Looking Ahead to 2018

As 2017 comes to a close, I thought about my life for this past year. It had been a year of learning for me as I took up the new role of a father. My daughter was born earlier this year and a new chapter of my life began. Being a father is indeed a life-changing experience for me. I figured that I have much to learn and also much to give up as I now dedicated much of my time to my family. Looking at my child, I sometimes do not believe that GOD has graciously gave her to my wife and me. The reason is she is so cute. Her laughter and smile just melt our hearts.

Looking back to the years where I lament about being single, I realized how GOD has brought me thus far. There is a purpose in marriage and GOD allowed me to be married because He wants me to learn something through it. Ultimately, it is never about being single or being married but it is about believing in His Son – Jesus Christ Whom He has given His Testimony (1 John 5:10-12). Being single has its purpose while being married taught me about true love which leads me to reflect on GOD loving me as my Heavenly Father, how I can be loving my wife unconditionally as her husband and with our new addition – how to love my daughter as her father. The greatest model of love is displayed at the cross and what I am being trained by GOD in this passing moment of life is merely a glimpse of what Jesus had demonstrated to all of us (Phil 2:5-8).

Life is short and passing away in a blink of an eye. Coming towards the end of the year, I received news that Pastor Harley Johnson (the pastor whom I got to know when I was working in Lehi, Utah) had gone home to our LORD. His dying wish was that he can meet the LORD, finishing well in his life. Every moment that I got to spend with him back in those days have now became precious moments in my mind. I was deeply encouraged by Pastor Harley who always finished his sermon with an invitation for people in the congregation to receive Jesus Christ as their personal LORD & SAVIOUR. In wrapping up the church service, he would always invite all in the congregation to sing this short hymn, Heavenly Sunshine together.

Heavenly sunshine! Heavenly sunshine!

Flooding my soul with glory divine;

Heavenly sunshine! Heavenly sunshine!

Hallelujah! Jesus is mine!

I believe that he is truly walking with our LORD and enjoying the heavenly sunshine now. Once again, I am reminded that I will meet the LORD one day and to give an account of my life (Rom 14:12). Everything that I have gone through in this life is nothing compared to the experience I will have when I am home with the LORD (Phil 3:8, Rom 8:18). Treasure every experience I have now because they are there to teach and prepare me for heaven. Let every living moment become a precious moment and be living for the LORD. Let us spend the time of our lives to know the LORD a little better each day and be thankful for all that we have by counting our blessings (1 Thess 5:18).

Have a blessed year in 2018!

no other besides HIM

To you it was shown that you might know that the Lord, He is God; there is no other besides Him.

- Deuteronomy 4:35

Know GOD, Give Thanks to Him

Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before Him with joyful singing.
Know that the Lord Himself is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving
And His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
For the Lord is good;
His lovingkindness is everlasting
And His faithfulness to all generations.

- Psalm 100:1-5

Sanctified

For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins? But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says,

“SACRIFICE AND OFFERING YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED, BUT A BODY YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR ME; IN WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND sacrifices FOR SIN YOU HAVE TAKEN NO PLEASURE. “THEN I SAID, ‘BEHOLD, I HAVE COME (IN THE SCROLL OF THE BOOK IT IS WRITTEN OF ME) TO DO YOUR WILL, O GOD.’”

After saying above, “SACRIFICES AND OFFERINGS AND WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND sacrifices FOR SIN YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED, NOR HAVE YOU TAKEN PLEASURE in them” (which are offered according to the Law), then He said, “BEHOLD, I HAVE COME TO DO YOUR WILL.”

He takes away the first in order to establish the second. By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

- Hebrews 10:1-10

Redeemed

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a [a]tree”—in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

- Galatians 3:13-14

GOD, the Author of History

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you;
He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey,
Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

- Zechariah 9:9

I am the FOOL!

The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”

- Psalm 14:1

Sinful Man

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;

Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness;

Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes

And clever in their own sight!

- Isaiah 5:20-21

Know GOD

"Be still, and know that I am God..."

- Psalm 46:10

Sometimes We Never Understand

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.

- Deuteronomy 29:29

Welcome a New Family Member!

Unless the Lord builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the Lord guards the city,
The watchman keeps awake in vain.
It is vain for you to rise up early,
To retire late,
To eat the bread of painful labors;
For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.

Behold, children are a gift of the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.

How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;
They will not be ashamed
When they speak with their enemies in the gate.

- Psalm 127

"Who is Jesus to you?"

A simple question which can be asked of Christians and people of other faith is “Who is Jesus to you?” To be frank, this question can be dug as deep as one will like and answers can be awakening. A thousand of follow-up questions can be asked and after which, different responses can be felt by the questioner.

As I think about my own answers to this simple question, I agree with my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ that Jesus is my Savior. However, isn’t this just a model answer? Can a person of a different faith answer this question with “Jesus is the Savior of the World.”?

Sure, he can.

The more I think about this, the more I realize that to know Jesus more intimately takes effort. One follow up question can be, “Am I making this effort?”

If yes, how?

If no, what am I going to do about it?

Folks, looks like to live out this verse John 17:3 – to know the Only True GOD and Jesus Christ Whom He has sent is not as simple as praying the Sinner’s Prayer and live as an auto-pilot Christian. Let’s wake up and be alert to the fact that we all need to continue to walk closely with Jesus like what Enoch had modeled for us in Genesis 5:24!