to be his spotter in case if he falls. She knew how to bring a sunshine to the team or to the kids! Oh yeah, she is a teacher! She knew how to cut roots right and let them bloom!
Ashley- Stuffed Crust
She once hide her second plate under the table because she felt bad that she took the second! But with many eyes on her, she pulled out the second plate and land it on the top! Hilarous! Oh yeah, I am concerned about her!
Bill- "I'm All Good" Guy
He once claimed that everyone keep on asking him if he needs a seat because he is the oldest person in the group. But he is allright! He worked hard, often caught him closing his eyes for a while! But he interpreted ceaselessly with his expression in a full motion! Yeah he's all good!
Daniel- Tearer of Communication Barrier
He discovered that he had to translate Spoken Spanish into Spoken English or the other way! Now he realized that he just took over his wife's role! He is like an intpereter for the whole week! He smiled as he saw through the wall he tore to see his wife's glowing eyes!
Dasha- Undercover Ironwoman
We often see Dasha in different spots, sweeping the floor, hammering the walls, talking to Spanish people, and everywhere! We couldn't expect what she will do at the moment, she walked around to find the gap and filled herself in strong!
Diana- Blanket Carrier
She made sure that everyone is okay. She checked with everyone to be sure that we got enough water. She opened herself to us. She laughed. She cried. She smiled. She spreaded her arm wide. She touched.
Dominque-Tattooed Ankles
She is dangerous because she is tall and her ankles was tattooed! But if you looked closer, you will find out that her ankles aren't tattooed but webbed with an unique band-aid! That's what she is, unique and charming! She will flip her braided hair over her shoulder and grin!
Eleasha- People-Hopper
She sat far away, sat close by, or sat somewhere else! She hopped into my room and started a "line-up massage" once. So, we ladies enjoyed our massage to relieve our soreness! Like an island-hopper, she hopped over each person.
Elissa- Professional Wheelbarrow Trainer
She once lifted me up in a wheelbarrow in front of a camera. She also lifted someone else in a wheelbarrow in front of camera I believe. She kept herself clean as she kept her full focus upon her assignment! She had her hair up and rolled properly for the work!
Jason- Clown-Eyes Giver
He gave us his sense of humor, he once caught Elissa commenting her husband, then he asked Shelly and Anne Marie to see if they have any comments! They were befuddled, later they realized that they are wives of someone! Jason! He led us by making us laugh! So that we will be ready to follow! Smart-pant!
Jon- St. Bernard in Action
He is an athletic trainer at Gallaudet, but he was St. Bernard in Action in Nicaragua! He will bring the first aid kit. He stretched guys, band aid my blistered finger, eye dropped eyes, taped his wife's wrists for some supports, and much more! He also washed our feet (literally)!
Kari =) - Rosie the Riveter Syndrome
She is obsessed with her hard work! Sometimes people heard her breath and told her, but she kept on shovelling or hammering til she was ready, or willingly, to stop! She often talk about Rosie and even persuaded other three gals to pose like Rosie the Riveter for the picture! We can!
Kathryn- Well-Dressed Wheelbarrow Runner
She was dressed up properly for the first day of work to show how expert she was in dressing up! She had handkerchief around her neck and working clothes on! She often accomplished the wheelbarrow task by running fast upon the top of the hill to dump the soil or rocks victoriously!
Priya- Moments Capturer
She took a total of 1,200 pictures of us, including herself! She also taped some videos! She kept her eyes open for any greatest moments that she should capture and TA-DA! She showed us some pictures to encourage us in our hard working. We worked hard hoping for some greatest moment to be captured (to show our "macho")! Framed!
Shelly- Pluck-n-Fill Commander
She had to count every head, carry some snacks, gloves, water bottles, and etc. She pulled some people out to tell them that they need to rest! She provided us gloves to protect our hands. She ran to stand behind Jason to be his spotter in case if he falls. Need anything, she will take care!
Rusty-Sledge Hammer Hulk
He will grab the 20-25 pounds sledge hammer and hit the tiles or walls with it in a full motion! He will lift it up high, then swing it down in a full body motion. Cracked! The bricks will fall down or the tiles will crack! He also walked tall among us. He also showed his tae-kwon-do skills to the deaf students at the school!
Eating the Crumbs (Mark 7-8)
"Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." (7:28 MSG)
This woman was a Gentile, specifically a Greek not a Jew. But by her faith, she leaped this cultural barrier to get her daughter healed as demon left her daughter at Jesus' command when Jesus saw her faith! So she earned her Crumb.
I recalled of how I once "ate the crumbs" at the Braves Club, the Christian club that meet every Tuesdays for lunch. On that certain day, my interpreter had something that came up, so she couldn't intperet for Braves Club. But after thinking about how badly I want to go, I decided to go! I just want to be with Him through worshipping and listen to His words. So I went anyway... if everything is possible with God, so why not! But by my faith, I was blessed with the ability to read lips while I worshipped on that day! I was surprised how I keep on signing the right words at the right pace among their voices by reading lips and the words on the board to match them up! I was thrilled to find out that I can do it! Then after the worship, my friend offered to jot down the message on the sheet. So she tried her best to summarize everything she can. I really enjoyed my lunch break there, but even more, I enjoyed the inner peace after the club! When I walked out of that classroom, I feel something different about myself, and when I got into the next classroom, I realized that the Holy Spirit is upon me. So I enjoyed the rest of the class with the inner peace as I worked on the school stuff! After that, I wasn't able to keep up with the others in worshipping with interpreter present, so I have to depend on intepreter to follow the correct pacing! So this is like one lifetime in my junior year in high school!
If there is any barriers, let's leap over those like this woman. "His (Paul) authentic missionary passion helped him leap over all cultural and racial barriers." (pg.40, Spiritual Leadership)... As the result we receive more intangible guidance from Him... "We naively think that the more we grow as Christians, the easier it will be to discern the will of God. But the opposite is often the case. God treats the mature leader as a mature adult, leaving more and more to his or her spiritual discernment and giving fewer bits (like crumbs) of tangible guidance than in earlier years." (pg. 122)... It is better to eat the crumbs of what is visible and eat the meal of the invisible.
This woman was a Gentile, specifically a Greek not a Jew. But by her faith, she leaped this cultural barrier to get her daughter healed as demon left her daughter at Jesus' command when Jesus saw her faith! So she earned her Crumb.
I recalled of how I once "ate the crumbs" at the Braves Club, the Christian club that meet every Tuesdays for lunch. On that certain day, my interpreter had something that came up, so she couldn't intperet for Braves Club. But after thinking about how badly I want to go, I decided to go! I just want to be with Him through worshipping and listen to His words. So I went anyway... if everything is possible with God, so why not! But by my faith, I was blessed with the ability to read lips while I worshipped on that day! I was surprised how I keep on signing the right words at the right pace among their voices by reading lips and the words on the board to match them up! I was thrilled to find out that I can do it! Then after the worship, my friend offered to jot down the message on the sheet. So she tried her best to summarize everything she can. I really enjoyed my lunch break there, but even more, I enjoyed the inner peace after the club! When I walked out of that classroom, I feel something different about myself, and when I got into the next classroom, I realized that the Holy Spirit is upon me. So I enjoyed the rest of the class with the inner peace as I worked on the school stuff! After that, I wasn't able to keep up with the others in worshipping with interpreter present, so I have to depend on intepreter to follow the correct pacing! So this is like one lifetime in my junior year in high school!
If there is any barriers, let's leap over those like this woman. "His (Paul) authentic missionary passion helped him leap over all cultural and racial barriers." (pg.40, Spiritual Leadership)... As the result we receive more intangible guidance from Him... "We naively think that the more we grow as Christians, the easier it will be to discern the will of God. But the opposite is often the case. God treats the mature leader as a mature adult, leaving more and more to his or her spiritual discernment and giving fewer bits (like crumbs) of tangible guidance than in earlier years." (pg. 122)... It is better to eat the crumbs of what is visible and eat the meal of the invisible.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Sheep with no Shepherd (Mark 5-6)
Jesus called his disciples to a desolated place to take a rest, but his plan changed when he saw this huge crowd. His heart broke when he saw them like sheep without shepherd, so he went ahead to teach among them right away!
Jesus showed a true sacrifice in this passage! He knew that they need some rest, but He also knew that He was here to serve. So He decided to sacrifice His "Sabbath" to serve by teaching them, caring them. Some people need some healing, teachings, touch, etc. Whenever Jesus saw that there is a need, he will sacrifice his "Sabbath" to provide... like how Jesus said, "What kind of action suits the Sabbath best? Doing good or doing evil? Helping people or leaving them helpless?" (Mark 3 MSG). He didn't plan to teach, but he happened to see the need! In the same way, our Sabbath should be kept free for us to go to any desolated place, to go to Him. But we got to keep our eyes open like how Jesus kept his. Our Sabbath can be like a week vacation to Hawaii, a day vacation to a water park, or an hour break on the roof praying. It's up to us to say to ourselves, hey it is our break, so we shouldn't help... or follow Jesus' example and immediately go to those in need. HOLY ANTICIPATION.
I love how Jesus did this without planning! He went ahead to teach right away! Why couldn't we do that... even more he taught until it is late! Wow, when his disciples asked him to send them away to eat, Jesus reversed it. Jesus asked his disciples to go away and find the food for 5000 people instead! So they went and found only 2 fishes and 5 loaves. But it was good enough for Jesus and 5000 people ate their fill, then came 12 baskets of leftovers! Jesus didn't just taught them, but he also provide them all free food! Best Shepherd we ever had! PINIC TIME!
It just sounds like an Alpha course to me! I am encouraged by this passage in continuing this group (not following Alpha series anymore) although Campus Alpha series are supposed to end before the spring break. But they are hungry for more Words, so we decided to continue this a bit longer, but we will teach about how science and Bible work together, evidence, etc! GO!
Jesus showed a true sacrifice in this passage! He knew that they need some rest, but He also knew that He was here to serve. So He decided to sacrifice His "Sabbath" to serve by teaching them, caring them. Some people need some healing, teachings, touch, etc. Whenever Jesus saw that there is a need, he will sacrifice his "Sabbath" to provide... like how Jesus said, "What kind of action suits the Sabbath best? Doing good or doing evil? Helping people or leaving them helpless?" (Mark 3 MSG). He didn't plan to teach, but he happened to see the need! In the same way, our Sabbath should be kept free for us to go to any desolated place, to go to Him. But we got to keep our eyes open like how Jesus kept his. Our Sabbath can be like a week vacation to Hawaii, a day vacation to a water park, or an hour break on the roof praying. It's up to us to say to ourselves, hey it is our break, so we shouldn't help... or follow Jesus' example and immediately go to those in need. HOLY ANTICIPATION.
I love how Jesus did this without planning! He went ahead to teach right away! Why couldn't we do that... even more he taught until it is late! Wow, when his disciples asked him to send them away to eat, Jesus reversed it. Jesus asked his disciples to go away and find the food for 5000 people instead! So they went and found only 2 fishes and 5 loaves. But it was good enough for Jesus and 5000 people ate their fill, then came 12 baskets of leftovers! Jesus didn't just taught them, but he also provide them all free food! Best Shepherd we ever had! PINIC TIME!
It just sounds like an Alpha course to me! I am encouraged by this passage in continuing this group (not following Alpha series anymore) although Campus Alpha series are supposed to end before the spring break. But they are hungry for more Words, so we decided to continue this a bit longer, but we will teach about how science and Bible work together, evidence, etc! GO!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Nicaragua trip: Overview
I weep a bit this morning thinking a lot about how God's moving through us and others at Nicaragua! It was awesome to see how God used every ounce of our strength and skills to accomplish His purpose! We saw how God used our love for each other to draw a person to us, so we added Ken to our 17 members in the team that followed our two missionaries, Matt and Eva Barlow! Ken was a huge addition to the team, it is as if we added 3 persons to our 17 to make us 20 or so! He is talented in the construction, so he showed us a lot of easy stuff by using the proper technique to do this or that! He joined us for the last two days of work on Friday and Saturday. It is amazing how God answered G-man's (I forgot his name, but it starts with G) prayer when he made a desk out of the used wood using his own tools, then he also made a ladder with leverage! He even joined us for the farewell dinner to give Matt and Eva many gratitudes! He claimed that he felt part of the spiritual family when he joined us, and that God has blessed him through us. And I believe that we all felt the same!
I was also blessed with the opportunity to joke my team a lot by using Nicaragua signs on the way back home. Even I joked my family with those learned signs through videophone at Matt and Eva's house! The team enjoyed watching and learn more about my family, videophone, and my loving pestering. It is amazing how the entire team learned Nicaragua signs, when I was free, I looked around and marveled at how each of us tried to learn some signs from the kids at the school! The kids are amazing! I enjoyed some games of volleyball with them, dinner with them, and watch their drama and dance! Rusty and I also had the chance to share the testimony with three different interpreter/translator (including Eleasha, Elissa, and Daniel)... I signed in ASL, then it is followed by spoken English, then spoken Spanish, then Nicaragua signs to include everyone! This is definitely a beautiful moment! DANG!
I met an amazing deaf lady, Janeth Estebana Mendoza Cruz, who is at my age! She is now taking some classes to become a deaf teacher someday. She also want to go to an university someday although there is a barrier! There is no laws for the deaf there like we do in America. So most of them will either work a low pay job such as janitor or etc... or have no job. Only few of them may become a teacher like Janeth by taking some classes and teach at a deaf school. She knows a lot of ASL because she learned some ASL from a book 3 years ago! So, obviously this young lady had the ability to "self-learn"! Here is the estimate monthly cost for the classes at the university there, $25... but if the deaf will have to pay for the interpreter, an average interpreter will earn $4 per hour, for 5 of 2 hour classes per week... it will cost each person around $160 monthly or so... it is out of balance, almost 6x the amount of the classes! (FYI it is not very accurate)... Also an average wages the workers earned per day is $6... imagine that! How could they afford to go to an university?! But Janeth dreams of going to an university... maybe she may be the first deaf person to attend an university in Nicaragua in the future... or even go to a neighbor country. We need to pray for the Nicaragua government to change, and they will.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Let's Tear Down the Wall (Jer 50-52)
I admit I skim through this chapters when we were on the flight to Nicaragua to prepare for this blog! Sang this song, "Tear Down the Walls", a bit and I shared some stories about how God helped me to tear down some walls in my life. When we arrived Nicaragua, we found out that we are going to tear down the walls by using the sledge hammer and shovel the pieces into the wheelbarrow and dump it into a pile. After 8 hours of hard working last two days, we talked about how our physical actions can apply to our spiritual life. It is amazing how we may see beyond something that we cannot see by tearing down the wall!
Sometimes we created some walls into our lives because of "how we have been humiliated, taunted and abused, kicked around for so long that we hardly know who we are! And we hardly know what to think." (51:51 MSG) It's like how we may get ourselves trapped inside the walls because we hardly know what to think after being abused for so long! But God says, "The city walls of Babylon - those massive walls!- will be flattened" (51:58 MSG). Yeah God will tear down the walls in your lives like He tore some of my walls in my life and still have some more walls to tear in the days ahead!
Most of us may undergo some abusive relationship, have been molested by someone, rejected by their parents or guardianship, or many other different reasons that will cause us to build some walls around us. I once created that walls around myself, but until I read this book, "Woman Thou Be Loosed" by T.D. Jake, I finally took a step to tear down few walls in my life, and it brought me some freedom to be who I am!
"The power to heal is in the power to care. If you are a broken arrow, please allow someone into the storm. I know you usually do not allow anyone to come in your aid. I realize a breach of trust may have left you leery of everyone, but the walls you built to protect you have also imprisoned you. The Lord wants to loose you out of the dungeon of fear. He does care. We care." So after I read this passage, I decided that I want to break free! So, I decided to be honest with an adult whom I trust and I finally felt a lot better as the hidden truths went out free to let the healing to come! Now I am able to be myself because that adult now knows about my past and my fear of being exposed and of being looked down had disappeared since I know that I was understood and prayed for.
"If you will remain chained to your past and all the secrets thereon until you decide: Enough is enough! I am telling you that when your desire for the future peaks, you can breakout of prison." I used to be like a frighten kitten hidden in a corner somewhere dark, no one knew where I'm hiding, starring... but now I came out and began to bloom... let's hide in the corner no more! We can talk with a counselor at our church, ask the prayer team to pray for us, talk to our campus pastor after the church service, or our trusted Christian friend who is spiritually mature. Let's start walking out of Babylon and let Him restore us!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Nicaragua trip: Day 2
I love seeing how our hammering techniques had improved! I love seeing how the team went back to the work this morning with full of energy, we suddenly took up the sledge hammer and whack the wall! We took turns to create a huge hole for a short period of time! Now, we are all exhausted from working full time: approximately 8 hours... for two days row! Most of us aren't in a good shape... suddenly all of those hard working came upon our shoulders! Today I realized that I couldn't make my muscle buff! I feel like my muscles are dead! Well! We passed the test didn't we?! Obviously we love the Lord with all of our strength for the past two days!
I'm sorry to disappoint ya'll, but we will take a break tomorrow to have our "fun day". We will check out the volcanoes and do some shopping, etc! Tonight we are dressing up to go to Spanish speaking church, but our pastor Jason Yost will preach with our teammate Danny Macias will be his translation for the church! Also we will have team of interpreters to interpret spoken English into ASL. I am looking forward to the dinner to fill my tummy and chill on the pews (I think!)... oh I just found out that we will sit on chairs not pews... to listen and be filled with His Food! Then I am all good! We will be "all good"!
I am learning few Nicaragua signing language now, but I need to roll up my sleeves soon. I need to learn a lot more before we meet the deaf kids. I need to tap missionaries' shoulders and ask! By asking, I shall receive... they shall not give me a snake! That's my next goal as a missionary here in Nicaragua!.... and maybe ride a motorcycle here! There are a lot of dirt bikes on road! I later found out that they are cheaper, around $700. So, that's why a lot of people here bought the bike! That's all for now!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Nicaragua trip Day 1!
We all got up 7am to eat some pancakes and fruits, actually our bodies thought that it was 9am! Then we had a great devotion to talk about Jeremiah 38-40. I love how we shared different perspective on those passage, one of the wonderful perspective is that the Ethiopian stood up for the justice. The Ethiopian saw that there was a problem that needs to be fixed, so he asked the king for the justice. It is like how the missionaries here in Nicaragua saw the problem in Nicaragua for the deaf students: no education for the kids in high school. All they had was K-6 education. So the Lord gave them, Matt and Eva Barlow, the vision to move in here and establish the school here! It's amazing!
Then we all went to the damaged building that will become a coffeehouse someday and we gave all of our strength to love our God this day! We all smashed the walls, shovelled, and carried them to the pile on the wheelbarrow! All of our arms are floppy as if they are dead! When I went into shower, I feel like I cannot even finish shampooing my hair! Man, we are all exhausted, now we are looking forward to the dinner! In fact, I yawned about 10 times already on the trip back to the school where we are staying at. It shows how hard we all have worked today! It is only the beginning! Wonder what may come tomorrow and the day after!
Then we all went to the damaged building that will become a coffeehouse someday and we gave all of our strength to love our God this day! We all smashed the walls, shovelled, and carried them to the pile on the wheelbarrow! All of our arms are floppy as if they are dead! When I went into shower, I feel like I cannot even finish shampooing my hair! Man, we are all exhausted, now we are looking forward to the dinner! In fact, I yawned about 10 times already on the trip back to the school where we are staying at. It shows how hard we all have worked today! It is only the beginning! Wonder what may come tomorrow and the day after!
Monday, March 15, 2010
A Puppet King (Jer 38-40)
It is amazing how God took care of everything when King Zedekiah, a 'puppet king', didn't! The officials asked the king if they can kill Jeremiah, the king backed off and told them that they can do whatever they want. So they put Jeremiah into the cistern to leave Jeremiah sunking in the mud starving! But Ebed-melek the Ethiopian told the king that Jeremiah is starving, so the king ordered him to take the men to get Jeremiah out.
Well... which side is the king on? The king allowed the officials to destroy Jeremiah and then the king allowed the Ethiopian to save Jeremiah. Who is he? Obviously he doesn't know who he is. In fact, he said, "But I am afraid of the Judeans who have already deserted to the Chaldeans. If they get hold of me, they'll rough me up good." Dang! He is acting like a puppet king because he is afriad of his people! So, he obeyed their voices rather than obeying God's message through Jeremiah. Although King Zedekiah showed that he recognized that Jeremiah is a true prophet by asking him to tell him about God's message. As result, the king had seen the slaughter and then he was blinded as the king of Babylon put out his eyes and bounded him in chains to Babylon! King Zedekiah had seen the worst. I hate to say it that way, but imagine yourself seeing the worse as your last sights when your eyes are being removed after you had seen the worse! How those scenes may repeat in your mind as you were bounded in chains!
Now let's take a look at his people, the officials obviously had been killed in front of the kings or so. The Ethiopian had been set free as God had promised, "You'll walk out there safe and sound because you trusted me". Do we want to be like the officials and the king? Or do we want to be like Jeremiah and the Ethiopian? After the remainings were taken bounded to Babylon, the captain of the bodyguard set Jeremiah free with a choice to live. He could either come with them to Babylon or go free to live wherever he wish. So Jeremiah went back to his home, I assumed that he went back to the land that he had purchased from his uncle Hamanah, a crazy purchase! I don't know how long it had been since Jeremiah purchased the land, but God kept His promise and now he has returned! God's amazing!
Now let's step out of this story and get into the chapters of our lives. Are we a puppet? In another word, it is almost like a lukewarm... Are we looking for an approval from our people? That's what we call "Approval Addiction", if you are struggling with this addiction, maybe you should try Joyce Meyer's book. We got to conquer our fears and follow Him for our own safety!
Well... which side is the king on? The king allowed the officials to destroy Jeremiah and then the king allowed the Ethiopian to save Jeremiah. Who is he? Obviously he doesn't know who he is. In fact, he said, "But I am afraid of the Judeans who have already deserted to the Chaldeans. If they get hold of me, they'll rough me up good." Dang! He is acting like a puppet king because he is afriad of his people! So, he obeyed their voices rather than obeying God's message through Jeremiah. Although King Zedekiah showed that he recognized that Jeremiah is a true prophet by asking him to tell him about God's message. As result, the king had seen the slaughter and then he was blinded as the king of Babylon put out his eyes and bounded him in chains to Babylon! King Zedekiah had seen the worst. I hate to say it that way, but imagine yourself seeing the worse as your last sights when your eyes are being removed after you had seen the worse! How those scenes may repeat in your mind as you were bounded in chains!
Now let's take a look at his people, the officials obviously had been killed in front of the kings or so. The Ethiopian had been set free as God had promised, "You'll walk out there safe and sound because you trusted me". Do we want to be like the officials and the king? Or do we want to be like Jeremiah and the Ethiopian? After the remainings were taken bounded to Babylon, the captain of the bodyguard set Jeremiah free with a choice to live. He could either come with them to Babylon or go free to live wherever he wish. So Jeremiah went back to his home, I assumed that he went back to the land that he had purchased from his uncle Hamanah, a crazy purchase! I don't know how long it had been since Jeremiah purchased the land, but God kept His promise and now he has returned! God's amazing!
Now let's step out of this story and get into the chapters of our lives. Are we a puppet? In another word, it is almost like a lukewarm... Are we looking for an approval from our people? That's what we call "Approval Addiction", if you are struggling with this addiction, maybe you should try Joyce Meyer's book. We got to conquer our fears and follow Him for our own safety!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Don't Go with One Mindset (Jer 34-37)
I was sitting in Ebenezers Coffeehouse after the service when my friend went to a bookstore to look at the books. I was checking some of the updates through my pager when I saw him coming in. So, I raised my free hand to let him know that I am sitting here while I am beginning to stand up, still looking at my pager. Then I realized that he didn't notice me sitting here, all he did was zooming to the next door to the next service in the basement! I was shocked! So I started to look for someone who may have some free eyes for me to catch them and ask them to tap my friend. But no eyes are free! All of them are busy. So I laughed and walked after him!
It is funny that my friend would come in Ebenezers with one mindset, that I will be in the next service, worshipping downstair! We don't have any interpreter in the 2nd service. Maybe he knew I love to worship. So, he came back in with one mindset!
In the same way, the Jews had one "wrong" mindset. Jeremiah went to them to deliver His message, but they couldn't see or hear him because they believed that "peace, peace" lies. After rejecting Jeremiah with threats, Jeremiah sent Baruch to give His message by reading the scroll out. Some of the officals heard him, but the king rejected them. I feel like Jeremiah found someone to tap the king's shoulder like an interpreter, but the king still zoomed to the next door without looking. So the king went to the next door to the wrong place! Yes God promised that He will bless Israel's bloodline because of David and many fathers before him, but we all cannot keep one mindset because He may lead us in zigzag as a Shepherd! God will be able to see some traps or some holes, so He will tell us to follow Him in different direction to be able to get to one destination. We all go to keep ourselves sensitive and open to every new directions, to every small voices or waving hands!
But after the king saw that the Babylon are coming and the defeat, he finally come to Jeremiah when he was locked up in jail and asked him for the word of the Lord! It is like how my friend came out and realized that I am not in the next service. They both had one mindset and when they get there, they realized that this mindset is a wrong mindset.
But the right mindset is to keep your eyes and ears to the Shepherd, not to the destination!
Friday, March 12, 2010
Know God Firsthand = Answer (Jer 30-33)
"Write it down on your heart!... for they will no longer go around setting up schools to teach each other about God. They'll know Me firsthand, the dull and the bright, the smart and the slow. I'll wipe the slate clean for each of them..." Jeremiah 31:33-34 MSG
If you have been following the Bible reading plan or started to or do it occassionally, then write it down on your heart because you have been learning about Him! Jeremiah got the message from God firsthand when He told Jeremiah that he is going to buy the land from his uncle Hanamel and then he came! So, Jeremiah purchased the land when he was in the jail and imagine how the Jews around him may think that he is crazy! Then Jeremiah prayed to God, "stretch out your arm! There is nothing you can't do." I feel like Jeremiah is purchasing the giant mountain and with faith he is going to move the giant mountain! The giant mountain can be mountain of problems, of wounds, or of any impossibles! But with God, nothing is impossible!
"Your hurt is incurable, and your wound is grievous. There is none to uphold your cause, no medicine for your wound, no healing for you." Jeremiah 30:12-13 ESV
Hey, "Stay alert! I am God, the God of everything living. Is there anything I can't do?... Call to Me and I will answer you. I will tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own." Wow it sounds like some of His mysteries! We got to walk through that path of sufferings with our alertness to find the marvelous and wondrous things that we couldn't figure out on our own! Now take another look, He is working a true healing inside and out. He is going to make you whole. In those days He will restore you! Jeremiah couldn't figure it out on his own being locked up in jail, but all he will need to do is to go to Him.
Even Jesus called His disciples to Him, we all are called to Him.
If you have been following the Bible reading plan or started to or do it occassionally, then write it down on your heart because you have been learning about Him! Jeremiah got the message from God firsthand when He told Jeremiah that he is going to buy the land from his uncle Hanamel and then he came! So, Jeremiah purchased the land when he was in the jail and imagine how the Jews around him may think that he is crazy! Then Jeremiah prayed to God, "stretch out your arm! There is nothing you can't do." I feel like Jeremiah is purchasing the giant mountain and with faith he is going to move the giant mountain! The giant mountain can be mountain of problems, of wounds, or of any impossibles! But with God, nothing is impossible!
"Your hurt is incurable, and your wound is grievous. There is none to uphold your cause, no medicine for your wound, no healing for you." Jeremiah 30:12-13 ESV
Hey, "Stay alert! I am God, the God of everything living. Is there anything I can't do?... Call to Me and I will answer you. I will tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own." Wow it sounds like some of His mysteries! We got to walk through that path of sufferings with our alertness to find the marvelous and wondrous things that we couldn't figure out on our own! Now take another look, He is working a true healing inside and out. He is going to make you whole. In those days He will restore you! Jeremiah couldn't figure it out on his own being locked up in jail, but all he will need to do is to go to Him.
Even Jesus called His disciples to Him, we all are called to Him.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Confidence in the People or God? (Jer 27-29)
God loves to use some illustrations to show them what He is trying to tell them by using figs in the baskets, smashing clay pot, stones, almond branch or a "walking stick", cisterns and more! And now He used the yoke to illustrate that God is giving them to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.
After hearing Jeremiah's message from the Lord, Hananiah twisted Jeremiah's message from the Lord by saying, "God will certainly break the yoke of the king of Babylon before two years are out, you will no longer be in harness to him." And he grabbed the wooden yoke from Jeremiah and broke it to illustrate that his prophecy will come true. Dang! Hananiah has that "self-confidence", but not "Godly-confidence" because it doesn't come from God. So Jeremiah walked out... don't bother with him anymore! Phariseecy... (fake pharisee-like prophecy)... BUT God is a wit God, so He called Jeremiah back with iron yoke-bars and prophesied that he will die before the year is out. Then Hananiah died in the seventh month!
I honestly don't know what Hananiah is thinking, but it seems like Hananiah thought that it is a game, forgetting that it is a message from the Lord. Maybe some of us received a word from the Lord and started to look at the people and at the circumstance and wonder who planned this or that. We are looking at the wrong places. We got to remember that every messages from the Lord comes from Him. No one on this planet may plan God's plan! If you feel like God is talking directly to you, then God is talking directly to you. God may talk to you through counsel of saints, through a common sense, through a circumstantial signs, through commanding scriptures or through compelling spirit. We got to remove those false eyes and look directly to Him and give all of the credits to Him! No one on the earth can plan God's plan!
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare (or peace) and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11
Get rid of those false imaginations... Let's begin to recognize how God moves and changes things around us through the Holy Spirit. Put your confidence in God not in the people.
After hearing Jeremiah's message from the Lord, Hananiah twisted Jeremiah's message from the Lord by saying, "God will certainly break the yoke of the king of Babylon before two years are out, you will no longer be in harness to him." And he grabbed the wooden yoke from Jeremiah and broke it to illustrate that his prophecy will come true. Dang! Hananiah has that "self-confidence", but not "Godly-confidence" because it doesn't come from God. So Jeremiah walked out... don't bother with him anymore! Phariseecy... (fake pharisee-like prophecy)... BUT God is a wit God, so He called Jeremiah back with iron yoke-bars and prophesied that he will die before the year is out. Then Hananiah died in the seventh month!
I honestly don't know what Hananiah is thinking, but it seems like Hananiah thought that it is a game, forgetting that it is a message from the Lord. Maybe some of us received a word from the Lord and started to look at the people and at the circumstance and wonder who planned this or that. We are looking at the wrong places. We got to remember that every messages from the Lord comes from Him. No one on this planet may plan God's plan! If you feel like God is talking directly to you, then God is talking directly to you. God may talk to you through counsel of saints, through a common sense, through a circumstantial signs, through commanding scriptures or through compelling spirit. We got to remove those false eyes and look directly to Him and give all of the credits to Him! No one on the earth can plan God's plan!
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare (or peace) and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11
Get rid of those false imaginations... Let's begin to recognize how God moves and changes things around us through the Holy Spirit. Put your confidence in God not in the people.
OT Jesus Freak Section (Jer 24-26)
Ever read Jesus Freak: Martyr? I just found an Old Testament Jesus Freak section! There are three different stories about three prophets (ESV) or preachers (MSG). Maybe they are all prophetic-pastor... or prophetic-evangelism... or whatever you like!
"Stand in the court of the Lord's house, and speak to all the cities of Judah that come to worship in the house of the Lord all the words that I command you to speak to them; do not hold back a word."
Imagine yourself walking past the multitudes to the Capitol to the platform where President Obama will stand within a few hours, to speak the word of the Lord. In Hollywood. In Time Square. In Casino. In Ironman Triathlon. Or even in ant hole swarming with ants.
Dang! Those men are bold! Jeremiah spoke, the priests and prophets and all the people laid hold of him, saying, "You shall die!" All the people gathered around Jeremiah in the house of the Lord. Micah of Moresheth prophesied and King Hezekiah honored him and pray for mercy from God, so God called off the disaster He had threatened them. Uriah son of Shemaiah prophesied against this city and against this land in words like those of Jeremiah. When Uriah heard that King Jeroiakim sought to kill him, he escaped to Egypt. However, King Jeroiakim sent troops to take him back and struck him down with sword. BUT God has also sent many other prophets to King Jehoiakim as well! "You have neither listened nor inclined your ears to hear, although the Lord persistently sent to you all His servants the prophets."
They are all bold! How can this be?! Remember how God has called Jeremiah and build him up in the beginning, showing him that He will be his "walking stick"! God promised that He will keep His words and be with Jeremiah! YEAH if you feel like God is nudging you to step up, then God will be with you, be your "walking stick" as well!
"Stand in the court of the Lord's house, and speak to all the cities of Judah that come to worship in the house of the Lord all the words that I command you to speak to them; do not hold back a word."
Imagine yourself walking past the multitudes to the Capitol to the platform where President Obama will stand within a few hours, to speak the word of the Lord. In Hollywood. In Time Square. In Casino. In Ironman Triathlon. Or even in ant hole swarming with ants.
Dang! Those men are bold! Jeremiah spoke, the priests and prophets and all the people laid hold of him, saying, "You shall die!" All the people gathered around Jeremiah in the house of the Lord. Micah of Moresheth prophesied and King Hezekiah honored him and pray for mercy from God, so God called off the disaster He had threatened them. Uriah son of Shemaiah prophesied against this city and against this land in words like those of Jeremiah. When Uriah heard that King Jeroiakim sought to kill him, he escaped to Egypt. However, King Jeroiakim sent troops to take him back and struck him down with sword. BUT God has also sent many other prophets to King Jehoiakim as well! "You have neither listened nor inclined your ears to hear, although the Lord persistently sent to you all His servants the prophets."
They are all bold! How can this be?! Remember how God has called Jeremiah and build him up in the beginning, showing him that He will be his "walking stick"! God promised that He will keep His words and be with Jeremiah! YEAH if you feel like God is nudging you to step up, then God will be with you, be your "walking stick" as well!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Don't Keep on Hiding (Jer 21-23)
"He who stays in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, but he who goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you shall live and shall have his life as a prize of war." -Jeremiah 21:9
I feel like God is telling us, "Don't keep on hiding, but go out in surrender and be free." Sometimes we avoid the harsh reality out there by keep ourselves hiding and say, "peace, peace". We are hiding ourselves from the problem that exists, and we ended up dying inside. We become dull. We become dry for our spirit withers. Pale. Nothingness. Dying.
That's what may happen to us when we are afraid of any new changes. We stayed instead of going out in obedience and let Him move us wherever He wants us to go, to keep us alive. When He moves us, it is up to us to move with Him or stay and start dying like how Israel who refused to go out and surrender shall die. But we may die an internal death while Israel shall die an external death.
How do we become alive again? We got to get ourselves to our knee, or to lie down flat on the floor, or into a praying mantis posture to pray. Whatever works for you, whatever works for me! We just need to tell Him that we are dying internally and that we need Him again. If we suddenly feel like we want to worship, to dance, to do any weird ways to worship, just do it and let those love be released to Him. Then after that, we claim that we are alive internally and keep our inner flame going by our self-discipline by reading Bible daily and worship Him in your heart daily in many different ways. While we are being restored in our relationship with Him, we go out and face the harsh reality with Peace and keep on fighting.
"Sing like you know the words; dance like no one's watching; and love like it's never going to hurt."
I feel like God is telling us, "Don't keep on hiding, but go out in surrender and be free." Sometimes we avoid the harsh reality out there by keep ourselves hiding and say, "peace, peace". We are hiding ourselves from the problem that exists, and we ended up dying inside. We become dull. We become dry for our spirit withers. Pale. Nothingness. Dying.
That's what may happen to us when we are afraid of any new changes. We stayed instead of going out in obedience and let Him move us wherever He wants us to go, to keep us alive. When He moves us, it is up to us to move with Him or stay and start dying like how Israel who refused to go out and surrender shall die. But we may die an internal death while Israel shall die an external death.
How do we become alive again? We got to get ourselves to our knee, or to lie down flat on the floor, or into a praying mantis posture to pray. Whatever works for you, whatever works for me! We just need to tell Him that we are dying internally and that we need Him again. If we suddenly feel like we want to worship, to dance, to do any weird ways to worship, just do it and let those love be released to Him. Then after that, we claim that we are alive internally and keep our inner flame going by our self-discipline by reading Bible daily and worship Him in your heart daily in many different ways. While we are being restored in our relationship with Him, we go out and face the harsh reality with Peace and keep on fighting.
"Sing like you know the words; dance like no one's watching; and love like it's never going to hurt."
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
God is Our Potter (Jer 18-20)
"So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do." -Jer 18:3-4
The potter can create and destory and create it again until it seemed good to a potter to finish it and put the clay on the shelf to harden. The potter will use the potter's wheel and put the clay in the center of a turntable, called the wheel-head. The potter will rotate the wheel with a stick or with a foot power. In this shaping process, it is called "throwing" which means twist and turn. The first step is to put the clay in the center, press, squeeze, and pull the clay gently upward and outward to create some perfect "rotational symmetry". This first step is called "centering" the clay, then "opening" to make a hollow inside, then "flooring" to make the rounded bottom flat, then "throwing" or "pulling" to make the shaping of the walls into an even thickness, then put the clay to finish with "trimming" or "turning" to remove excess clay and to refine the shape of the clay.
In archaeology, the study of pottery gives them an insight into past cultures, about their daily life, religion, social relationship, attitudes toward their neighbors and attitudes toward the world.
We are like His clay pot. He shaped us, so that we will look good to Him and that the archaeologist will look at us and see our attitudes toward everything! The archaeologist are the people who will watch us to see how His glory is being revealed through us as His vessels, so we got to let Him be our potter by our obedience.
Remember we are all different, God created us differently. Some people may become disappointed as they hear the testimonies about how God changed certain persons. Maybe God told someone to fast and pray, and that person received peace and everything went well for him. It doesn't mean God will make everything to turn out well for you if you fast and pray like that person because He created each of us differently. Through the testimonies, we may receive the hope. And through our obedience, whether big or small, God will bless us different ways! We got to keep our eyes on Him and let Him be our potter, not the world. Don't try to do the same things as they do and expect the same results.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Leaders are Often Alone (Jer 15-17)
Erwin Raphael McManus asked his son, "Who is the leader?" after his son was watching cartoons, maybe X-Men. Then his son pointed to one of characters, "Well, that is the leader." Erwin asked, "How do you know?" His son responded, "The leader always stay in the back and only gets involved when everyone else is about to die."
I love how his son thinks! But Erwin later explained in his book, "Revolutionaries do not lead from behind a desk. There are some things that you cannot delegate if you're not the one in front."
Jeremiah told God, "When your words showed up, I ate them- swallowed them whole. What a feast! What delight I took in being yours, O God, God-of-the-Angel-Armies! I never joined the party crowd in their laughter and their fun. Led by you, I went off by myself."
Although Jeremiah didn't have any followers to follow him, but he is a leader because he was willingly to go out to wherever He led him. Jeremiah went out to Israel to be His messenger. Although no one listened, he continued to go out as the Lord directed him to do so, to tell them about His messages. Jeremiah is a leader because he was the one in front!
We all can be a leader like Jeremiah, Moses, George Washington, or any other wonderful leaders. We all need to go to Him first, "When your words showed up, I ate them", by eating His Words. His Words will equip us to become a leader, then He will send us out. Either leading a pack or leading few or none. But all leaders will always feel alone because they are in the front, facing whatever comes at them first. It is normal, but we have to remember that we are NEVER alone because God is the one leading us with the Angel Armies! We got to be careful not to get ahead of His direction and stay behind Him and let Him guide us. Keep following... Keep refreshing yourself for the battle by eating His Words... Keep going...
I love how his son thinks! But Erwin later explained in his book, "Revolutionaries do not lead from behind a desk. There are some things that you cannot delegate if you're not the one in front."
Jeremiah told God, "When your words showed up, I ate them- swallowed them whole. What a feast! What delight I took in being yours, O God, God-of-the-Angel-Armies! I never joined the party crowd in their laughter and their fun. Led by you, I went off by myself."
Although Jeremiah didn't have any followers to follow him, but he is a leader because he was willingly to go out to wherever He led him. Jeremiah went out to Israel to be His messenger. Although no one listened, he continued to go out as the Lord directed him to do so, to tell them about His messages. Jeremiah is a leader because he was the one in front!
We all can be a leader like Jeremiah, Moses, George Washington, or any other wonderful leaders. We all need to go to Him first, "When your words showed up, I ate them", by eating His Words. His Words will equip us to become a leader, then He will send us out. Either leading a pack or leading few or none. But all leaders will always feel alone because they are in the front, facing whatever comes at them first. It is normal, but we have to remember that we are NEVER alone because God is the one leading us with the Angel Armies! We got to be careful not to get ahead of His direction and stay behind Him and let Him guide us. Keep following... Keep refreshing yourself for the battle by eating His Words... Keep going...
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Let's Let Our Coach Guide Us! (Jer 7-10)
I feel like God is like our Head Track and Field coach, shouting, "No, you are running backward!"... "No you are running off the lane, get back on the right lane before you get disqualified!". That's what He was trying to tell Israel through His messenger, Jeremiah!
Since Israel isn't running on the right lane, Israel had to be disqualified from the race, so she wasn't able to win the race to receive the prize from Him! So other runner won. Since He is also a race director, He has to give the prize to other runner! So He and His messenger were filled with grief, "I wish my head were a well of water and my eyes fountains of tears so I could weep day and night" for Israel. How stubborn is Israel to refuse her coach's instruction, and lose instead! She listened to herself instead! Sometimes we make the same mistake as Israel, and learned from our mistakes and listen to our coach the next time!
It's the same with how God tried to coach us in our life... instead of shouting, "This is the temple of the Lord, this is the temple of the Lord, this is the temple of the Lord." He shouts, "You are the temple, you are the temple, you are the temple." In Israel's time the Lord dwells in the Temple, but because Jesus came to shake many things! Now the temple was torn down and He dwells inside us instead through the Holy Spirit! Now, we can listen to Him directly! Let's listen to His voice and be alive!
His voice often doesn't make sense to us because His voice isn't from our voice. Like how Jeremiah appeared from nowhere to warn Israel, His voice may appear from nowhere in our head, telling us to go this way! We got to take a risk to take a step and listen, to learn whether it is from Him or not. Often our step will come with a true inner peace and inner joy when we followed. If it doesn't come with an inner joy, we got to test to see if the voice is from Him or something else... it's part of the learning progress.
Since Israel isn't running on the right lane, Israel had to be disqualified from the race, so she wasn't able to win the race to receive the prize from Him! So other runner won. Since He is also a race director, He has to give the prize to other runner! So He and His messenger were filled with grief, "I wish my head were a well of water and my eyes fountains of tears so I could weep day and night" for Israel. How stubborn is Israel to refuse her coach's instruction, and lose instead! She listened to herself instead! Sometimes we make the same mistake as Israel, and learned from our mistakes and listen to our coach the next time!
It's the same with how God tried to coach us in our life... instead of shouting, "This is the temple of the Lord, this is the temple of the Lord, this is the temple of the Lord." He shouts, "You are the temple, you are the temple, you are the temple." In Israel's time the Lord dwells in the Temple, but because Jesus came to shake many things! Now the temple was torn down and He dwells inside us instead through the Holy Spirit! Now, we can listen to Him directly! Let's listen to His voice and be alive!
His voice often doesn't make sense to us because His voice isn't from our voice. Like how Jeremiah appeared from nowhere to warn Israel, His voice may appear from nowhere in our head, telling us to go this way! We got to take a risk to take a step and listen, to learn whether it is from Him or not. Often our step will come with a true inner peace and inner joy when we followed. If it doesn't come with an inner joy, we got to test to see if the voice is from Him or something else... it's part of the learning progress.
Why do Bad People Have it So Good? (Jer 11-14)
"Why do bad people have it so good?" Jeremiah asked the similar question as Job had asked. Although Jeremiah isn't going through the suffering like Job, but he suffers because he griefs for His people! Job went through the sufferings to grow and let His Name be glorified as God blessed Job twice. Also by his action, Job shows that our hope in Him is powerful, how it helps us to go through the sufferings, to survive! It is like how some of the Jews, or other surviviors, such as Corrie ten Boom who wrote "The Hiding Place" about her life, survived the Holocaust.
But it is absolutely different with Jeremiah because he didn't suffer anything upon himself. He suffers because whatever breaks His heart breaks his! He wept over Israel because they are His children as well. He wept that the enemies, who he called "bad people" when he asked Him this question, will overtake Israel.
But what exactly is Jeremiah weeping for? "If you will not listen, my soul will weep in secret for your pride". Jeremiah wept because Israel didn't turn their eyes and ears to God, but kept their eyes and ears to the idols, tree and stone idols, also called stick god. Those gods cannot speak, cannot move, are made by man! Why do they listen to them, I bet Jeremiah wept and shout to God, "how can they believe into those gods?". It is shocking for Jeremiah because Jeremiah knew and heard the message from God.
Sometimes consequence comes to help the people to learn. God said, "And after I have plucked them up, I will again have compassion on them, and I will bring them again each to his heritage and each to his land". He will bring them back together after, "they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name." It is the only way God can teach them like how parents teach their children. Sometimes parents had to let their children to get what they want, so they will learn after they get them to see why their parents did what they did. Wow! Yeah our God want to be like our Daddy! We are like His children.
"No one from the east or the west or from the desert can exalt a man. But it's God who judges: He brings one down, He exalts another." Psalm 75:6-7
But it is absolutely different with Jeremiah because he didn't suffer anything upon himself. He suffers because whatever breaks His heart breaks his! He wept over Israel because they are His children as well. He wept that the enemies, who he called "bad people" when he asked Him this question, will overtake Israel.
But what exactly is Jeremiah weeping for? "If you will not listen, my soul will weep in secret for your pride". Jeremiah wept because Israel didn't turn their eyes and ears to God, but kept their eyes and ears to the idols, tree and stone idols, also called stick god. Those gods cannot speak, cannot move, are made by man! Why do they listen to them, I bet Jeremiah wept and shout to God, "how can they believe into those gods?". It is shocking for Jeremiah because Jeremiah knew and heard the message from God.
Sometimes consequence comes to help the people to learn. God said, "And after I have plucked them up, I will again have compassion on them, and I will bring them again each to his heritage and each to his land". He will bring them back together after, "they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name." It is the only way God can teach them like how parents teach their children. Sometimes parents had to let their children to get what they want, so they will learn after they get them to see why their parents did what they did. Wow! Yeah our God want to be like our Daddy! We are like His children.
"No one from the east or the west or from the desert can exalt a man. But it's God who judges: He brings one down, He exalts another." Psalm 75:6-7
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Jeremiah Watched A Horror Movie! (Jer 4-6)
I would like to imagine Jeremiah sat at one of our movie theatre at around 3000-2500 years ago, weep as a watchman, he watched the alarmed promised destruction:
In the time of destruction, Judah and Jerusalem are both dispersed. Motorcycles rushed across the bridge, speedboats speeded under, people dived from the cliff, and kayak flipped over to hide. All of sudden, the land is desolated; no one is walking around anymore! Then the film zoomed to a window where the cry of the daughter of Zion in labor was heard and the shadow of her movement was seen, gasping for breath, she stretched out her hand. Then Jeremiah jumped and pressed the fast forward button to see the people walking around morning in black funeral clothes for their only son! The end!
Closing credit shows: Your only chance is to "Circumcise yourselves to the Lord; remove the foreskin of your hearts." Actually, it isn't the end! God has promised that He "will not make a full end of you". To be continued!
After this horror movie, Jeremiah may go to sleep with blanket over his head! When we were children, we might do the same! It is up to us to conquer that fear and take the cover off and look under our bed with gut to find out if anything is there at all! Do we have a gut to look into our covered hearts, to get the foreskin off and take a look at it? If there is something under the bed, let's do something to kill those glowing eyes creature to be able to sleep peacefully! To kill all of those spirit of LIES with glowing eyes.
In the time of destruction, Judah and Jerusalem are both dispersed. Motorcycles rushed across the bridge, speedboats speeded under, people dived from the cliff, and kayak flipped over to hide. All of sudden, the land is desolated; no one is walking around anymore! Then the film zoomed to a window where the cry of the daughter of Zion in labor was heard and the shadow of her movement was seen, gasping for breath, she stretched out her hand. Then Jeremiah jumped and pressed the fast forward button to see the people walking around morning in black funeral clothes for their only son! The end!
Closing credit shows: Your only chance is to "Circumcise yourselves to the Lord; remove the foreskin of your hearts." Actually, it isn't the end! God has promised that He "will not make a full end of you". To be continued!
After this horror movie, Jeremiah may go to sleep with blanket over his head! When we were children, we might do the same! It is up to us to conquer that fear and take the cover off and look under our bed with gut to find out if anything is there at all! Do we have a gut to look into our covered hearts, to get the foreskin off and take a look at it? If there is something under the bed, let's do something to kill those glowing eyes creature to be able to sleep peacefully! To kill all of those spirit of LIES with glowing eyes.
I think it is like how Israel remained covered under their bed without looking under their bed to find out that they are living the life of LIES. God sent Jeremiah to deliver His message to them, hoping that they will open their eyes and ears to Him. Will they take off their cover? God has promised them that He "will not make a full end of you".
"Truth shall set you free"
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
God Knew You in the Beginning (Jer 1-3)
God told Jeremiah, "Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all about you. Before you saw the light of day, I had holy plans for you:
A prophet to the nations - that's what I had in mind for you." (MSG)
Wow! God already has His thoughts for Jeremiah before he awake to see the world! He also has His thoughts for all of us before we came! After God told him that He already has a thought, He began to encourage Jeremiah with word of encouragement and then build Jeremiah up, to increase his faith, by showing Him that He is faithful to His promises, then He sent Jeremiah out to proclaim His message to Jersusalem!
I love it when God shows Jeremiah an almond branch, which is also called "walking stick" to show him that He is going to aid him and will be faithful to all of His words. I want that walking stick from Him! He is always true and faithful, He will keep His promises and be like our walking sticks to aid us in our walk, only if we take the walking stick with us!
God has a purpose for all of us! We all need to go to Him first, to let Him build us up. Then He will show us where we should go to and what we should say! Let's say, "HI DADDY, I'M HERE!"
A prophet to the nations - that's what I had in mind for you." (MSG)
Wow! God already has His thoughts for Jeremiah before he awake to see the world! He also has His thoughts for all of us before we came! After God told him that He already has a thought, He began to encourage Jeremiah with word of encouragement and then build Jeremiah up, to increase his faith, by showing Him that He is faithful to His promises, then He sent Jeremiah out to proclaim His message to Jersusalem!
I love it when God shows Jeremiah an almond branch, which is also called "walking stick" to show him that He is going to aid him and will be faithful to all of His words. I want that walking stick from Him! He is always true and faithful, He will keep His promises and be like our walking sticks to aid us in our walk, only if we take the walking stick with us!
God has a purpose for all of us! We all need to go to Him first, to let Him build us up. Then He will show us where we should go to and what we should say! Let's say, "HI DADDY, I'M HERE!"
Cover your mouth and see His Greatness! (Job 40-42)
I love how Job responded, "I lay my hand on my mouth." The picture of those monkey who shall hear no evil, see no evil, and speak no evil just came up into my head! Observe the monkey! =)
You might know that Job probably lived in a "Stone Age" in Abraham's time or so. Some of us might call them cavemen, so let's imagine Job as a caveman when God looked at him as he finally 'hear no evil, see no evil, and speak no evil' and told him to "dress for action like a man". In the footnote, it says 'gird up your loins', which means Job will need to pull up his garment and tie them tightly to increase his mobility in battle. I love how God challenged Job to stand before Him to see what He will show them!
"Behold, Behemoth"... and "Can you draw out Leviathan?" , Job stood in awe as the Lord described those two great creatures! The Lord told Job that He cannot lift up His hand to His mouth to stop boasting about those beast for He created them! Let's hear of His boasting as we read through those chapters about those creatures!
Then Job admitted, "I admit I once lived by rumors of you; now I have it all firsthand - from my own eyes and ears!". His ear is shut down from the rumors of the society's view about God now as he finally hear and see what God has shown! We might often see how the book of Revelation quoted for each seven churches, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."
After Job understood, God took care of his three friends. It is interesting how God told them that because Job will pray for them, God will accept Job's prayer to not to deal with them for their fooly. God didn't took care of everything, but allow us to take care of things on the earth! Like how He created Adam and Eve to dominate the earth together! It shows that He wants to see His people forgive each other and restore each other before He will restore Job! Job got twice of everything he had, but I think that Job got much more! I think he found the best peace ever, the best gift we can get from Him! Because perfect love casts out fear. I think for that reason, Job is able to live his life to the fullest til his 140th years ended!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
God tells Job how He controls the weather (Job 37-39)
Before God spoke, the heart of Elihu is violent that he is trying to catch his breath as he speaks about His Majesty. (FYI- it is his 6th and final chapter of nonstop chatter!)
Elihu said that God has ordered the snow, "Blanket the earth!" and that He is in the charge of all weather and earth! Then he went on to say that they are for discipline or grace or extravagant love that He makes sure they make their mark. Do you believe that? Yeah it is Elihu's words as for now... but let's see what God said about the snow...
Before God explained His soverignity, He told Job, "Pull yourself together, Job! Up on your feet! Stand tall!" God wants Job to stand up face to face to talk, then God showed him how much Job still have to learn. It's like saying, "Hey Mr. Think-You-Know-it-all, I am going to change your name to Mr. I-Still-Have-A-Lot-To-Learn!"
Then God shows him why he doesn't know a lot. He asked, "Have you ever traveled to where snow is made, seen the vault where hail is stockpiled. The arsenals of hail and snow that I keep in readiness for times of trouble and battle and war?" Wow! He stores up all of those? Yeah! Now Job learned few things about what it looks like in the heaven!
I was amazed when God said that He stores them up for the battle! But if we look deeper into the Bible, we will find that He poured hail in Moses' time as one of nine plagues in order to set Israel free to worship Him! God's fighting for Israel, like how Greek imagined how Zeus took up his rod of thunder to give the thunderlight, God opened the vault to grab some hails and threw them down with His word! Imagine that! He fights for us, to move us where He wants us to be! We got to trust and stay in the shadow of His wings and let Him be our mother Eagle and let Him push us when we are ready to learn to fly and start flapping our wings through self-discipline (both physical and spiritually) and let Him do the rest!
Elihu said that God has ordered the snow, "Blanket the earth!" and that He is in the charge of all weather and earth! Then he went on to say that they are for discipline or grace or extravagant love that He makes sure they make their mark. Do you believe that? Yeah it is Elihu's words as for now... but let's see what God said about the snow...
Before God explained His soverignity, He told Job, "Pull yourself together, Job! Up on your feet! Stand tall!" God wants Job to stand up face to face to talk, then God showed him how much Job still have to learn. It's like saying, "Hey Mr. Think-You-Know-it-all, I am going to change your name to Mr. I-Still-Have-A-Lot-To-Learn!"
Then God shows him why he doesn't know a lot. He asked, "Have you ever traveled to where snow is made, seen the vault where hail is stockpiled. The arsenals of hail and snow that I keep in readiness for times of trouble and battle and war?" Wow! He stores up all of those? Yeah! Now Job learned few things about what it looks like in the heaven!
I was amazed when God said that He stores them up for the battle! But if we look deeper into the Bible, we will find that He poured hail in Moses' time as one of nine plagues in order to set Israel free to worship Him! God's fighting for Israel, like how Greek imagined how Zeus took up his rod of thunder to give the thunderlight, God opened the vault to grab some hails and threw them down with His word! Imagine that! He fights for us, to move us where He wants us to be! We got to trust and stay in the shadow of His wings and let Him be our mother Eagle and let Him push us when we are ready to learn to fly and start flapping our wings through self-discipline (both physical and spiritually) and let Him do the rest!
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