Mission as Participation

 

 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations... And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”- Matthew 28:19–20

David Bosch taught that mission is not a human initiative. It is God’s movement toward the world, and the Church is invited to participate. He wrote, “Mission is not primarily an activity of the Church, but an attribute of God. God is a missionary God.”

This means we don’t invent mission strategies to serve our goals. We discern where God is already at work—in the margins, in the broken places, in the quiet stirrings of grace—and we join Him there. Bosch emphasized that mission must be holistic: proclaiming the gospel, seeking justice, and embodying reconciliation.

He also warned against reducing mission to mere recruitment or expansion. True mission is incarnational, shaped by the cross, and marked by humility. It is the Church living as a sign, instrument, and foretaste of the Kingdom.

Reflection:

Am I participating in God’s mission—or asking God to bless mine? Bosch’s theology invites us to listen, to be sent, and to live as witnesses of a Kingdom that is already breaking in.

Prayer:

Missionary God, thank You for inviting me into Your redemptive work. Help me to see where You are moving and to follow with courage and compassion. May my life reflect Your love and truth in every place You send me.

Photo by NEOM on Unsplash

      

Jesus' Gift of Peace

Jesus said, “I leave you peace; my peace I give you. I do not give it to you as the world does. So don’t let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” -JOHN 14:27

In the Jewish culture, the Hebrew shalom is a customary greeting for both “hello” and “goodbye.” Shalom means “peace” and so much more. It implies a wish for health, prosperity, and wholeness. It also expresses a wish for an absence of both internal and external strife.

As Jesus prepared to say goodbye to his closest friends, it was the night of the Last Supper. He bid them shalom. Jesus’ words of farewell were far more than a traditional blessing. They were a gift only the Prince of Peace himself can offer. Jesus offered his followers peace of mind and heart. This peace was unlike the peace of the world they knew. It depended solely on his followers’ relationship with him.

These words of Jesus are like his Last Will and Testament. Just as a will records how to divide possessions among survivors, John 14:27 records our inheritance. Jesus bequeathed a priceless treasure to all those who follow him. In fact, his gift has set us up for life—both this one and the next. That’s because the wholeness found in Jesus’ gift of peace is at the heart of true happiness. As we pursue peace by pursuing Jesus, we’ll find we are holding the true key to living the good life.

Jesus’ gift of peace offers us an alternative to fear and worry, a foretaste of heaven available here and now. As with any inheritance, we have to accept it and use it to enjoy its true benefits.

The One and Only

You must worship no other gods but only the LORD, for he is a God who is passionate about his relationship with you. Exodus 34:14 

The Israelites saw God part the Red Sea and save them from captivity in Egypt. But soon afterward, they gave up on the God who rescued them. They chose to worship a golden calf instead. When Moses returned from receiving the Ten Commandments, he saw the Israelites—God’s people—engaged in idolatry. Moses threw the tablets to the ground, shattering them just as the people had shattered God’s first commandment—to worship only God.

God is a God of second chances. God gave Moses new tablets and reiterated his commands. Those commands are as important today as they were for the Israelites because God designed his command for us to build relationships with him and with the people around us. Obeying God’s commands helps us to love as well.

God doesn’t ask us for worship because his ego needs stroking. He asks it because worshiping him alone is the best thing that could happen to us. 

The first commandment, that God alone is to be worshiped, is at the heart of them all. God doesn’t ask us for worship because his ego needs stroking. He asks it because worshiping him alone is the best thing that could happen to us. We don’t have to kneel before a golden calf to worship idols. An idol is anything for which we have a deeper devotion than God. An idol could be power, money, comfort, pleasure, or even religion. Worshiping God above everything else keeps life in the proper perspective. God is passionate about his relationship with us. Worshiping him alone helps us become more passionate about him.

Consider what’s important in our lives. Weigh your relationship with God in light of everything else. Ask God to help us identify anything that we give higher priority to than getting to know him better.

Source: The 150 Most Important Bible Verses © 2007 by GRQ, Inc. Brentwood, Tennessee 37027

Photo Credit

      

Father Knows Best

Jesus said, “Your Father knows the things you need before you ask him.” Matthew 6:8 NCV

Jesus gave his disciples the Lord’s Prayer as an example of how to pray. Right before he spoke those famous words, Jesus shared a few reasons why one should pray. To do this, he provided two examples—negative ones. Jesus said the Pharisees prayed in public because they wanted to be seen as holy by other people. He also said idol worshippers prayed, repeating themselves over and over, because they believed that the more frequently they asked for something, the better chance they had of having their request granted. After those negative examples, Jesus spoke the reassurance that God already knows what you need.

At first, his words may seem to provide a reason why not to pray, instead of why to pray. If God knows what we need before we ask, why bother asking in the first place? Jesus’s point is the purpose of prayer isn’t to be noticed by other people—or even by God. God already notices you. He knows everything about us and our life. Prayer is not a way to draw God’s attention to our needs. It is a way to draw our attention to how much you need God.

Our greatest continual need is to better know and love God. Communicating with him about details of our life keeps us aware of how involved he already is. It also helps us see how many of our needs he meets every day. The more we recognize our dependence on God, the more thankful we become, and the deeper we grow. 

***

The Lord’s Prayer teaches you to pray for your daily bread. Jesus’s words from Matthew don’t contradict that lesson. They’re a reminder that God needs to be involved in your life, not merely informed about it.

Source: The 100 Most Important Bible Verses. W Publishing Group

Citizens of heaven

But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies. And change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control. - Philippians 3:20

Nine months. Yes, we have been back home in Thailand that long. We failed to return for two years because of the pandemic. So, the Thai immigration canceled our visa. They are extending our visa one month at a time.

The process of getting and extending a visa is a constant source of stress for us. We need to check our passport stamps to see if we must go to the immigration office for a ninety-day appearance. We need to follow all the rules and regulations of immigration if we want to stay here.

We do not have the same rights and privileges of the citizens of Thailand. These problems do not exist if we are living in our own country. We want to go home but at the same time we want to stay and continue the Lord's work here.

When Paul says, "we are citizens of heaven" we understand a little of what he means. Heaven is our home. Our true citizenship belongs there but he does not mean that we are waiting for our lives to be over and live off there. It does not mean that God will scrap our physical body and have no regards for it.

In this passage, what He means is that our Lord Jesus our King will come from heaven to earth. He will change the present situation. By His power He will transform our present body like His own then will put everything under His control. Heavenly citizenship is about human resurrection. When He finally gives the citizenship that we all long for when He transforms the whole universe.

Photo by ConvertKit on Unsplash

Who knows tomorrow?

Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.”- James 4:13-15

Sometimes it takes time for us to fall asleep at night. When this happens, our brain cannot stop working. Our memory goes back to past years. The realization dawns on us that time has wings, and it flies faster than any birds. This is truer when we are getting older. Ten years feels like a week.

Then we start thinking about the future. We know that ten years will pass by like a week. The year 2023 is still new, but we ask ourselves, "how will this year be for me?" "What will happen to me in the next ten years?" These are the questions that we will not find an answer to. We can only predict what will happen in the next few hours. But the next day will be a total unknown.

Henri Nouwen says that "the art of living is to enjoy what we can see and not complain about what remains in the dark."  Trust the Lord for the next step we take. Thank Him that He shows us the way for the next step. Walk through life with joy and we will be in awe at how far we have gone. 

The only thing we are sure of is today. Tomorrow is the Lord's to give and guide.

We thank you Lord for today. Help us to trust you for every step we take to the future. Amen

Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash

Hopeful in 2023

 

Happy new year. 2022 is over. If you are like us, we expected the past year to be a better year than the two previous years. It was so but it was not what we hoped to be. After two years, we came back to Thailand unprepared for the changes that would happen.

It was a challenging year for us. The series of events drain our energy and savings. The kids going to college, being sick of covid. Moreover, house repair, truck repair, visa problems, death in the family, and lately the accident. God is faithful. He helped us through the tough times.

Being grateful when good things happen in our lives is easy. But we can choose to be thankful for the good as well as the bad. For the moments of joy as well as moments of sorrow. For the successes as well as failures. This is faith. This is trust in God for everything he has brought us. We trust that we will see God’s loving hand in everything.

This year we celebrated the new year together with Jared and Jillian. Singing, dancing, watching fireworks, eating, and praying. The first we have done it in a long time. We are hopeful that this year will be the most exciting for the kids. We know that God will open more opportunities for them in their studies and their service to God.

We envision that together with the kids we will work as a team in sharing the love of God, in the university, schools, and community. In two years, four of them will graduate and who know what God has in stored for them. 

Opportunity to connect people to Jesus

Christmas! Yes, it is the busiest month for us. We heard people say that the Thai do not celebrate Christmas. I beg to disagree. The Thais always find things to celebrate. Christmas is not an exception. They celebrate it in their own ways. They just do not understand why Christians celebrate it. It is a challenge for us to communicate to them the true meaning of Christmas. This is the best occasion to share the gospel.

Local churches and schools invited our team (Narlin, the kids and I) to tell the story of Jesus in schools and villages. We did it through drama skit, dance, and carol singing. Of course, it includes the local Pastor preaching the gospel. Please pray that the seed of the gospel planted in the hearts of the people will grow.

This year, our relationship with our church has grown stronger. We came to know the members more. Our Pastor trust us to preach on regular basis. Jai does the interpretation. Narlin uses her gifts to decorate the church and help the women’s ministry. We now take part in meetings and decision making. They ask for our ideas about the programs and activities of the church. 

Moreover, the children are active in youth ministry and in the worship team. We are thankful that through the church we have the opportunity to connect with more people. In so doing, connect them to Jesus and help them grow in their faith. 

Thanksgiving and Prayer Concerns

1. We are thankful for another year. God’s provision for a fresh start after a tough 2022. Thankful to the Lord for the couple of friends who helped us out financially at the start of the year. We can take care of our obligations to the university and friends who lent us funds during our time of need. God is indeed faithful.
2. Thankful for two children will graduate this year. Tee from high school and Pia from middle school. Tee will go to technical school. Pia will choose her course that she wants to get for college. Please pray for them both.
3. Please pray for our visa. The immigration extends it for two months. Then we will have a “long-stay interview” on 17th of January by the Department of Social Welfare and Human Security. This is a requirement to get a one-year visa. Please pray that they will give it to us this time.

Be Worthy of the Gospel of Christ

Today is the first day of the new year 2023. Many of us take this opportunity to change many things in our lives. We make resolutions but we do not keep them. In the start of the new year causes us to have to make real decisions.

Here are the top ten new year’s resolutions.

• 10- Spend time with family
• 9-Fall in love
• 8-Help others
• 7- Quit smoking
• 6-Learn something new
• 5-Staying fit and healthy
• 4-Enjoy life to the fullest
• 3-Spend less, save more
• 2-Getting organized
• 1-Lose weight

Today, we will think of one resolution that we should keep by. This one resolution is important because what we do with this resolution reflects our commitment tour Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

In our passage today, we learn that the Apostle Paul is writing to the Church in Philippi about the importance of living for Jesus no matter what happens.

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel… -Philippians 1:27

Let us all be worthy of the Gospel of Christ. How can we be worthy of the Gospel of Christ?

By our manner of life

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. -Philippians 1:27

In the previous verses Paul speaks about the choices he wants with his life. His real desire is to be in heaven with Jesus. He wishes for that time, but he realizes that God has a plan and purpose for his life, so he needs to stay on the earth a little bit longer.

In verses 21-22, we can see how he thinks and feels.

21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know!

Although Paul wants to be with the Lord, he needs to wait because God wants Paul to help others to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus.

In verse 27, he starts the verse by saying, “Whatever happens.” This means it is the most important thing in our life as a Christian. He is saying that no matter what happens we must follow this instruction.

So, what does the “manner of life” mean? This word usually means to refer to our life as citizens. As people, are we citizens of the country where we were born and live? Almost all of us are born in Thailand, then those are citizen of Thailand. Some of us are born in Myanmar. Then these people are citizen of Myanmar. Some of us were born in the Philippines.

What is so special about this word? The people of Philippi have a great pride of their Roman citizenship. They have the special privilege of living under a Roman colony. They know the honor and implications of their high status.

As a Roman colony, the city also has the highest privilege obtained from the Roman government. As citizens of Rome, they can buy and sell property. They are exempt from land tax and other taxes. They are also protected by Roman law.

We know that Paul is a Roman citizen. He used that citizenship so he can be released from prison. In using this word, the readers are encouraged to put the same pride and zeal into living as citizens of heaven.

Our citizenship has a higher standard than the great Roman empire. Our citizenship in heaven is more important than being a citizen of our great nation.

“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” -Philippians 3:20

When we do not live up to being good citizens of our country, it reflects poorly on our country. When we do not strive to live a life worthy of the gospel, it will reflect poorly on God we serve and the heaven in which we are citizens.

What does it mean for us today? The challenge for us is we must let our manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Jesus. People will know how good God is if we are good. But people will not believe that God is good if our manner of life is not worthy of the gospel. Our life should reflect our heavenly citizenship.

By standing firm

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel… Philippians 1:27

For Paul, standing firm is necessary to make our life worthy of the gospel. The Christians in Philippi should stand firm not for Paul. They must stand firm in Paul’s absence. Our motivation for standing firm is Jesus only. Not any other person.

The phrase translated “standing firm” is a military term used by a Roman soldier at his post. This is serious matter because if a Roman soldier fell asleep or failed to carry his duty he will be put to death.

This is what the word means used by Paul. This word is very meaningful to his readers. They know exactly what it means. For us today, we have different understandings of standing firm. We are to stand for Jesus as if our very lives depend on it.

We are called to stand firm in any and every circumstance. Too many times we let circumstances determine our decision and action. A Romans soldier could not say he fell asleep on duty because he was tired. He was to stand firm no matter what the situation.

Sometimes, when we face a difficult situation, when it involves some money, when it involves big effort, when it takes a lot of time, we failed to stand firm in the promises of God. I believe today many Christians have become situational Christians. Our faith depends on what situation we are in. Our God is bigger that our situation.

What does it mean for us? Just like Paul says, whatever happens, whatever the situation, no one will stop us doing ministries for our church. No one will stop us to worship God. Nothing will stop us from doing good in the name of Jesus.

By striving for unity

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel

When we are united, we are strong. When we strive to be united in our vision, mission, and action we can accomplish great things for God. If we are not united, we cannot do so much. When we are standing firm together, our community will take notice.

Just recently Argentina became the champion in football. We all know that it is because of their teamwork. Because they are united. A team that is not united in purpose will not win even if it has the greatest player in the world. We all know that.

Even Messi will not win until he worked together and trusted his teammates. If a team is full of people who just care about their own accomplishments, the team will fail.

What does this mean for us? As Christians if our faith is only about ourselves, we will fail. If we think only about our own personal growth, we will not grow. We grow together as one. The only way we will grow in our spiritual life is if we will all grow together as one. God is calling us to strive for unity of spirit and mind.

The word of God is challenging us to be concern with the spiritual growth of our brothers and sisters in the church.

Conclusion

This new year we want to change. We may want to make resolutions. But God is challenging us to make and keep this one resolution for 2023.

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.

• By our manner of life
• By standing firm
• By striving for unity

Reading Notes: Existentialism

Existentialism is not a school of thought so much as a trend that appears throughout philosophy during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Prior to this time, philosophical thought had grown to become increasingly more complex and abstract. In dealing with ideas of nature and truth, philosophers began to exclude the importance of human beings.

However, starting with Søren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche in the nineteenth century, several philosophers emerged placing a newfound focus on the human experience. Though there are significant differences between philosophers of existentialism (a term that would not be used until the twentieth century), the one common theme among all of them is the notion that philosophy should focus on the experience of human existence in this world. In other words, existentialism seeks out the meaning of life and finding oneself.

Though existentialist thought varies from philosopher to philosopher, there are several common themes. One of the key ideas of existentialism is that the meaning of life and discovering oneself can only be attained by free will, personal responsibility, and choice.

Paul Kleinman, Philosophy 101

Notes on Philosophy: Belief

Your beliefs are your map of reality. They guide you through the day. They are the lenses through which you perceive the world. They are also the deep well from which your actions, attitudes, and feelings flow.

There is nothing more important about you than what you believe. What you value is equally important. But some philosophers think that this is just because a value is nothing more than a special sort of belief. When you value something, you just believe that it is important and worthy of honor.

Your feelings are certainly an important part of who you are. And so are your desires, hopes, and dreams. But they are all either result of your beliefs, or else are in some other way dependent on those beliefs. You desire what you believe to be good or pleasant. You hope for something because you believe it will contribute to your personal happiness or your overall success. Repeatedly, belief is foundational to who you are.

Philosophy is the love and pursuit of wisdom. At some level, we all want wisdom for living. No one wants to wander this world like a fool, hobbled by false beliefs about important matters and misled by counterfeit values that can lead to nothing but misery. Because of this, philosophers have always suggested that it is important for us to examine our beliefs. Are those beliefs justified? Are they true? Are they capable of giving us good guidance in life? Do we have among our current beliefs a concrete knowledge about the world in which we live, as well as about ourselves, or are we all just stuck with nothing better than mere opinion? These are questions we all need to ask, and answer.

 Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know. — Montaigne

by Thomas Morris

Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash

Why Do We Worship Together?

Evangelical Christians came to Thailand almost five hundred years ago. Today only about 1.2% of people in Thailand are Christians. We are very few in a predominant Buddhist country. 

What makes it sad is that many people who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ do not attend worship services. More so, participate in church activities. Imagine if the 1.2% of Christian are faithful in attending worship service every Sunday. What do you think will happen?

Hebrews 10:22-25 says,

22 Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Here in this passage, we will find three reasons why we worship together in church every Sunday.

We draw each other closer to Jesus (22)

Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings (22)

Why do we worship God in the church when we can worship Him everywhere? Anyway, God is everywhere, Jesus is everywhere. But the Bible says that worship is a special moment when Jesus is present. A presence that is different from his presence in the world. There is something special when we gather to worship him in this place. Verse 22 says it is because “draw near to God.”

Why do we come together here every Sunday? We come here to draw closer to our Lord Jesus Christ. We do not come to the church to hear a sermon, to listen to music, to fellowship with others or to give an offering. These are all good reasons, but the most important reason is we draw near to Jesus.

The book of Hebrew reminds us that in the Old Testament times, only the High Priest can go to the Holy of Holies to be in the presence of God. The ordinary people stay in the outer court and wait for the priest on what God will say to them. 

But today, when we worship together in this building, we all go directly to God. We don’t go in as individua, but we all go in together as a church, as a community. When we worship together we all go direct to God because of the blood of Jesus Christ. And because of that we are in the presence of Jesus whom we worship.

We declare our faith in Jesus (23)

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 

Notice the word “unswervingly” this means “we do not change direction.” It seems that during the New Testament time there are many Christians who are “swerving.” They change direction. It means they stop coming to the gathering of believers to worship. In the New Testament time, when they stopped coming to meet with other believers. It meant they go back to their old ways of life.

In other words, in the New Testament time a person boldly declares his faith in Jesus if he regularly joined other Christians in worship. On the other hand, if he did not come to worship with others, he blatantly denied his faith in Jesus.

This is a challenge for us today, do you know that when we come to the church to worship, we declare our faith? It is like we are saying, “I still believe in Jesus Christ.

This is how important for Christians to be faithful in attending worship service. If a person is no longer coming to the church, then he cannot claim to be true follower of Jesus Christ. 

The church and Jesus Christ are not the same, but they are inseparable. If we are not faithful in attending our church worship service, then we are also not faithful to our Lord Jesus.

We have to make a firm decision to be faithful to the church of Jesus. Attending our church worship is not all our witness but it is a particularly important part of our witness. If we are faithful to our church, we are saying to the lost that we are faithful to Jesus.

I challenge everyone here right now, if we are all going to be faithful in attending our church worship.  I am sure, there will a significant increase of number of people who will come to the church and will believe in Jesus Christ. 

We encourage one another (24-25)

24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

When we worship together, we also encourage one another. How do we encourage one another? 

First, we encourage others by our presence. When we come to the church, we are saying God is important.  Jesus is important and our brothers and sisters are important to us. When we are here you are saying I love Jesus and I also love my brothers and sisters in Christ. Isn’t that a big encouragement already?

Second, we can encourage our church family when we take part in worship. We don’t come here to watch but to worship; we do not merely come here to sing but to serve! We do not come just to listen but to do what we heard. When we worship with all our heart, we encourage others to worship with all their hearts. 

The truth is we need each other. It is our responsibility to encourage our brothers and sisters to love one another and to help them do good work. We should also inspire others to grow in their faith. 

We cannot grow in our relationship with God apart from other Christians. Our relationship with God grows deeper when our relationship with other Christians grows deeper too. 

How do we grow and encourage one another? When we worship God together our love for one another grows deeper and our faith in God grows stronger.

Conclusion

There was a church that was built in the 1550’s in (Doubes) France. In that church building they had no candelabra. They had no lights. The mayor of Doubes instructed everybody to bring his own lantern to the church. At the end of the pew there was a place where the people would hang their lanterns. 

As people would come one at a time, bringing their lantern to church, they would hang it at the end of the pew. And the more people came, the brighter the church building became. If no one came, the church building was in darkness. 

Every time we come to church to worship together; we are bringing the light of our Lord Jesus Christ. If we choose not to come, just imagine, we put out our light a little until the darkness overcomes us. If we come and worship together, our church light becomes brighter, and we defeat the darkness.

Why do we come and worship together? When we worship together, we draw closer to Jesus, we declare our faith in Jesus, and we encourage one another.

Community of Priests

"The whole Earth is mine to choose from, but you’re special: a kingdom of priests, a holy nation." - Exodus 19:6 (MSG)

As Christians, we are all priests. We make connections to God on behalf of others. As a priest, we represent the needs of others before God. We set God's word before men and women.

The Israelites in biblical time became a community of people and became a priest for one another. The Lord trained them in the rigors of faith like listening to God and receiving his grace. Moreover, obeying his commands and receiving his promises.

Israel realized that their identity is in God. Without God's presence and action in their lives, people would not know who they were. This is so true with Christians.

It is sad that many of us forget this. We forget the God who saves us and that he is with us. We need each other  to remind us of this truth.

God put us in a kingdom of priests, made up of simple Christians like you and me. We present people to God and God to people. -Eugene Peterson

Prayer

Lord, help us to speak and act your reality to those we know. Presenting them to you and you to them. Amen.

Photo by OMELI PODCAST on Unsplash

Suffering is Our Badge

My friends, be glad, even if you have a lot of trouble. You know that you learn to endure by having your faith tested. But you must learn to endure everything so that you will be completely mature and not lacking in anything. - James 1:2-4

We should be thankful if we do not get sick and experience pain. Some people are not so fortunate. God does not promise that we will not experience pain, difficulties, and heartaches. 

Because these experiences help us to persevere and grow. He might not relieve us of pain but it makes us a better person. More patient, more caring, and more loving.

Quote

“Suffering, then, is the badge of true discipleship. The disciple is not above his master. Following Christ means passio passiva, suffering because we have to suffer.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

Prayer

Lord, in times of pain and suffering, please help us understand that relief is not the goal. But this experience will make us grow to become like you. Amen.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Freed to Serve

My friends, you were chosen to be free. So don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do anything you want. Use it as an opportunity to serve each other with love.  - Galatians 5:13

In the Gospels, Jesus was not portrayed as a middle-class conservative. Much less, a political radical. He did not join the Sadducees or the Zealots. Jesus gave us an alternative to these two positions.

His way put God's kingdom and concerns at the center of His activity. He rejected the man-made rules which encouraged religiosity. Religiosity did not free people from their sin, hopelessness, and social rejection.

Jesus does not belong to religion nor politics but to the world. Not to those who have it all but to those who need justice and mercy. He calls us to serve in love especially the poor, widows, and orphans.

Quote

"The world exercises dominion by force... Christ and Christians conquer by service." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Prayer

Lord, help us to be not to be too concerned with politics. But more about your kingdom. Proclaiming the good news by helping the poor and serving those who need justice and mercy. Amen.

Cheap Grace

What should we say? Should we keep on sinning, so that God’s wonderful kindness will show up even better? No, we should not! If we are dead to sin, how can we go on sinning? - Romans 6:1-2

God's gift of new life in Jesus Christ is a gift we received. This gift is costly to God. He made it available to us through the death of His Son, Jesus.

Living a new life daily is not easy. It is a continuous response in faith and trust. Living in humility, confession, and submission to Christ as Lord of our life.

Quote

“Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ—living and incarnate.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

Prayer

Lord, grant that us may not cheapen Your grace by taking it lightly. But help us dedicate ourselves to doing your will. Amen. 

Learning to Listen

James 1:19-20

Remember this, my dear friends! Everyone must be quick to listen, but slow to speak and slow to become angry. Human anger does not achieve God's righteous purpose. 

We have to admit it. We are not good listeners. Our own thoughts and concerns distract us from doing so. Doing what we want for others is not serving. Serving others is finding out what they need and help to meet them.

How do we know what other's needs are? By carefully listening to their hopes, fears, and concerns. Effective service comes from listening and it only happens when we give our time to others.

 “The first service that one owes to others in the fellowship consists in listening to them. Just as love of God begins with listening to his word, so the beginning of love for the brethren is learning to listen to them.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together

Prayer

Lord, please help us to give our time to listen to others especially those who are in need.

Photo by Danielle MacInnes on Unsplash

We all can pray

1 Thessalonians 1:2-3

"We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." 

We can do many things for one another. We can love, encourage, help carry each other's burden. We can challenge, support, give, and serve. But we have to realize that we cannot do everything for others.

The pandemic shows us that we cannot be with our friends and families who are infected with covid or other sicknesses. We cannot do anything to show our love except maybe extending financial help.

Yet one thing we all can do is to pray for one another. We pray for people we know who are in need of healing, provision, and victory. We should pray for people who ask us to pray for them. And there is no reason under heaven that we cannot. 

“And above all, we must not neglect the greatest service that is left to us, our faithful daily intercession.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer,  The Way to Freedom

Thought

The greatest act of friendship is to pray faithfully for those we care about.

Adapted from Charles Ringma, Seize the Day with Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

We owe to others what God did to us

Matthew 6:14-15 

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. 

Christians should act toward others the same way God acted toward us. God is generous, faithful, and gracious. We can not help but treat others with these attitudes.

God forgives us so we should forgive others. He blesses us so that we can enrich others, and sets us free so that we can serve others. Having received so much from God, we can give to others out of the gratitude of our hearts.*

 “When God was merciful to us, we learned to be merciful with our brethren. When we received forgiveness instead of judgment, we, too, were made ready to forgive our brethren. What God did to us, we then owed to others.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together 

Prayer

Lord, having received from You, help us to bless others with Your blessing. Amen.

*Charles R. Ringma, Seize the Day with Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Live Beyond Our Limitations

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God - Psalms 42:5

Our life situations, most of the time, are not ideal. The year 2020 proves this is true. But the situation and events in our lives should not control the way we live. 

It is what we make of them that will define the direction of our life. When we overcome our fear, anger, disappointment, and frustrations.  It is the time to celebrate what we have, our ministry, and trust God for the result.*

“The important thing is to make the best use of one’s possessions and capabilities—there are still plenty left—and to accept the limits of the situation, by which I mean not giving way to feelings of resentment and discontent.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters And Papers From Prison

Prayer:

Lord, give us the strength to follow your will and not be bound by the limits of our situation. Amen.

*Charles R. Ringma, Seize the Day with Dietrich Bonhoeffer

My Burden Is Light

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” - Matthew 11:28-30

We long for freedom but create oppression. We strive for ease, but make it hard for ourselves. We seek to make our own way, yet become lost in the process. We run from God but create our own idolatry. 

So, we need to surrender to Christ to find peace. We need to embrace God’s words and ways to find true liberty. We need to walk the narrow way of obedience to find true fulfillment.

We need to surrender our own way, which finally becomes the way of sorrow, and enter the freedom Christ has won for us.

“If they follow Jesus, men escape from the hard yoke of their own laws and submit to the kindly yoke of Jesus Christ.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

Lord, make us your captive so that we can be free.

Excerpt from Charles Ringma, Seize the Day With Dietrich Bonhoeffer