A Wonder

        Yesterday before I went to bed, I thought about how we need to rest the body daily and spend virtually one third of our lifetime sleeping. Then I saw that God gave us the night after each day, and thanked him for such a wonder.

*Discernment Called For

        There is a big difference between what God prompts you to do and what you want to do, to glorify him. You need to be sure that you are not in God's way. If you can discern this, rejoice, for you hear the Lord's voice in your heart. 

On Hearing God's Voice

        Let God dwell in you, then when you listen to your heart, you'll hear his voice.

Most Loving Expression

        Today's Communion verse, John 15.9: As the Father loves me, so I also love you; remain in my love, says the Lord. What a beautiful, sincere, loving expression from the Lord! If you are not moved upon hearing this, your heart is too hard.

Most Sweet Calling

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 10, Bartimaeus, a blind man, called out to Jesus for help. Jesus heard him and asked to see him. The people called the blind man, saying to him, "Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you." Know that when you hear Jesus calling, it is LOVE calling you! Take heart and rejoice, for he wants to heal you to make you whole. There is no voice sweeter and truthful at the same time.

Moments That Count:

when you take Christ seriously.

Intimate Knowing

        Communion experience. God knows each of us personally so well that we don't even need a name.

How Jesus Draws Us

        We all have our heroes and idols, whom we admire, emulate, and/or follow. Rock stars have groupies following them. Famous talents usually get a lot of fans. When I was interested in photography, a group of us met with a guru regularly, eagerly awaiting to hear what she had to say about our works. Then what has made Jesus a leader, someone to follow, respect, and/or love? Today's Gospel reading from Mark 10 reveals the answer. He said to his disciples, "Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many." So it is his great love and willingness to serve that draws us to him. (At least we still know what's truly good for us.)

Just You and God

        Basically, each of us stands before God alone. As Mother Teresa said, in the final analysis, it's between you and God. Only you and God know what's in your heart and mind, and there is only one you and that's you. We alone are responsible for what we do in this life and what we'll face in the next.

All About Surrendering

        How well you pray to God, serve him in various ways, and bring others to him... it all depends upon how well you have surrendered to him. 

All Up to God

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 10, Jesus said before his disciples, "Many that are first will be last, and the last will be first." I am intrigued by this saying. For me personally, Jesus is telling me to trust in him, focus upon following him and not be concerned about how I do relative to others, for all is in his hands.

Make Peace, Not War

        No nation should start a war unless it is absolutely the last recourse to preserve or restore peace. A modern war not only brings great sufferings to innocent civilians, but also traumatizes many of those who serve in the military. The suicide rate among US veterans has been estimated to be as high as one death every hour. Today's magazine article "The US veterans going back to live in Vietnam" on BBC News, http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-36363537, shed some light on what some of the veterans went through after the war. Jesus blesses anyone who makes peace. We must start making peace in our own family, our work place, community... wherever we are, and with everyone we come in contact with and most importantly, don't forget, with ourselves. 

Getting Close to God

        Communion experience. The only way to get close to God when we are still on earth is to remain open to him ~ we cannot do more than that. The rest has to come from God alone. 

Life-Changing Acknowledgment

        When one acknowledges that he is loved by God, his life is complete. 

To Enter the Kingdom of God

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 10, Jesus made it clear that to inherit eternal life, one must go beyond observing the commandments: You shall not kill, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, you shall not defraud, honor your father and your mother, and be detached from his material possessions also. For one cannot love God freely if he is not willing to part with his wealth on earth. This is precisely why one becomes free after surrendering himself to God. 

Signs of Ignorance

        Any time you complain about God, worry for him, give up on him, want to test him, or doubt his omnipotence, you only show your ignorance of the Lord.

Find Your True Worth

        Standing next to a taller or shorter person, we get some idea about how tall we are. I recall that when I was a small child, I lived in a very large house with high ceilings. Many years later when I revisited the same house as a grown man, it appeared much smaller than I had remembered. Looking down at the earth from an airplane can definitely change our view of our planet and ourselves. When I look up into a star-filled night sky, I realize how immense the universe is and how minuscule I am, and I am humbled. By the same token, when we go before God, get to know him, and find out how much he loves us, we find our truth worth. (This is definitely worth doing because what you find will amaze you.)

Smart Seeing

         I look first at the black and white, not the many gray shades, in anything. If I see only the grays, then my vision is limited. Seeing the black and white gives me a clear overall picture. Therefore, I notice good and evil, the existence of God and the Devil, and the reality of heaven and hell. This seeing keeps me on my path, heading into eternity.