The man who raised the Son of God

"But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus because He will save His people from their sins.’" Matthew 1:20

Joseph does not get much attention in the Christmas story. The spotlight points to Mary and the birth of Jesus. And rightfully so.

But we can learn a lot about this good man. Joseph first appears in the Bible in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. He was a carpenter whose lineage went way back to King David.

Joseph was a man of strong conviction who put his faith into actions. The Bible described him as a righteous man chosen by God to be the human father of Jesus Christ.

What kind of man God has chosen to raise His own Son? God knew who that man was.  Joseph obeyed God. We can imagine how shocked he was when the angel informed him that Mary was pregnant.

Joseph never questioned God's plan in choosing him to take care of Mary and her son. In doing this, he gave up his own dreams. He dedicated his own life to them and remain faithful to God.

• He was courageous in believing the angel
• He was faithful in believing God's plan over his own
• He honored God by obeying His word

 "Joseph was the earthly father of Jesus, the man entrusted to raise the Son of God.  Joseph was also a carpenter or skilled craftsman. He obeyed God in the face of severe humiliation. He did the right thing before God, in the right manner."  - Mary Fairchild

A reflection on nature

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge." -Psalm 19:1-2

If we look around, we see evidence that God wants us to be joyful.  God's creation is proof that God loves us more than we can ever know. The world that we live in is beautiful.

Our appreciation of creation grows as we get older. When we are younger, we take everything for granted. Nature was not majestic and glorious. The sun comes up in the morning and went in the evening. But now we know that God makes the sun rise up each day.

When I walk out of our house, I see green grass and trees, and colorful flowers.  Butterflies and singing birds. Sunshine, blue sky, falling rain. Playful cats and friendly dogs. Why I haven't noticed these before? Now I see them as God's wondrous gifts.

 If we look at creation and meditate on its goodness, we will discover ourselves crying out, “You love me, don’t you, God?”-J.B. Smith

Lord, when I consider creation, I better understand the love you have for me. Amen.

A reflection on security

Surely the righteous will never be shaken;
they will be remembered forever.
They will have no fear of bad news;
their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear; 
in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.

Psalms 112:6-8

Who among us never feel insecure?

Insecurity is a feeling of uncertainty. We get tired of thinking that we don't measure up to other people's expectation. We are fearful that something bad might happen to us. It causes a lot of stress. We can't relax.

What are the basis of our security? We expect different answers from different people. Success, financial stability, material possessions, popularity, jobs, family, health, insurance and so on.

As Christians, we may claim these are not our answers. But our words and actions may show otherwise. How do we react when we don't have money, when our health is failing, when our friends left us?  Or when we lost our material possessions? These situations may reveal that our sense of security depends on these factors.

We believed that our security is in God. We know it is true. People should know this truth in our lives during difficult times.

Lord, we pray that we would find security in You. This world tells us that we put our security in people, in wealth, in housing, in everything but You. We pray that we trust in You and believe that we can be secure in You. Amen.

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A reflection on the end times

Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  - Acts 1:6-8

 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. -Matthew 24:14

The Book of Acts is a missionary book from beginning to the end. 

The apostles were interested in politics and the end times. They wanted to know when Jesus would restore political independence to Israel. But Jesus told them that it is not for them to know the times or dates." (Acts 1:6)

Here as elsewhere, Jesus discouraged believers to speculate about the end times. Much more to get involved in politics. Instead, He commanded us to focus our energies on evangelizing the world. *

When will the end come? We don't know. But God allowed us to be his partners about His plan for this world. He wants us to work with Him for the end to come sooner. Every believer must get involve in proclamation of His kingdom to all people groups. 

When we have shared the gospel of the kingdom to all the peoples of the world, then every eye will see His coming again. We don't know when, but we know the ultimate sign--when the gospel reaches all the nations the end will come.

Lord, I pray that I can do my part for the sharing your gospel to all nations. May it be as a sender, mobilizer, or goer. Amen.

*IMB, Explore Mission

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A reflection on posting act of kindness

“When you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you”. - Matthew 6:3-4

“The most genuine acts of kindness are done without fanfare and when no one is looking.” ― Jason Pollock

Facebook and other social media platforms give us opportunity to advertise our activities. We can even do a live broadcast of our worship service and Bible Studies. Praise the Lord! 

Many people post their every act of kindness. They promote causes, organizations, needs, and ministries to inspire people to join. Much more so that others can contribute, take part, and help with acts of service.

Yet, we need to check the motives of our hearts why we do what we do. Do we use social media so that we can earn praise and admiration, or is it out of love for people and the desire to honor God?

But you know what? The Lord prefers that some of your acts of service need to be a well-kept secret between you and God. 

Dear God, please help me love others and honor You both in my words and actions. Amen

Photo from Unsplash

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A reflection on anxiety

 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. - Philippians 4:6-7

I have to be honest, after my surgery and diagnosis, I have had days of anxiety attacks. Especially, when I'm having pain. But I have overcome.

Anxiety is a worst sickness than Covid-19. Perhaps we may not get coronavirus but it seems many of us have caught the "worry" virus. Paul reminds us not to worry about everything. It is an impossible command for us to obey.

The pandemic, failing economy, job security, and financial stability. These cause people to be afraid and anxious about the future. The reason Paul can say to the Philippians not to worry because He knows that God is present and cares for them.  "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7)

God wants us to bring all our concerns to Him. God's desire is to give to Him in prayer what is bothering us, whatever concerns we have, whatever we want to happen.

Regardless of worries over the economy, our jobs, and our health, we can be free from anxiety. Why? Because we can bring all issues to God in prayer, and he will tend them.

Lord, I want to trade my anxiety for your peace. Amen.

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A reflection on words

 

9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. - James 3:9-10

Our words have the power to bless or to curse. Words have power both to negate or confirm. A good word can edify. It can encourage someone to keep going. It can even give life direction to those who lost their way. Not only our words can bless others, but they can also motivate others to glorify God. Our words declare His great works. They testify to His limitless mercy and praise His wonderful ways. The truth is these are the main use of our tongue. To bless others, bless God and in doing so, we bless ourselves too. The question we need to ask ourselves is this: do we use the power of our tongue to bless? Are our words too negative that cause discouragement to others? Do our words build up or destroy? Do our words make people closer to God or otherwise? Lord, I know my tongue often gets ahead of my mind and heart. I am quick to speak and I repent of the many thoughtless things I have spoken. I am sorry for words I have spoken in anger or in gossip. Please help me to see when I am about to speak without thinking and to check my heart. Help me be slow to speak. Help me Lord to be a person full of loving words, full of your Spirit, overflowing with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness and self-control. Amen.* *Prayer online by Debbie Przybylski

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He took up our pain

It took us a whole day waiting for a vacant room in Lung Center Hospital. Then as we were settling down in our ward, a nurse came in. She asked me for my name, reading from her note, she told me that I was there to have “metastasectomy." She tried to pronounce it twice but failed. We all laughed, and I told her, “yes, I will have thoracic surgery to remove a metastasis in my right lung”.

My surgeon delayed the procedure for a couple of days. He told us that his fellows would not be available. We had to wait for them so we did not have to pay for people who would assist him in the surgery. We were thankful for the delay because we spent a couple of days receiving visitors. We were happy to reunite with family, relatives, and friends. 

I also need to undergo several clearances. My cardiologist had to make sure my heart would not fail during the surgery. The pulmonologist conducted a series of difficult breathing tests. To make sure that my lungs would be strong enough to lose a chunk.

It was six o'clock in the morning when a hospital aide came and transferred me to the operating room. Our roommates, after sharing our two days with them, wished me "luck" that was the last time I saw them because they would check out later. 

I had been under the knife before and I knew the routine. The anesthesiologist assured me that everything will be alright. She checked the drip needle that the nurse stuck on my right hand where she would inject the anesthesia. She told me that it was too small, and she had to stick a bigger one on my other hand. But I did not have to worry because she would do it when I was sleep already. I told her it was okay because at this point, I lost count on how many needles were stuck on my body.

Then she put a mask on my face, and I fell asleep. When I woke up, it was already afternoon. I could not breathe; breathing was so excruciating painful. I may have been crying out loud, and I guess I was. I looked out the viewing room, I saw my wife Narlin, my son Reuven, my sister Dadai and some friends. I may had looked so bad because they seemed to be on the verged of crying. I tried to smile to assure them I was alright, but it looked more like grimace. I tried to put up a thumbs up sign, but I guess nobody noticed.

When I got back to my room, the surgeon told me that he would release me the next day because of the hospital hazard. Most of the patients there have contagious lung diseases and it would be better for me to recover at home.

Unless... they removed the machines that pumped air on my lungs and drained the fluid. It caused me so much discomfort because I needed to go to the rest room and I didn't want to do it lying down. They brought an x-ray machine on the room to see if my lungs were inflated already. The doctors thought it was okay to remove and I felt relived that I could finally go to the rest room. And go home.

Then something happened that would extend my misery for the days to come. The doctor removed the six-inch tube from my lungs with no local anesthesia (ouch!). He was trying to be funny doing that so I won't notice him doing it.

As we were preparing to go home, the nurse removed the drip needle. Remember, the anesthesiologist stuck a bigger needle on my left hand. So she first removed the needle on my left hand and then proceeded to remove the one on my right hand. My wife, my sister, the nurse and me were having a nice chat that we didn't notice that I was soaking with blood. She forgot to tape the needle hole on my hand and the blood was flowing like a mini faucet from the hole in my hand. It was terrifying.

Then while I was changing my shirt, I coughed, fluids came flowing out of my surgical wound. A doctor came and patched it up. But the fluids kept on gushing out from the wound. The surgeon requested for ultrasound to know how much fluid remained in my lungs. After giving it a lot of thought, he decided to insert a JP drain into the surgical wound using a skin anesthesia. He did this in the emergency room. The procedure was so painful that I almost lost consciousness.

We would be traveling for more than four hours back to Malasiqui. The doctor knew that when the effect of the skin anesthesia would wear off in three or four hours. He taught me how to administer the anesthesia by injecting it through the JP drain. Before we left, we asked the nurse to do it for me, but she would not. She thought it was unusual to inject skin anesthesia inside the wound. So I had to do it for every three or four hours for a day for the next twenty-four hours.

It was a painful experience. I could not imagine the ordeals that our Lord Jesus had to go through. Besides all the pain and suffering He had went through, at the last minute of His earthly life, a soldier had to pierced His side. I can understand, how fluid (water and blood) flowed from His lung. My pains were nothing compare to what Jesus had experienced. He went through the pains and sufferings so that we can enjoy a lasting relationship with God our Father. 

Our Lord Jesus understands our pains, hardships, difficulties and sufferings. He experienced all those for us.

Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all. 

Isaiah 53:4-6 (NIV)

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A reflection on being a servant

Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.- John 12:26

The church exists on earth mainly for three reasons. First,  to glorify God through our service. Second,  to edify the saints by serving one another, and last to make disciples of all nations by serving the non-believers.

In other words, the church exists for service. The church is here to provide us opportunities to serve. We are here to serve God and the community. God has called us to serve. He saved us to be a servant.  In John 12:26, we will learn three truths about being servants of Jesus.

Servants follow Jesus

Following Christ means being led by the Holy Spirit, make decisions and choices according to His guidance, do what He would have wanted us to do. Being a disciple and servant means we die to ourselves; we surrender our right to make decisions for ourselves. Jesus is our Lord. He determines where we live, how we live, what we do.

Servants are found where Jesus is

The idea is for us is we need to find out where Jesus is working and follow Him there. We can follow Jesus intimately and we will know.  This truth helps us see that our worship (even our worship service) should be a time that we encounter Jesus.  For some people going to church is like a duty or an obligation. But for us, it is about celebrating what God has done in our lives. We anticipate what God will do and where He is working.

God honors the servants of Jesus

When we serve the Lord with gladness with passion and enthusiasm, God will honor us. There is no earthly honor that can exceed that. Is it possible for God to honor us? According to the word of God, it is possible, yes, we can and it’s a choice. When we present Him our lives, our talents for his use, when we say take my life and lead me, Lord, He will.

A reflection on knowing God

 Some people brought to him a paralyzed man on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Be encouraged, my child! Your sins are forgiven.”- Matthew 9:22

Although we mostly come to Jesus when we have needs. We want Him to help us with our situations, heal our sickness, provide for our finances, direct us in making important decisions. In spite of this, He never rebukes us, but His words are gentle. When we pray, He takes the opportunity to teach us about Himself and learn about Him.

Most of all, God’s desire for us is spiritual wholeness—healing from the crippling disease of sin. Faith in Jesus is the key to receiving healing from God, and the Son of Man has power over everything that troubles us.

We come to Jesus who does miracles, and we leave knowing Him more.

Photo by Hans Moerman on Unsplash

That Time Will Come

 

Mark 13:32-33

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in Heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert. You do not know when that time will come.”

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has infected more than 8 million people worldwide since November. World Health Organization (WHO) declared it a global pandemic. Together with other events like the worldwide riots because of racism, and recent developments in technologies like chip implants, 5G networks among others.

Many conspiracy theorists and Christian groups flood social media about the end of the world, the emergence of the antichrist, and the eventual second coming. Christians need to understand that these theories are not relevant in our belief that Jesus will come again soon. With or without these events, sooner or later, He will come again in God’s perfect timing.

The Bible has a different concept of time than us. We are concerned with the “passage of time,” in Hebrew there is no word for the chronological time. Instead, the emphasis is on "providence” of timing or the “purpose” of a certain time.

This is especially clear when we listen to the words of Jesus Himself. They are all be found in the New Testament. He often used words such as “day”, “age”, “generation”, “hour.” He spoke of “my hour has not yet come”, “the signs of the time”, “no one knows the time”.

But on every occasion, Jesus’s reference to time has to do with something significant or the importance of a specific event. Jesus is never concerned with controlling the time or getting more of it. He is only concerned with aligning with His Father’s perfect timing.

In the verse, Jesus tells us that no one knows the time. As Christians, we need to think differently about the time of His coming. Here are several things we can do.

Be prepared—we need to be alert and ready to present ourselves to God

Be patient—we need to trust that God’s timing is perfect in all matters

Be priority-driven—We need to pursue all accomplishments great and small with the sole purpose of knowing God, loving God, and displaying God’s glory.

One Minute Reflection

Do your activities show that you are ready for the Second Coming?

“Bible teaching about the Second Coming of Christ was thought of as ‘doomsday’ preaching. But not anymore. It is the only ray of hope that shines as an ever brightening beam in a darkening world.” – Billy Graham

Updated Command

Proven character

Romans 5:5

“We also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

How do we develop a Christlike character?

Character is the springboard to a successful life. Developing a godly character in the face of our daily struggles is essential to having a more intimate relationship with Christ. Character is not just having integrity or being honest or even doing the right thing. A person’s character is the sum of his or her disposition, thoughts, intentions, desires, and actions. It is good to remember that character is developed over many experiences, not based on a few isolated actions.

Romans 5:5 says that our character develops from experiences of conflicts and tribulations. God uses trying times for our ultimate good.

Moreover, we are reminded in the Scripture that we can rejoice in trials because trials produce perseverance and perseverance produce Christ-like character and Christ-like character is a proven character, which leads to eternal hope.

Proven character comes from the word “dokime” in Greek. It is used to describe metals that had been tested and determined to be pure. The idea behind is that when metal is put through a fiery test and it comes out on the other side “persevering and enduring,” that metal is now proven to be genuine or authentic.

The same process happens when our faith is tested. If we persevere and hold up under the heavy load of difficult circumstances, we have “proven” that our faith and character are genuine and authentic.

One Minute Reflection

What tribulation God uses that shows your real character?

“The measure of every man’s virtue is best revealed in time of adversity—adversity that does not weaken a man but rather shows what he is.” – Thomas Kempis

Excerpt from Tracy Fox, Having A Heart For God Devotional: 365 Days of the One Minute Bible Study.

Home is where the heart is

And just like that, we are halfway through the year 2020. Our ordered lives were turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic. We lose track of time; we are stranded in a place that used to be our home fourteen years ago and do work that we do not think we will be doing.

This pandemic makes us realize that we cannot fully control our situation. Only God can.  We could not do anything that requires us to go to other places. As much as we want to go home to Thailand, we could not as the airport are closed at least until the end of the month. 

We miss our children, our home, and friends in Mae Sai. But we know that our waiting will not be for long. We will be home soon. In the meantime, while we are here God has given us the opportunity to minister to our church here in our own small ways. I have been helping as part of the worship team, preaching, and helping the media team doing the church’s worship online. Narlin is leading multiple Bible studies online on Facebook. 

We are thankful to the Lord for His faithfulness in providing for the needs of the children. Narlin and I have expenses on our own, but most of the support that we receive is mostly spent on the needs in the home and of the children. We are grateful for people who recognized that it is difficult for us to be away from our ministry and that we have our own needs too. 

We are aware that there are people who wonder how we take care of the children while we are not physically present. We mentioned this in our previous newsletter in passing but it is good to clear it up again here. Our children are in their late teens. We talked to them online often. They are well-disciplined and know what their responsibilities are. For our friends who stayed with us can attest to it. Jillian grew up with children and knows each one well and she knows how to deal with them. 

Our children's home does not exist in isolation. We are part of a community. Our church looks after the children while we are away. Our Pastors, Ajan Sunit and Ajan Chang, come to our house regularly especially during this pandemic and we call them whenever there are concerns that need to be addressed immediately. Both pray and study the Bible with the children. We are also part of the network of other children ministries in Mae Sai and their leaders are our friends who are happy to help while we are not there. 

Except for the time when I had two surgeries last year, this is the only time we are away longer.  We never consider leaving Mae Sai except for a consultation with my oncologist. After we got our bone scan result, and I believe I will be cancer-free soon, we will find a local oncologist so that we don't have to go to the Philippines for monitoring. 

We thank the Lord that in every situation, He reminds us that "He is the one who meets all our needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19). 

Thanks again for your love, prayers, and continued support. Please pray that the pandemic will be over, pray that we can go back soon, and pray for the children

Meeting Our Needs

Philippians 4:19

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.”

The Bible reveals God as our provider. Throughout the pages of Scripture, God is portrayed as the one who sees and cares for all of our needs.

Today we are examining the wisdom we can extract from Paul's New Testament letter to the church in Philippi, which was founded around 50 AD. Paul is sharing four important truths about having our needs met by Christ, Himself.

What can we learn from Philippians 4:19?

One

Paul uses the words “my God.” We can take comfort in the fact that God knows us intimately and deeply and is our personal provider.

Two

Paul tells us, “my God shall supply.” If we seek God, we can allow Him to supply whatever we need.

Three

Paul reports that God shall meet “all your needs.” This is where we have to separate out our desires from our needs. God will give us what we need to develop into the persons He originally created us to be.

Four

Finally, Paul asserts that God meets our needs “according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.” God's giving is not merely giving from His riches, but according to His riches. In other words, Christ, Himself, is the prize, not what we can gain from Him. It is a critical distinction.

One Minute Reflection

What do you need out of God's riches today?

“After the Lord has tried our faith, he, in the love of His heart, gives us an abundance. For the glory of His name and for trial of our faith, He allows us to be poor and then graciously supplies our needs.”- George Muller

True Humility

James 4:10

“Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up.”

James made it clear that God will lift up those who live a humble life that honor Him.

What is true humility?

It means seeing God as the gracious giver of everything and seeing ourselves as sinful and needy in His presence.

Ultimately we need to get the focus off our own abilities and trust totally in God, so that He gets all the glory and our own light is merely a reflection of all He has done.

How do we keep our humility in check?

1. Routinely confess our sin to God
2. Always keep God's Grace in view
3. Remember that all we have comes from God
4. Invite God to search and expose places where pride has taken root
5. Get on our knees as an act of humility before God in prayer

True humility is a place where our pride is abandoned and our hope is lifted.

It is when we admit our need and claim our dependence upon Almighty God.

One Minute Reflection

What area of your life could you demonstrate more humility?

The true way to be humble, is not to stoop until you are smaller than yourself, but to stand at your real height against some higher nature. – Philip Brooks

Excerpt from Tracy Fox, Having A Heart For God Devotional: 365 of the One Minute Bible Study

What Are You Thinking?

Proverbs 23:7 

“For as He thinks in His heart, so is He."  

Many philosophers take this idea but God said it first in the book of Proverbs. We are what we think.

What we think, is what we become.

The happiest and most fulfilled people are those who focus on the Word of God and His promises. They are intentional about maintaining joy and gratitude to honor God with their lives. We can have the same experience. If we want to be happy and joyful, we must affirm all the good and it becomes part of our nature to emit joy.

Here Are Some Suggestions For A Happy and Successful Mindset

1. Start your day with Scripture: "This is the day the Lord hath made - let me rejoice and be glad it in" (Psalm 118:24)
2. Do not speak negative words about other people, situations, or feelings
3. Thank God for everything in your life - both the good and the bad.  Then remind yourself that God has a better plan in mind when we place our trust in Him
4. Expect only the best and then go get it
5. Be careful what you think about: As Philippians 4:8 reminds us, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honorable, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

One Minute Reflection
What do you think about all day long?

"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you are always right."  (Henry Ford) 

Excerpt from Fox, Tracy. Having A Heart For God Devotional: 365 Days of the One Minute Bible Study (Kindle Locations 474-503).

Discipline of Prayer

1 John 5:14-15 

 “And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.” 

Prayer is a discipline that completely transforms our lives!

Why?

The more we understand the heart of God, the more we are taught to see things from God's point of view and not just our own. 

 

When we plug back into our Creator, He gives us the answers we seek.

Christianity's heroes of the faith have viewed prayer as the most important activity of their lives.  Jesus, Moses, David and the Apostles invested a regular part of their day in prayer.  Other great inspirational leaders such as Martin Luther, John Wesley, Charles Stanley, and Billy Graham - all have proclaimed the discipline of prayer as the most important of spiritual disciplines.

Prayer is something we learn and cultivate over time.  The more time we spend in prayer, the better we get at it.  The Bible teaches that prayer makes a difference in the events and situations of our lives.

Prayer is so important that it is mentioned over 250 times in Scripture.

In 1 John 5 above we are reminded of several things:

Prayer gives us an opportunity to share all aspects of our lives with God

Prayer gives us the chance to express our gratitude for the things God provides

Prayer provides the platform for confessing our sin and asking for help 

 Prayer is an act of worship to acknowledge that God is really in control of our lives

During prayer, we find communion with God

One Minute Reflection

How much more time could you dedicate to prayer this week?

"Fight all your battles on your knees."(Charles Stanley) 

Excerpt and adopted from Tracy Fox, Having A Heart for God: 365 Days of One Minute Bible Study. 

Audience Of One

Matthew 6:1

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in Heaven.”

Most of us, whether we are aware of it or not, do things to please an audience. This has become increasingly true in our modern, publicity-seeking, popularity-concerned, reality-television, social media based society.

The question is not whether we have an audience but which audience we have.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we should only be concerned with God being our number one fan. When we take this pursuit seriously almost all of our endeavors are transformed.

God has designed each of His commands for our benefit: to protect us from harm and help us develop a foundational contentment, regardless of circumstance.

Jesus makes it very clear in our passage today that we are not to practice our righteousness in front of others because if we do, we will receive no reward from our Father in Heaven. When we live only for God’s praise, we realize that His commands are actually blessings in disguise.

If we want to create a tangible difference in our own call as Christians, we need to grow in our awareness that only one opinion ultimately matters.

Our desire should be to please God alone.

One Minute Reflection
What audience do you care about and why?

“I have only one audience. Before you, I have nothing to prove, nothing to gain, nothing to lose.” [Winston Churchill]

Tracy Baumer Fox, Having A Heart For God Devotional: 365 Days of the One Minute Bible Study

Selah Amid COVID-19

 

The COVID-19 pandemic helps us realize that we are a community. We are not meant to live as an individual in our private world. Somehow, somewhere each one of us has a connection. Every action we do affects someone, in our country, in our town, in our community, our neighborhood, and our family.

The question we need to ask is after this pandemic is: “Will we ever be the same?” I hope our answer is: “No, we will never be the same. The worst that could happen is to go back to the way we were before. We must not stay the same. We must never be the same again.”

The sons of Korah wrote this song during a time of chaos, trouble, and uncertainty. This Psalm was written for the nation of Israel, but it applies to us today too. Reading this Psalm, we will notice the word “Selah” mentioned repeatedly in verses 3, 7, and 11.

The word “Selah” is a direct transliteration from the Hebrew. Psalms are songs meant to be sung. “Selah” refers to a musical rest. The singers stopped singing to take a breath. It also means a silent reflection.

Moreover, “Selah” can also be translated “to praise” and “to lift.” Perhaps the singers paused so they could think about what they had just sung in praise to God. It is something required for the singers to do. So “Selah” means that we should pause and praise God. Every time we see “Selah” while reading Psalm we pause, look up, and praise God.

1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. (Selah) 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. 5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. 6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;he lifts his voice, the earth melts.7 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.(Selah) 8 Come and see what the LORD has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;he burns the shields with fire. 10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” 11 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. (Selah)

So while reading this Psalm, we can pause, look up, and praise God for:

His Promise: God Is For Us (1-3)

1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. (Selah)

The word used here for God is “Elohim” which means that He is the Creator, King, Judge, and Savior. Regardless of what we are feeling in this troubled time. This is a reminder to us of God’s promises that He is our refuge, our strength, and our help. He is not asking us to go to a safe place. But He (himself) is our place of safety. The word “refuge” is a place of trust and literally, it means “to flee” running into an indestructible shelter.

God promised us that He will hide us in His shelter, and His strength will help us. He is a “very present help in trouble.” The word “very” means His help is great and abundant right now in our present situation. God’s help exceeds any kind of help that any humans can do. We should be glad that we are serving a God who is always ready to help when we are in trouble.

In verse 2, the writer imagines the worst calamity that may happen to us. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and mountains slipping into the sea. It seems like the destruction of the planet earth. But even though the earth gives way” or the landscape suddenly changes, we don’t have to be afraid.

Verse 3 describes the roaring waters of the sea. This represents something so violent that we have no total control. Roaring means “to rage” or “to be at war.” COVID-19 is not as violent but it is a crisis that we don’t have total control. Every country is in a commotion on what to do next. Humanity’s sense of control has been replaced with fear and concern about the future. It’s fair to say that the entire world has been humbled by this pandemic.

This Psalm tells us that when our security is suddenly gone, we’re to seek refuge in God. Our sense of helplessness and fear should draw us nearer to God. We will echo the voices of many people of God that this tragedy should bring us to our knees and cause us to be a more humble world.

God says in 2 Chronicles 7:14. “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

This pandemic is pointing us to the real problem—humanity’s pride, self-centeredness and spiritual brokenness.

His Presence: God Is With Us (4-7)

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. 5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;he lifts his voice, the earth melts. 7 The LORD Almighty is with us;the God of Jacob is our fortress. (Selah)

God promises us shelter when we need it. We don’t have to look for Him because His presence is with us. In verse 4 the city of God refers to Jerusalem. It was a beautiful city but we all know that there is no river flowing through it like any other major cities during that time like Babylon has Euphrates, Egypt has Nile, Rome has Tiber. Jerusalem has not the physical river, but it had something even better—the presence of God.

The word “Most High” is Elyon, which refers to God as the highest of all. He is sovereign and supreme, and He is present with us. God’s grace flows like a river to bring gladness and joy to His people. While the ocean rages, God’s presence is depicted as a calm and gently flowing stream. This image in the Scripture is used to represent happiness, abundance, and peace, even when everything else is falling apart.

God’s presence with His people is one of the central truths of Scripture. Verse 5 says that “God is in the midst of her” and verse 7 declares that the “Lord of Hosts is with us.” This is from the root word “Immanuel,” which means “God with us” and was used in Matthew 1:23 to refer to Jesus. This means when we put our faith in Jesus, we have “God with us” at all times.

Notice the last part of verse 5: “God will help her at the break of day.” No matter how bad things get, God’s presence means He will help us. When we wake up to start a new day, we will experience what Jeremiah did in Lamentations 3:22-23: “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” God is faithful to us. He will never leave us or forsake us.

His Power: God Is Over Us (8-11)

8 Come and see what the LORD has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. 10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” 11 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. (Selah)

We can depend on God during times like this because of His promise, His presence, and finally, because of His power. Verse 8 says that God calls us to “come and see what the LORD has done.” The word “come” means “we are to run or pursue” in order “to see” or “to behold.”

It means “to perceive through sight, to gaze intently upon, to observe fully.” It expresses a strong feeling of hope, expectation, and certainty. “To behold” has the idea of vividness and emotional involvement. Here we are commanded, “to come and behold.”

There is a phrase that says, “We become what we behold.” A Pastor tells it like this: “Tell me what you are beholding, and I’ll tell you what you are becoming.”  When we behold the Lord and His works, we become like Him and do His works. I believe in this COVID-19 pandemic many people are seeking the Lord right now.

Verse 9 shows us that in His position as the Almighty God, He makes “wars cease to the ends of the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear, He burns the chariots with fire.” We believe that the LORD has the power to stop the war.

Sometimes we feel like that there is nothing we can do to stop COVID-19. We may even feel helpless and even hopeless. This pandemic helps us realize that we don’t have control over the details of our lives. But God is in total control.

In verse 10, we are called to “be still and know that I am God.” To “be still” means to “cast down or let fall” and was used to the idea of dropping weapons. We have to stop fighting a battle we can’t win.  We are not to just have a “moment of silence” or even to just be quiet. We are to cease, surrender to God, and let go.

The purpose of being still is so that we can know God. To “know” means “to acknowledge and comprehend, to discover intimately.” It is not just enough just to know about Him; we must have a deep personal relationship with Him. To do that, we need to be still before Him, pray and listen to His words.

The last part of verse 10 says that “I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Ultimately, all nations will exalt God. Jesus will come again and all the nations will surrender before Him. No matter what happens, in this pandemic: God will be exalted among the nations and He will be exalted in the earth. He is working out all things for His glory and our ultimate good.

Verse 11 is a great summary statement of this entire psalm as it repeats verse 7. Because “the Lord of hosts is with us, and the God of Jacob is our fortress,” we can trust Him.

Conclusion

Jesus Christ is God and Lord of history. Nothing has happened outside of His plan. Through worst disaster, though the mountains fall into the sea, if we believe in Jesus we have nothing to fear.  Whether COVID-19 pandemic leads to more catastrophe and confusion, or the nations rage against one another, God is our refuge.

No matter what happens, we can pause, look up and praise Him for His promise, His presence, and His power.

Let’s pause here at the final “Selah” and praise God for His power. It’s time to be still and surrender before Him because we know that He is the most powerful God.

Photo is from South China Morning Post
Adopted from Pastor Brian Bill’s Sermon

Wait Upon God

He [Daniel] prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God.- DANIEL 6:10

The more I think of and pray about the religious situation in our country, the deeper my conviction becomes that Christians do not realize the aim of conversion is to bring them into daily fellowship with the Father in heaven. For the believer, taking time each day with God’s Word and in prayer is indispensable.

Each day, we need to wait upon God for His presence and His love to be revealed. It is not enough at conversion to accept the forgiveness of sins or even to surrender to God. That is only a beginning. We must understand that we have no power on our own to maintain our spiritual life. We need to receive new grace daily from heaven through fellowship with the Lord Jesus.

This cannot be obtained by a hasty prayer or a superficial reading of a few verses from God’s Word. We must take time to come into God’s presence, to feel our weakness and our need, and to wait on God through His Holy Spirit to renew our fellowship with Him.

Then we may expect to be kept by the power of Christ throughout the day. It is my aim to help Christians see the absolute necessity of spending time with the Lord Jesus. Without this, the joy and power of God’s Holy Spirit in daily life cannot be experienced.

Heavenly Father, as I come into Your presence, I desire to know more of You. Teach me to wait quietly, with expectation that You will reveal Your love to me. I surrender all to You, Lord. Amen.

Andrew Murray. 3-Minute Devotions with Andrew Murray (Kindle Locations 33-46). Barbour Publishing, Inc. Kindle Edition

God has other plans

We were on our way to the Philippines when the news of the spread of the coronavirus in China and Italy spread out—on newspaper, radio, TV and the internet. At that time, no information yet was out about the spread in Thailand and the Philippines.

Our plan was to do what we must do in a short time. We cannot afford to be far away from home for long. We need to enroll the children, take care of the house rent, and prepare the children for the school opening.  We were certain that three weeks were long enough to do the blood tests, bone scan and consultation with my cardiologist, nephrologist, and oncologist. However, as I was having my bone scan when news came out that COVID-19 had spread in the Philippines and Thailand. Both governments enforced enhanced community quarantine.

We could not go anywhere. The airline canceled our flight. The result (five days after) of my bone scan stayed in the hospital. We had no way of getting it. I could not go to consult my oncologist in Baguio. We don’t have the slightest idea how long we will be staying here in the Philippines.

It further complicates our situation. On the 20th of April, the Thai government will cancel our non-immigrant visa and work permit because we will not be there to renew it. The visa that we had been using for fourteen finally come to its end. We are going back to Thailand in a tourist visa and no work permit.

The children are doing well in Thailand, we are closely keeping in touch. Thank God for technology, we can talk and see each other every day. They plan to go home to the villages this summer as they usually do in the last three years. But with the virus outbreak, we asked them to stay home.

Tilek graduated from junior to middle school and Pia graduated from primary to junior high school. In the next couple of years, four of them will be in the University. We feel sad that we could not be there for their graduation.

The year 2020 will be a real challenge for us. We thought we have this year figured out, but apparently, the Lord has other plans. Proverbs 19:21 says that:

Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

Prayer Concerns

We are experiencing worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. We pray that God will answer our prayers that this pandemic will be over soon. I will copy the prayer concerns we have been praying every day with our family here. Let us all unite praying for these concerns (CSM Prayer Pointers):

1. Pray for our loved ones. Let’s pray for protection and good health for our family, friends and yes, even our enemies.
2. Pray for governments and leaders. Let’s pray for godly wisdom for governments and leaders of all the countries that they may make wise decisions.
3. Pray for the frontliners. Let’s pray for health care workers, and others in the community who need to work to meet the needs of the people who are in quarantine. Let’s pray for their health and protection.
4. Pray for the poor, weak, and sick. Let’s pray for the most vulnerable sectors of our society. Let’s pray for their healing from their sicknesses and provisions for all their needs.
5. Pray for our respective countries. Let’s pray for Philippines and Thailand for peace, unity and healing for our lands.
6. Pray for the world. Let’s pray for the complete recovery of the world from pandemic COVID-19. By now we know that we are all connected. One country’s action affects other countries. Pray that God’s will amidst all.
7. Pray for ourselves. Let’s pray for our health and growth and for God to show us the next right thing to do in this situation.

Thank you once again for your love and prayers. We appreciate your continued partnership as we look forward to fruitful ministry. In a time like this, we strongly believe that God is in control.

If the Lord's will

James 4:13-17

We are now living amid COVID-19 crisis. Our President declared a nationwide lockdown to stop the rapid spread of the coronavirus. It is important to follow the government during this troubled time. I understand that we should be together for prayer and worship. But wisdom declares that we should stay at home and not to gather. We want to stop the virus from moving around. If people keep moving around, we are making a way the virus spread rapidly more than our healthcare professionals and front-liners can handle.

It is in time like this that we also the best and worst among us. I believe that people are good, God created us in His own image anyway. Sin may have marred God's image in us but it still there. However, in a situation like this, sin also exposed the worst among us. Our self-centeredness.
We are going to see from our text that self-centeredness sickness infected even Christians. We can read it in James 4:13-17. We will learn that the cure for self-centered sickness is following the will of God.

“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So, whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

Verse 13 gives us the symptoms of our disease: “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit.’” People, even Christians make plans without any regard for God’s will.

The statement “come now,” is found only in this verse. It is a forceful warning to businesspeople. In James’ day, sellers would buy goods from one city and travel to a distant city and remain there until they sold those goods at a profit. Then with the profit, they will buy goods from that city and move to another city to sell the goods.

These business people had a good business plan. They had everything figured out or so they thought. They answered all the questions:

• When? “Today or tomorrow”
• Where? “such and such a town”
• How long? “spend a year”
• What? “trade”
• Why? “make a profit”

It was a good plan, but they forget the most important question—who? God was not included in the plan. Having a plan is good but planning without acknowledging God is.

Making plans is a good thing but planning without acknowledging God is selfishness and arrogance. Acknowledging God’s will over our lives is a cure for our self-centeredness sickness.

Admit we do not know the future (14)

Listen to the first part of verse 14: “Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring.” We don’t know what will happen tonight, much less next week or next year. Proverbs 27:1: “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring”. The COVID-19 pandemic proves this point. The only time we know for sure is this time, right now.

Yesterday is called “the past” because it has already passed. Tomorrow is yet to come. To be honest, we will not know what will happen tomorrow. That is why, a quotation says: Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift—that is why it is called the present”.

The rich fool made plans he thought would give him security for the rest of his life. He planned for what he knew would happen, but according to Luke 12:20, he was caught unprepared, “God said to him, ‘Fool!’ This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’”

We don’t know our future; our future is in God’s hands alone. Unless we commit ourselves and our plans to God, our future is meaningless.

Acknowledge the brevity of life (14)

Life is not only uncertain; it’s also short. We see this in verse 14: “What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” J. B. Philips version says it this way: “You are like a puff of smoke visible for a little while and dissolving into thin air.”

The Greek for “mist” is atmos, from which we get the word “atmosphere.” James is thinking of the morning mist which appears for a “little time” and goes away when the sun comes up. The word “vanishes” has the idea of utterly disappearing.

Have you ever thought of yourself as fragile as the mist? You’re here one moment and then gone the next. Even if you live to be 100, time goes by quickly and like vanishing steam from a hot cup of coffee, you will eventually evaporate from the earth.

Brothers and sisters, life is too uncertain and too short to live it without God at the center. We count our lives in years, but God tells us in Psalm 90:12 to number our days. Everyone in this room is just one heartbeat away from eternity.

Because life is short, live as if this is the last day of your life. Have you admitted ignorance about the future? Have you acknowledged the brevity of life?

Align with God’s will (15)

The third directive is found in verse 15: “Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’” We’re called to move from arrogant independence to dependence upon God. God is actively and personally involved with His people. Because He has plans and purposes for us, we must seek Him and His will. The little word “if” makes all the difference. “If” the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.

No amount of money, influence, power, or planning can guarantee tomorrow. Only God can grant us another sunrise or another breath. Let’s declare with David in Psalm 31:15: “My times are in your hand.”  It would be helpful for us to say, “Lord willing” whenever we make plans. The key is not to make this phrase a trite formula but to really mean, “If the Lord wills.”

One commentator offers this helpful insight:

• We should refer to God’s will.
• We should defer to God’s will.
• We should prefer God’s will.

It’s not wrong to make plans, but we must make sure they align with God’s purposes. Proverbs 19:21: “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”

Avoid arrogance (16)

According to verse 16, God does what He chooses in my life. Therefore, I must accept what He chooses to do: “As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.” The word “boast” means to exult oneself higher than God.

If we plan without aligning ourselves with God’s purposes, we become arrogant. 1 Corinthians 5:6: “Your boasting is not good…” We might call ourselves Christ-followers but by leaving God out of our lives, we are acting like atheists. Boasting is evil because we are defying the true state of our lives and living like we don’t need God for anything.
I appreciate Charles Spurgeon’s advice for conquering pride:

• Embrace your Nothingness – “Be not proud of race, face, place, or grace.”
• Embrace Christ – “Pride cannot live beneath the cross.”
• Embrace Suffering – “The benefit of the furnace; it melts, tries, and purifies.”

Act in obedience (17)

We’ve been challenged by the Book of James to live out what we’re learning. The final directive is found in verse 17: “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” This literally reads, “sin it is to him.” This attitude says something like this, “God, I know what you want me to do, but I’m not going to do it. I know better than you do.”

Some of us think we haven’t done anything bad, so we’re good to go. Perhaps we even point out others who’ve done awful things. But the truth is we can sin by doing nothing. It was Edmund Burke who said, “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing”.

James is addressing the sins of omission, which result from failing to do something God’s Word commands us to do. A sin of commission is a sin we actively commit.

The best way to deal with the future is to be faithful today. Now is always the right time to act because it is the only time you can be sure of it. The only moment you can guarantee is this moment. When you procrastinate doing the right thing, you end up doing the wrong thing.

We could say it like this: Delayed obedience is disobedience. Do you have any delayed obedience in your life? Do you know what God wants you to do or to stop doing, but you’ve been delaying?

Conclusion

We are living in uncertain and dangerous times. Nobody knows what will happen in the future. There is a quote that says: “We do not know what the future holds but we know who holds the future”. The safest place in the world is if we are in the will of God. We do it by admitting that we don’t know what will happen in the future, acknowledge that life is short, align our will with God’s will and we should act in obedience.