Today's Psalm 101 response: I will walk with blameless heart. To be blameless is to not do anything wrong and maintain a clear conscience. This is a great feeling. By contrast, the evildoer is always worrying about something. The other day I watched Trump being interviewed on NBC. He was asked if he would consider pardoning himself after being indicted so many times should he become president again. He said he never thought about that and wouldn't do it because he hadn't done anything wrong. That's a cool answer. So remain blameless and do not worry about anything.
Tuesday, September 19, 2023
Monday, September 18, 2023
**Charity Motives
When you make a donation to a charity or help someone in need, there are two possible motives. (1) To truly do some good out of love. (2) To let others know that you are generous. Make sure that you never have the second motive. Donate anonymously always if possible.
**The Lord Overwhelming
Communion experience. The Lord was too much to bear. I just submit and surrender, letting myself be overwhelmed!
**Opposite Effect
In today's Gospel reading from Luke 7, a centurion asked Jesus to come to heal his slave who was ill and about to die. When Jesus was a short distance from the house, the centurion sent friends to tell him, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof. Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to come to you; but say the word and let my servant be healed." Jesus was amazed by his faith and remotely healed his servant. The more we feel unworthy of the Lord, the more he uplifts us. The Lord exalts the humble.
***Is Faith a Gift to All?
I know many people who are intelligent and well-educated, but they are just not interested in Jesus or Christianity. On the other hand, I am pretty intelligent and have earned more than one college degree, yet I believe in Christ with all my heart without the slightest doubt. So what gives? Faith is certainly a gift given by God, but does God withhold this gift from some people? Certainly, he has given his Son to all and the gospel Christ preached is for all. Anyway, those who do not believe have absolutely nothing to rely upon, while in my case, the Lord God has got my back. And the Christ I know is more real than anything I see, hear, and touch!
Sunday, September 17, 2023
***Most Powerful Move
This is surrendering ourselves to the Lord. It is also our most proper, smartest, fulfilling-in-every-way, and absolutely life-changing move.
**Great Intimacy
Communion experience. The Lord filled me with his peace. I felt that I could ask for anything from him, feeling this close to him.
*****Heaven Is Our Home!*****
When we came into the world, we brought nothing with us. As we grow up, we accumulate more and more things. Then we leave the world and have no choice but to leave everything behind. What I want you to realize is that all the things we have now, including ourselves, are not ours; they all belong to God! I hope this awareness will set you free from the world and make you humble (and wise) enough to give yourself back to your Creator. Now your journey back to your Father in heaven begins, fulfilling what has been his intention all along.
***Praying for Ourselves Top Priority
We pray for the world, for others, for our family and friends, and for ourselves. It's easy to neglect praying for ourselves, whereas that should be top priority. I think the reason is that it's just easier to see others' faults than our own, and praying for them to change is rather effortless compared to praying for ourselves to change. It should be top priority because the world cannot be better if we don't become better ourselves. Like the proverb "charity begins at home," prayer should begin with praying for ourselves.
***Between God & Each of Us Always*
The whole point of today's Gospel reading from Matthew 18 is that the Lord wants us to forgive others so that he may forgive us. We heard the parable of the unforgiving servant. I was led to see that each of us is responsible for his transgressions before the Lord and cannot blame anyone else, for the Lord alone is our judge. If someone caused us to sin, that person would have to answer to the Lord, but we still sinned. Mind our own business is right.
***To Remain Free***
In today's second reading from Romans 14, Paul wrote, "For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's." To live and die for the Lord, so easy to remember. Ironically, this is how we become free! For to belong to the Lord who can and wants to deliver us from sin is to become free. Awaken, as long as we remain in sin, we are not free!
***Unforgiveness Unforgivable
From today's first reading from Sirach 27-28, I heard this verse read: Forgive your neighbor's injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven. In other words, forgive others and God will forgive you, super easy to remember. If you do not forgive anyone, it's a sin you need to repent and confess before moving on. Don't ever let unforgiveness stop you dead in your tracks spiritually. Look, if we always forgive everybody, we'll have peace instantly in the world.
Saturday, September 16, 2023
***Pain of Not Being Understood
We all feel the pain when people do not understand or agree with us when we know we are right. One obvious example is that people just don't see why we make such a big thing out of Christ. Well, the Lord knew that the world would be divided because of him. Now image how much pain he must feel when billions of his children do not understand or agree with him! Realizing this, we shouldn't mind my own pains much anymore and should instead try to be extra good to alleviate the Lord's pain.
***Focused Living
I've been advising that we don't let what others say or think about us bother us and tune in only to what God thinks about us. Let me add that we shouldn't even care about what we think about ourselves. Just follow the Lord and never mind anything else.
*****Why Submit Ourselves to God?*****
There are many compelling reasons. I'll just mention two less obvious but equally valid ones. (1) Submitting ourselves to God is the only way for us to become perfect, for only he can fundamentally transform us. (2) It is also the only way for the external world and our inner selves to attain peace, for when we submit ourselves to God, all conflicts cease.
***Most Fundamental Virtue***
I blogged the other day about not caring about what others think about you. This is part of not letting anything bother you. It's basically being humble. So we should become humble first and let all other virtues follow. Humility is not only our password to holiness, it is also the key that unlocks the door to heaven!
***Letting God Make It Effortless
It you find what you are doing is too hard, you haven't let God do the work for you yet. The Lord makes everything effortless for those who trust in him.
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