In today's Gospel reading from Luke 19, we read that while Jesus was teaching in the temple area every day, the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people were seeking to put him to death. This scene is familiar today when you see politicians of one party seeking to bring down the leader of their opposition party no matter how much good he or she is doing.
Friday, November 23, 2018
Thursday, November 22, 2018
Be Good for God
When Jesus shows up unexpected upon his Second Coming, would you like to be caught thinking about how you dislike someone, or speaking unkindly to a member of your family, or checking out an impure website online? If your answer is no, no, no, then be holy and do not sin in thoughts, words, or deeds.
***God Not Doing Anything?
We wonder why God does not crush all evil and bring peace to the world. Let us remember two things. First, God has already done his part paving the way to salvation for us. Now it's time for us to respond. Don't you see that if we all turn to the Lord and obey him, there will be instant peace in the world? Secondly, read this response from Jesus to Pontius Pilate during his trial: "My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. Bt as it is, my kingdom is not here." You get the idea. The Lord's chief wish is to have us join his kingdom so as to have life eternal. Any peace he can bring to us on earth who do not change our hearts will be short-lived and imperfect.
***Perfect Union Now
Christ loves us so much that he wants to possess all of us. Our perfect reaction should be to want to possess all of him. In practice, we would just let him possess all of us and he becomes ours in the process. Now we have perfect union this side of heaven!
Key Step to Salvation
In today's Gospel reading from Luke 17, Jesus cleansed ten lepers and only one of the ten returned, fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. Jesus told him that his faith had saved him. In many other cases of healing, Jesus had said the same thing. It strikes me that to have faith in the Lord is the most important step we can take. There are many others things we need to do afterwards, but to have faith in him is the key step to take to be saved.
Thankful for Most Patient Father
On this Thanksgiving Day, I am thankful that I'll get to eat turkey, ham, yams, etc., but I am most thankful that we have a Heavenly Father who is infinitely patient with us. We parents know exactly how we feel when our children do not love us anymore, rebel against us, or leave us, wanting to have nothing to do with us. When we cannot handle it anymore, we just cut off our relationships with them. Now, our Father loves us more than any of us could possibly love our children, and billions of us ignore him, but he still patiently waits, never wanting to punish us and hoping that we'll turn to him like the prodigal son one day. This is the loving, patient Father I am thankful for.
Wednesday, November 21, 2018
*God Our Ultimate Quest
These thoughts came to me this morning as I was having some breakfast. It would be enjoyable to sip coffee or tea and listen to some nice music in the background. Certainly, there are numerous other nice things to enjoy in life. This in fact is exactly what everyone in the world is seeking in order to live a happier life. The shocking realization is that all these things are passing, ourselves included, and we absolutely cannot build anything solid upon any of them. The only rock we can build and depend upon is the eternal Lord God. It is only in him that we'll find happiness, satisfaction, and enjoyment that never end. Again, he has made us this way. Discover the Lord and you discover yourself as well.
*Why Christianity Is the Truth
Looking at the other major religions other than Christianity, I see the following. At one extreme we have a religion that's easygoing – it does not pressure you in any way, which means you can join or leave freely at any time. And at the other extreme, we have one that forces you to join and would not tolerate anyone who disagrees with its teachings. As for Christianity (which I won't call another religion, for it is the truth to me) it respects our free will and never forces it teachings on us. It simply proclaims the truth and spells out the commitment you need to make for the sake of your salvation. The decision is entirely up to you. When you voluntarily decide to follow Christ, your faith truly becomes a meaningful thing. I see the perfect balance and fairness to us here. That is why I see Christianity to be the truth.
**God's Higher Thoughts and Ways
Why don't people believe in Jesus readily? I find the answer in Isaiah 55. It's because God's thoughts are not our thoughts, nor are his ways ours; and as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are his ways higher than our ways and his thoughts higher than our thoughts. This is the natural gap between the creator and his creatures. So the fact that people have difficulty accepting Jesus only bolsters the reality that he is God.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)