A Fruitful Life

Scriptures: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23)

In our Westlake Village office, there’s always fruit on the table in the kitchen area. There are apples, bananas, grapes, mango, and pineapple. People here make the best use of them and I am particularly fond of apples. Everyday, I will go and pick an apple or two. I will look at the color, the brightness, the size, and the fragrance of these apples to determine which one to pick. In almost all cases, as picky as I am, the apples they have on the table are all very delicious. They are tasty, beautiful, filling and nutritious. I really enjoyed them.

Every time I eat these apples, I thank God for the creation of this wonderful fruit. I also give thanks for the farmers who plant and care for apple trees that bear the fruit. It takes a lot of efforts to make these apple trees so fruitful and to make these apples available to us.

Bible talks about fruits, too. They are used as an analogy of our spiritual life. The book of Galatians gives us a list of wonderful attributes of the fruit of the Spirit. They are everything everyone is looking for in life. We all desire to have them all because they are good and remind us of the attributes of God.

But, as desirable as they are, we often forget that before fruits, there must be life. Fruits simply don’t spring into existence out of the blue. Take apples for example, before an apple tree can bear fruits, it has to be planted first. Then it has to be watered, fertilized, pruned and protected before it can grow apples. In the same way, our spiritual lives need to be watered and fertilized, pruned and protected before the fruit of the Spirit starts to appear.

In other words, unless life exists and is nourished, there can be no fruits. No wonder Jesus cautioned us, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” (John 15:4)

I believe, to God, life is the most important things. When life is right, everything that flows from it will be right. If we are the right person, we will do the right things. But the reverse is not necessarily true. That is why Jesus was so harsh on the Pharisee’s hypocrisy for, even though they seemed to be doing all the right things, they were not the right people. Their hearts were far from their outward devoutness.

So, then, how can we be the right persons? The answer is in Jesus’ teaching, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you.” (John 15:4) When we remain in Jesus, not only are we one with Him, we also get to see what He sees, the sins, hurts and needs of this world; we feel what He feels, the sense of urgency for the salvation of all lost and fallen souls around us; and we do what He does, delivering the truth of God that enlightens and removes the darkness in human hearts, the love and grace that touches and heals the broken hearts, and the power and glory that transforms lives.

May God help, equip and motivate us so we can all be productive servants and maids in the house of God so that, as we bear fruits, God can be glorified and we get to enjoy lives even more, just as Jesus said, “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” (John 15:8)

Prayer Requests:
For those labor in ministries for the Kingdom of God

Prayer:
Our gracious Lord, we pray that Your Spirit reign in our lives to strengthen, empower and direct our lives so as to mold us into the likeness of our Lord Jesus and bear much fruit to the glory of God. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen!

He Is Coming Soon

Scripture:
"And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions." (Joel 2:28 & Acts 2:17)

This past Sunday at church our Pastor preached for about 10 minutes and then he told us that he wanted us to hear a testimony. He suggested that we abstain from clapping or shouting Amen, until she was done. Then Daisy, a 12 year old girl from our church came to the platform and sat down in a chair.

We all sat on the edge of our pews while this young girl told how she had had an encounter with Jesus and how Jesus showed her things in heaven and things in hell. She talked for nearly 45 minutes in her soft, 12 year old girl voice, and it was very evident that she was recounting what she had seen and what Jesus had told her.

Briefly, she told us that Jesus had asked her to tell the church that He was coming soon and that He was not pleased with many of the members in the Church. She did not say anything in a critical or judgemental way. She is only 12. She told how she saw beautiful gold all around and a large book with names written in gold. She also told how Jesus went with her into hell and how bad it smelled and how everyone was screaming and yelling.

Now I am sure all this may seem quite bizarre and maybe you even question why I would share this here in our blog. But recently I have been listening to testimonies of people who have died and returned. Some of the testimonies are about people who have gone to heaven, like in the best selling book by Don Piper called 90 minutes in heaven, others are testimonies of people who have had experiences of going to hell and been given the grace to come back, like Bill Weiss's book, 23 minutes in hell. Some of which you can find on http://www.freecdtracts.com/

The scripture above cited in both the Old and New Testaments tells us that the Holy Spirit will be poured out on people (in the last days) and that children will prophesy and that men will have dreams and visions. (I don't think men here refers to gender). But ask yourself, doesn't it seem that there are a lot of these kinds of testimonies now a days? At least more then you saw 30 years ago?

The scriptures also say that "there will be many false prophets" and that we should "test the spirits" to decern which are from God or not. (1 John 4:1) However, this testimony is too much of a coincidence for me to ignore, particularly since I know the pastor and have spoken to him about it, and I know you did not hear what I heard. I guess all I am asking us to do in this blog is keep ready for His coming. 1 Thessalonians 5:2 tells us that the Lord will come "like a thief in the night." "So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." (Matthew 24:44) I believe Jesus will be here to receive His own sooner then most people expect.

Request:
That we would be attentive believers and both keep watch for Jesus' coming and tell as many as we can about Jesus so that they do not have to face the inevitable consequence of sin by being sent to hell instead of being saved and spending eternity with our Savior.

Prayer:
Dear Lord, thank you for speaking to us from your Word and by your Holy Spirit. We know you are coming very soon and that there are still many who do not know you. Give us your grace and direction to help others find their way to that salvation you offer to us by your death on the cross.

Certainty in an Uncertain Life

Scriptures: “I have fought the good fight...” (II Timothy 4:7)

In the movie Gladiator, Russell Crowe played the role of a Roman general betrayed by his emperor and lost his position and family to this political persecution. Later, he was captured and sold into slavery and, then, to a gladiator school. But, because of his exceptional combat skills, he rose through the ranks and became a very popular gladiator in the Coliseum. Because of his fame and popularity, he came to meet the emperor who killed his family right there in the arena and was able to avenge himself on the emperor with the price of his own life.

As the name of the movie indicates, this is a story about a gladiator. Therefore, there were a lot of scenes of gladiator fighting in the movie. Every time I see them, I couldn’t help wondering if those were the pictures Paul had in mind when he said, “I have fought the good fight…” (II Timothy 4:7) because, later on in the passage, he said, “…And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth.” (II Timothy 4:17)

As I meditated on this statement of Paul, “I have fought the good fight…” (II Timothy 4:7), I sensed the certainty in his heart. He had fought the good fight! It was over. He finished the fight and he knew what it was all about.

There are many fighting in life. Many are for wealth, power, earthly pleasures, lust, pride, and survivals. But Paul did not fight for any of these. He didn’t just fight any fight. He fought the “good fight” because he knew what fight needs to be fought. In the book of Ephesians, he said, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12) Yes, he picked his fight. His life had a focus and, because he submitted to our Lord Jesus and the leading of His Spirit, Paul did not live his life in a reactive manner, but a proactive manner in which he choose the fight he was called to. And I ask myself, how about me? Am I picking the good fight like Paul? Or, am I simply reacting to whatever life throws at me?

Paul knew what good fight he needed to fight because he knew our Lord who called him to fight. In spite of the persecutions and sufferings he had in life, he said, “…Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him for that day.” (II Timothy 1:12) He not only knew about our Lord Jesus, he knew Jesus in such a personal way that he saw no doubts or uncertainties in life. The situation may change and his possessions may be taken away from him, through them all, he saw the one who called him and the cause of his calling standing still. He was more than convinced of the meaning and purpose of his ministries. I believe such clarity, focus and dedication were unmovable, powerful and essential in living a godly life.

Where are you today? Are you wondering where life is taking you? Are you questioning Jesus for His purpose of the dilemma or difficulties you are facing right now? Or, are you wondering what would God have you do for His Kingdom? May the Spirit of God open our hearts so we may know the hope to which He has called us! (Ephesians 1:18)

Prayer Requests:
For those who live their lives from day to day like a floating leaf on the water

Prayer:
Father God, thank You for leading us back to You through Your Son Jesus. We ask that You open our eyes so we may see and be confident of Your continual leading in life and be able to follow You in fighting the good fight for our Lord Jesus. In the precious name of our Lord Jesus, Amen!

A Dangerous Prayer – Part 1

In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. This is how you are to pray:

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done
On earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread,
And forgive us our debts
As we forgive our debtors;
And do not subject us to the final test,
But deliver us from the evil one. (Mt. 6:8-13)

As some of you know, I have been studying Polish in preparation for a prayer pilgrimage to Poland in April. One of the things I have been doing is learning to pray in Polish, and the Lord’s Prayer has been at the top of the list. (Say it with me, Gloria: Ojcze Nasz, któryś jest w niebie...) Because of the effort needed to learn the new text, or even just pronounce it, I’ve had to give a lot of attention to the meaning of each word. In the process, I’ve concluded that the Lord’s Prayer is very dangerous. It is something we’d best not be praying unless we’re serious about what it says. I’d like to share some thoughts on the first part of the prayer in this blog entry and conclude next week with Part 2.

Our Father in Heaven. Do we really view God as a father? We live in a society where many fathers are absent from their children’s lives. Sometimes it’s from a need to work long hours or far away from home in order to support the family. For some, the job has become their #1 priority. Some fathers, sadly, just don’t want to be involved. Tragically, some fathers have even harmed their children, physically, emotionally, sexually. In those cases, the image of a father is a difficult one to embrace. The Lord’s Prayer gives us a perfect image to replace any negative images of fatherhood that we might have. God is the perfect Father. When we turn to Him in trust, we learn that He is lacking in nothing, that He loves and protects us, and gives us everything according to our needs. What father among you would hand his son a snake, when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him? (Lk. 11:11-13).

Hallowed be Your Name. These days, the name of God and His Son are often tossed around unthinkingly, or worse, used as expletives. In Old Testament times, to reveal one’s name to another was to make oneself vulnerable in a sense. Using a person’s name is also a measure of respect. I call my friend by her name, I don’t say “Hey you!” because I respect who she is as a person. Isaiah 43:1 tells us that God has called each of [us] by name and that He will be with us to guide and watch over us. God shows His love for us by calling us by name; we owe Him nothing less when using His name. A person's name is a precious thing, and isn’t the name of God the most precious name of all?

Your will be done, on earth as in heaven. This is probably the most dangerous verse of all. Many of us, when praying, present the Lord with a laundry list of things we think we need, or things we would like Him to do for us. There is nothing wrong with bringing our petitions before the Lord; God wants us to do that. After all, Scripture says, Ask and you shall receive (Mt. 7:7). I have often heard people say, “Oh, I pray, but God doesn’t answer my prayers.” But are we praying with the right disposition? Do we really want His will, or our own? God does indeed answer our prayers, but sometimes that answer is a resounding “No.” He won’t always give us what we ask for, but He will always give us what we need and only what is good for us. For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for woe! Plans to give you a future full of hope (Jer. 29:11).

To ask that His will be done means to surrender oneself completely to God. It means giving up control – a frightening proposition in a society that indoctrinates us to believe we must always be in control at all costs. But the Gospel calls us to imitate Christ in His humility. Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus, Who, though He was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, He emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found in human appearance He humbled Himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross (Phil. 2:5-8).

Praying “Thy will be done” means dying to ourselves, actively seeking to know His will for our lives, and responding to the grace to do it. Only in losing ourselves in God can we find our true selves. As St. Francis of Assisi wrote, “it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.”

Prayer Request. For those who have given up on prayer, that they would come to know that our heavenly Father loves them and seeks relationship with them.

Prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank you and praise you for calling us by name to be Your children. Help us to surrender ourselves and find our happiness in Your perfect will. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Hopefulness in Hopelessness

Scriptures: “When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36)

For the last few days, there has been no news but the reports of the wild fire throughout Southern California. The TV news broadcast brings in the pictures of fire; of people fighting fires courageously; of heartbroken people returning in tears to ashes and whatever left after the devastation; and of people moving aimlessly around stadium, not knowing where to go or what to do next.

The faces of those heartbroken and displaced people showed helplessness. Their cherished homes, the love and work of their lifetime efforts, the place they look forward to for comfort and restoration at the end of every busy and hectic day, were destroyed and they were not even given sufficient time to pack and leave. Many of them were given the order to leave at moments’ notice. I heard a lady saying that, “In 20 minutes, we had to go from being asleep to being out of the house.” How panic and scared they must have been! Their lives were literally shattered by these wild fires.

But, in the midst of all these helplessness and hopelessness, someone had a different take on them. A couple of sisters in Christ sat before the ruin of the Malibu Presbyterian Church and shared their hope in spite of the destruction and devastation. One of them even quoted the Bible that says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) Yes, God is still in charge and He still plans to carry out His plan of salvation! Praise the Lord!

She further commented that, even though the church building was destroyed by the fire, the church continued their weekday meetings and fellowships. They were hopeful, not because of what lied before them, but because of the Lord they knew.

What a contrast! I can’t help thinking, as destructive and undesirable as these fires are, the hopelessness and helplessness shown were not results of the devastation. They were simply revealed by these disasters. People need the Lord! Without Him, we may never have true and lasting peace or hope and we will be just like those whose hopes are only in this world and in this life.

But, you know what? Jesus sees them; He feels their pain, their fear, and their sense of inability; He knows their needs, and “He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36) And He wants to call out to them, to comfort them, and to fill them with the eternal joy, peace and hope that only He can provide. And, so, He first called out to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.” (Matthew 9:37-38)

Today, more than ever, they need to know Jesus; they need to know there is hope in the face of all these formidable destructive force; and they need to know life is more than what they see, own and lost in this world. They need to know, with Jesus, they can ALWAYS be hopeful!

Our challenge is: Will we spread the message right where we are? May God help us all!

Prayer Requests:
For those physically, mentally and spiritually displaced, regardless of the cause.

Prayer:

Our loving Lord, we want to come before You and lift up those displaced people in our communities to You. We ask that You hold them up in Your loving arms and carry them through this difficult journey and help them realize that You alone are their hope and their healer. Help Your children to be Your arms and feet that carry Your comfort and provision to provide their needs in life, physical and spiritual. Thank You for being so faithful and merciful to us. We ask all of these in Jesus’ name, Amen!

Free Because of Christ

Scripture:
"If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed." (John 8:36)


Request:

That we pray for those who are risking their lives to protect that which God has given to us, our country.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank you for sending this to me from a friend so that I can share it with my brothers and sisters in Christ at Avery. To you be all the Glory and Honor. Thank you for watching over us, and giving us a county where we have the freedom to to live our lives choosing to follow you. In Jesus name. Amen.

In The Face of Wild Fires

Scriptures: ‘Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”’ (James 4:14-15)

Yesterday, like most Christians, we went to church for worship and fellowship. It was a windy, but clear day and, though there were news about a brush file in Malibu and another one in Castaic, we did not suspect for one moment that it would be this close to home.

When we left the church at about 3:20 pm, we saw the sky to the north was pretty much covered by heavy black smoke. We said to each other that the brush file in Castaic must have gotten worse. But, when we got home and turned on TV, we learned that it was a new fire in Canyon Country which started yesterday afternoon. In that small window, a matter of 3 to 4 hours, this brush file had burned more than 12 thousand acres. The pictures shown on TV were even more frightening. The fire came so close to the houses in the residential area and people have been asked to evacuate from those dangerous areas.

The speed and the destructive power of these wild fires were incredible. I couldn’t help thinking how vulnerable our lives are and how unreliable all these earthly possessions are. Yet, we hold on so tight to them, as if they are our hope and assurance in life. And, when storms in life hit, like this wild fire, we find ourselves so limited and incapable of taking all the things we treasure. Some do not even get to carry their photos and diaries. The only thing they got to keep was their memory.

Wild fires are disastrous. I don’t want to minimize the pain and suffering people go through. But, where do you go to escape these disasters? In this country, we have earthquakes on the west coast, tornados in the Mid-West and hurricanes on the East Coast. And, wild fires are just wild. They can be found on the west coast or in Mid-West. When these natural disasters hit, with all the advanced technology, all that we can do is give people a heads-up so as to save as many lives as we can and minimize the damages.

While these efforts are precious and commendable, their values are temporary. Yet, the loss of them still brings great grief to many. I guess that’s because we invest a lot in them. I suppose, the more we invest the more we treasure. And, of course, when a disaster hits, the more we lose. Jesus once cautioned us, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves to not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)

I think it’s imperative that we re-examine the definition of our treasure. Jesus demanded that we store up treasures in heaven, i.e. things like “…any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion…” (Philippians 2:1) Not only will the efforts to store up these heavenly treasures help minimize the impact from storms in life, they will also build up our heavenly character and make us strong in the face of these storms.

The wild fire is still burning fiercely. But the thoughts of these biblical teachings already calmed the fear within, knowing that this life and this world is not it at all. There is an eternity to look forward to and we are called to experience the heavenly blessings our Lord Jesus has in store for us right this moment. I am blessed! Thank you, Lord!

Prayer Requests:
For the victims in these wild fires, especially for their relationship with our Lord Jesus.

Prayer:
Our gracious Father, thank You for being the Creator and Sustainer of our lives. Even though there are difficulties and troubles in life, we know our hope is not here, but where You are. Help us to be heavenly mindful so that we can be earthly useful, especially in responding to Your call to reach out to the lost souls. Thank You for our Lord Jesus and His good news. Help us to take in all the goodness of the gospel and share through our lives empowered by the Holy Spirit. Thank You and pray in Jesus’ name, Amen!

Lord of the Harvest

Scripture:
"And He was saying to them, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.'" (Luke 10:2)

I have a missionary friend name Jacob who lives and works in Spain and who is responsible for an evangelism ministry in Madrid called "Kilómetro Zero". Every day he goes to the very center of the city of Madrid with a handful of other missionaries and believers and they preach the gospel on a street corner.

http://www.kilometrocero.net/inicio.html

Now I have not personally met him yet but since Spain is very close to my heart, about a year ago I found his evangelistic ministry on the Internet and began writing him. From that came a prayer partner relationship which I cherish very much. What he does is emails me about twice a month with a specific prayer request and I, and about 400 others, pray for that request for him.

Well last month he asked us to pray for him as he was going to preach at a missionary conference in a church in Washington state. He said that he wanted to see an outpouring of the Holy Spirit so that more laborers would be called into the harvest. After that weekend, he sent us another email thanking us and telling us what God had done. In that email was a link to a Google video clip which of course I listened to and it was something that Jacob said that has been running around in my mind that I want to share with you.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1671518125633314383

Very briefly, he was telling the story about how Moses made a bronze snake (Numbers 21) and put it on a stick as God had instructed him to do. And then he told Israel that if anyone gets bitten by a snake all they had to do was look at the bronze snake he had made and they would be healed. Now of course everyone doubted at first, but I am sure that once a couple of them got healed the word began to spread. The sermon was very good and I don't want to tell you all about it so that you will appreciate it more should you listen to Jacob on this link above. However, the words that have been convicting me more and more are when he said, "God has engraved evangelism on my eyes." Meaning that what moves him to preach the gospel so much is that every person he sees, he sees in the light of what their eternity will be like if they don't accept Jesus Christ.

Now I must admit that I have had moments while driving on the freeway that I have thought about all of the people in their cars that probably do not have a clue what their eternity will be like without Christ. And I have been listening to some testimonies about people who have claimed to know first hand what it is like and it is really scarey.

http://www.freecdtracts.com/

I guess my whole point here is that I believe we should be thinking about, and praying more for the lost!

One of the things I do to help me focus on praying for missionaries and the lost is I zoom in a the streets of cities in countries of the world using Google Earth. Now most of the time I am praying for Spain but I have also prayed for India and Italy and I want you to know that when I do this, that is zoom in on a particular part of the world all the way down to the street level where I can accurately see cars, and I pray for people on these particular streets, the Holy Spirit does something in me that is so filling that many times I am moved to tears for all of the people that are going to hell.

I encourage you to dedicate (or allocate) some of your time each week (or each day) to pray for people in the world that don't know Jesus. Ask God what country or region of the world He wants you to pray for and research missionaries on the Internet the you can email and ask them what particular prayer requests they have. Let God lead your heart to pray for the lost in the world.

Prayer Request:

That God would send forth laborers that will be sent to tell others about Christ to those who have not heard yet.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, there are so many lost in this world who do not even have a way of hearing about how you died for them. Please direct us to pray for these people and please call us.

Pay It Forward

Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more (Lk. 12:48).

A few years back, there was a movie called Pay It Forward that was enormously popular. The film was about a boy whose philosophy of life was that the world would be a better place if everyone tried to "pay it forward" by helping a stranger, and by that stranger in turn helping another. What would incite a person to help a complete stranger? To those of us who believe, the answer is simple: God’s grace. Grace is always available to us, no matter how well or how badly our lives seem to be going. The Lord gives us whatever grace we need for the present moment. If we look hard enough, we can see God’s hand at work in every situation, and find something in it for which to be thankful.

I like to think of God’s grace as a construction crew building a house. At first, the building site is chosen and any obstacles or debris are cleared. The basic materials are delivered to the site, and the workers lay the foundation and frame the house. As the construction proceeds, more materials are delivered to the site and “acted upon.” In the same way, God chooses us, and when we first respond to His call to faith, we work on clearing those things from our lives that are displeasing to Him. As we do that, God’s grace builds upon the foundation our nature – the gifts He has given us. But we have to respond, and we have to do it God’s way, not our way. “If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do the builders labor” (Ps. 127:1). He is the Foreman on this job!

But it’s not all about us. Grace flows into us - “From His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace” (Jn. 1:16) - and its effects flow forth from us to impact the world around us. One such outflow is service to others. Service doesn’t mean we have to pick up and leave everything we know to go to some far away place as missionaries, although some people are called to that. It can be something as simple as a smile or the act of holding a door open for someone. It’s amazing how much even a small gesture can do for a person who is having a rough day.
This process of “paying it forward” began when God called us in love to be His own children (cf. 1 Jn. 3:1). Ultimately, we will be judged by how we respond to the grace He freely and abundantly pours out upon each of us. “Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and cloth you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for Me’” (Mt. 25:37-40).

Prayer Request: For those who are feeling down, lonely and depressed, that they might feel God's touch through gestures of kindness from others and, in turn, do acts of kindness for others.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Your holy Word teaches us that we are to “act justly, love goodness and walk humbly” with You. We thank you for the abundant grace that is always available to us and at work in us. Open our eyes so that we might see You in our neighbor. Attune us to their needs and help us to respond as You would have us do. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Follow the Leader

Scriptures: “When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.” (John 10:4)

Many years ago, an old Italian lady flew from Milan to the United States to visit her son. He lived in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Her flight took her from Milan to New York first where she then connected to a domestic flight that would take her to her son.

The domestic flight made a stop at Tampa before flying to Fort Lauderdale. As the airplane was landing in Tampa, she saw the swinging palm trees, the blue clear ocean water and the beautiful beach, just like what her son had told her, she thought to herself, “This must be it. I’ve got to get off the plane.” So, when the airplane was unloading and reloading passengers and cargo, she wandered off into the airport and was looking for her son who was supposed to meet her right there in the airport.

When the airplane completed the work there, the flight attendants found that the old lady was missing. Knowing that she did not speak English at all, they were worried. So, they set out to look for this old lady and, at the same time, found someone who spoke Italian to ask her to report to the counter through the PA system in the airport. After 2 hours of efforts, they finally found her, exhausted from the walk around the airport trying to find her son, and brought her back to the airplane and took her to her final destination, Ft. Lauderdale.

She later told her son that, because she didn’t understand a word what Captain was saying, she could only rely on her own judgment to determine if she reached her destination. I can’t imagine how she must have felt when she was lost in the airport and not having her loved ones beside her. What an ordeal for her!

Life has often been viewed as a journey. But, for Christians, sometimes I would like to think that we are like a traveling group inside this airplane with our Lord Jesus being the Captain, taking us all to that eternal destination where He has prepared dwelling places for us. We are in good hands!

That is, if we stay with Him. So often, just like this old lady, we rely on our understanding and our observations and do not pay attention to what He is telling us. So, we decided to get off the plane before our final destination. As the Bible puts it, “each of us has turned to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6) and we left our Lord and His chartered course. Then, we wonder why our lives are not the same as what our Lord has promised. We look hard for the blessings promised and find none; we go all the places to find that familiar face and find none; we are exhausted and find no rest; and we cry to God, “What is happening? Why aren’t you meeting me here?”

But God is good. He sends His children and servants to look for us. He calls us through every situation and opportunities. Like the shepherd looking for the lost sheet, He goes over mountains and valleys, through bushes and creeks, search every cave and every rock, and call out our names, wanting to find us. He never quits until He finds us.

I am thankful that He never gives up on us, and that He is always faithful and committed to taking us where He wants us to be. But, I guess we could have saved everyone a lot of troubles if we had been attentive to our leader’s directive and been able to understand and follow what He is trying to tell us. Jesus said, ”I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

Prayer Requests:
For those who travels in foreign land

Prayer:
Our gracious Lord, thank You for being our Shepherd who protects us from all evil and guides us in and out and find green pasture. Help us to be solely attentive to You for Your guidance and directives so we may stay on the path of righteousness and bear much fruit to give glory to our Heavenly Father. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen!

Sowing Righteousness

Scripture:
"Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers righteousness on you." (Hosea 10:12)

About 4 years ago I went to a Men's breakfast at the church where we were members. We had been there for about 1 year and I was beginning to develop some friendships. This Saturday morning we ate a breakfast and one of my friends was bringing the devotional thought.

At first his message started like any other message and then about halfway through my friend became more and more animated that it startled some of us. He was preaching about the importance of holiness in our lives and it was very evident that he believed what he was saying by the passion he expressed as he preached to us.

I had heard similar words before but for some reason his words stuck with me. As I continued with my daily life of doing the same old things, I began to notice things in my life that I had just accepted as "normal" and I began being annoyed that these things were in my life. Little by little over the next two years, I began "extracting" things from my life that could be considered as "questionable" or "undesirable" as a Christian and began striving to obey I Peter 1:15-16 "be ye holy". (Thank you Rick)

In Hosea chapter 10 we read about how Israel was an empty vine (v.1-2) and had an empty throne (v.3-8). And why? Because Israel had deceitful hearts (v.2), false oaths (v.4), idolatrous priests (v.5) and wooden idols (v.6). And I see these things as analogous to the things that creep into our lives and poison us without our really noticing it.

I know that I do not want to be one who depends on my own strength (v.13) because I will fail but I also know that I need to continually guard my heart from "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life which comes from the world (1 John 2:16). I think we should continually sow righteousness in our lives and in due season we will reap fruit. "It is time to seek the Lord until He comes and showers righteousness on us." (v.12)

Prayer Request:
That we actively and diligently seek to remove things from our lives that would not be considered as holy and does not glorify God.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, You are holy and you sent your Son to die on the cross paying for all of our sin. Without this sacrifice we could never do enough, to be holy enough to enter into your presence. So we thank you Lord and ask you Holy Spirit to teach us for the Word of God how to be holy and to give us strength to diligently persue those things that sanctify us in Christ. Amen.

Sycamore-fig Tree

Scriptures: “When Jesus reached the spot, He looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.’” (Luke 19:5)

Yesterday, I heard a wonderful message that lead me to think about many things. The message was from the story of Zacchaeus, as recorded in the book of Luke. The speaker talked about how Zacchaeus was despised and rejected by the Jews of that time and, having no access to a spot on the side of the road, and how he resorted to a sycamore-fig tree on which he could observe everything happening below.

He went on to say that, “Zacchaeus might have been watching the crowd below, hearing them talking about the Romans, the Herod, or about Jesus, trying to determine if he was a rabbi, a prophet, a miracle worker, a mystery, and so forth. It was a pretty comfortable place for him, keeping a distance from the crowd and being safe from everyone else’ pushing and despising looks. He could have become very comfortable there. Where is your sycamore-fig tree?”

That got me to think. There is a lot of hurting and troubles in life. Rebellious children, unsatisfactory work, annoying neighbors, exhausting commute, never-ending office politics, the list goes on and on. Out of this kind of life, we often develop a way to give ourselves a break. Sometimes it may be a walk at lunch, and sometimes it may be reading novels; others may resort to drinking, TV or video games, or others. Of course, some of these are healthier than others. But, they all provide us that temporary relief we think we need.

But, sometimes we get too comfortable in them. We forget that the reality never go away while we are staying on these “sycamore-fig” trees. We think it’s a very safe place to be because no one touches us there and we can be the “objective” observers, or even the commentators, of this world. We actually create an illusion for ourselves.

While it was all comfortable and great for Zacchaeus to watch from his spot on the sycamore-fig tree, Jesus did not want him to stay there. Jesus knew that the only way, and the best way, for Zacchaeus to face reality in life is to come down from his sycamore-fig tree, even though there may be hurting and despising looks, and start a fellowship with Him, Jesus, because without a right relationship with God, there can be no right relationship with anyone else.

To Zacchaeus, the sycamore-fig tree was meant to be a getaway place to achieve his personal goal. But Jesus had a different use of it. Jesus wanted to meet Zacchaeus right there. I believe, today, Jesus wants to meet each one of us right at that home-made sanctuary we create for ourselves too. He wants to have fellowship with us right there; and He wants to restore our relationship with God and with other people right there, too.

What is your sycamore-fig tree? Is it a relief from this crazy world that you are seeking? Seek no more because the Prince of Peace has come to that spot and wants to invite you to a fellowship with Him in the peace He prepares for you!


Prayer Requests:
For those suffering from broken relationship with their loved ones

Prayer:
Our loving Lord, thank You for being so mindful of us. You know all the hurt and suffering in this world. You know all these desperate hideouts we create for ourselves. We ask that You come to that very spot where we hurt and hide, meet us there and bring us back into that blissful fellowship You have in store for us always. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen!

Use & Develop Your Spiritual Gifts

Scripture:
"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men." (I Corinthians 12:4-6)

As an analyst, I am always looking for ways to "measure" things so that I can evaluate progress and implement positive changes in my life. For years I have taken all kinds of assessment tests to find out who I am, how to use my strengths, what weaknesses do I need to work on, how much stress is in my life, etc. From Myers-Briggs I know that I am an INTJ. At a marriage retreat my wife and I found out that she was a Golden Retriever and I was a Lion. My communication style is primarily Analytic & Synthetic and until recently in my life, I have always had high stress levels. Years ago these test where more serious and costly. Now, with the Internet, many of these tests are fun, and even free. Why am I telling you all this?

Three years ago I taught an evangelism class at our church and I included with that class a spiritual gifts assessment test. To administer and score the student results, I wrote an Access database program where I could type in the answers, score and print out a spiritual gifts assessment report for each student. Then we all reviewed the results, both individually and collectively, to determine the types of spiritual gifts we had in the class. Individually we determined that we all needed to put to use our strengths, our stronger spiritual gifts, and work on developing our weaker spiritual gifts. Collectively we considered how our gifts could work together to form an evangelism team to do evangelism ministry for the church.

Well recently I took that same test again and reviewed my results from three years ago with my recent results. The results were very interesting. First of all, I noticed that the spiritual gifts that I was strongest in remained strong. Music & Teaching are at the top of the list for me. Secondly, some of my weaker gifts, like healing & working with my hands went up the list a little. Thirdly, two of my stonger gifts moved down the list quite a bit (Apostleship & Discernment). From this I am concluding that my music and teaching have remained strong because I am still actively involved in ministries that include these gifts. Healing and working with my hands has gone up because I have been focusing on them in my life and apostleship & discernment have gone down because we only moved into the area this year and we are still growing in our integration into a local church fellowship.

All of this to encourage you to continue to assess and develop your spiritual gifts. If you don't already know what your spiritual gifts are, then you can take the following online spiritual gifts assessment test. If you already know what your spiritual gifts are then assess yourself periodically and determine where you are right now and build into your life a personal spiritual gifts development & use strategy to make sure you are using the spiritual gifts that God has given you and strengthening other spiritual gifts by "growing" them in your life.

Here is a URL where you can take a spiritual gifts assessment test.

http://www.gregwiens.com/gifts/

Prayer Request:
Ask God to reveal to us our spiritual gifts so we will use them for His glory and that we would learn more about those spiritual gifts we do not have so that God will help us in "building up the body of Christ."

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we are yours. You knew what you wanted us to be before you even created the foundations of the world. And you know where we are right now in our spiritual walk to become more like your Son. Open our eyes Lord to be able to see more how you want us to be and help us to diligently seek you and teach us, Holy Spirit, that we may do the work you have ordained for us to do. In Jesus' name. Amen

Yes

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingly power: proclaim the Word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand encourage through all patience and teaching (2 Tim. 4:1-2).

A friend of mine, who is a believer, made a comment to me last night about how lately the Lord has been putting her into some strange circumstances. She was feeling a bit frustrated because she didn’t understand why she was in those situations when she didn’t really feel like she knew what to do or how to fix them.

Her comments reminded me of one of my favorite Scripture passages - the account of the call of Levi in the Gospel of Luke. The evangelist writes of Levi’s response, “And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed Him” (Lk. 5:28). I have long been fascinated by the fact that Levi didn't ask a bunch of questions about where they were going or what they would be doing. He simply responded in the affirmative. I meditate often on this passage and take it as a kind of personal mantra in my faith walk. When the Lord calls me to do something, especially when it seems out of the ordinary, it is hard for me to respond so readily as Levi did. As a project manager, I like to get a sense of the risks involved when I take on a new project. I like to collect as much information as I possibly can before setting up a project plan for achieving the goal. But the spiritual life is not like that. God sometimes challenges us to “put out into deep water and lower [our] nets for a catch” (Lk. 5:4) without a lot of detail around where we’re headed. And the challenge often comes at an inconvenient time, involving people who are not at all interested in spiritual matters.

This is where our faith can really get challenged, especially for those of us who tend to be very precise and analytical, or in situations where we fear we might be thought to be losing our minds. I saw the truth of this back in the 1996 when a young woman I know from church was rendered clinically brain dead after suffering a chronic asthma attack. The doctors kept telling her family to pull the plug, insisting that there was no hope. I won’t tell you here how things turned out. If you come by my office, you’ll see a newspaper article up on my board and you can read the story there. I keep it as a reminder of the Lord’s promise to each of us, “Amen I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (Mt. 17:20).

God doesn’t need us, but He loves us so much that He allows us to share in His salvific work. Let’s pray for the grace to be up to the challenge and to answer His call with a wholehearted “Yes!”

Prayer Request:
For those struggling to discern God’s call in their lives.

Prayer:
O Lord, our God, we give you thanks for calling us out of darkness to walk in Your wonderful light. You promised that we would do the mighty works You do, if only we believe in You. We stand on that promise, Lord. Help our faith to grow, so that we might preach the Good News with boldness, give of ourselves more generously, and fight the good fight until that glorious day when we are united with You completely in heaven. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

He’s Never Just A Door

Scriptures: “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.” (John 10:9)

Yesterday, I went for an endoscopy. While I was in the waiting room, the nurse gave me a magazine to read, Architectural Digest, the latest one. For some reason, they left me in that waiting room for quite some time, must had been at least 30 to 40 minutes. So, having nothing else to do, I flipped through the pages and saw a lot of award winning houses.

But, of all the pages I flipped through, there was one advertisement that caught my attention. It was an advertisement of doors of which the wording was more than interesting: “It’s never just a door. It’s an invitation, a transformation, a chance to make design perfect.” This wording immediately reminded me of our Lord Jesus.

For one, He is not just a door. He is the only door through whom we can come to our heavenly Father; the only door through whom we may be saved; the only door through whom we find pasture and abundant lives. No, He is not just a door or any door, He is the door that holds the access to all heavenly blessings God has in store for us.

He is also an invitation sent by our heavenly Father to all human beings to come back to Him by turning away from sins. He came with one thing in mind, and one thing only, i.e. to give all the opportunity to be reconciled to the Father. For this invitation, He “made Himself nothing, taking the vary nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearances as man, He humbled Himself and becamse obedient to death, even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:7-8) If we think about it, God did not send just any servant of His to deliver the invitation, He Himself came to be the invitation and personally deliver the invitation. What an honor it is for us to receive this invitation! I don’t think we will ever find a greater sincerity anywhere for an invitation for eternal fellowship and blessings and I wonder why we hesitate in our response to His invitation and callings.

Not only did the invitation come with Him, the power to transform our lives came along, too. The love of God prompts Him to accept us just the way we are. But, it doesn’t stop there. It brings Him great pleasure to see us grow in His grace and truth. He wants to build and strength that new life He has given us so we can grow to be just like our Lord Jesus, heavenly minded with divine wisdom and filled with the amazing agape love to serve and to witness. When we are like Jesus, our Lord and Savior, the design of God in each of us is made perfect. Wow! Who are we to deserve all these blessings?

I can’t help wondering, if all of these are true, what’s stopping us from stepping out in faith to respond to His calling? What’s stopping people around us from accepting His invitation? Could it be us? Our old worldly mindset? Our past broken and hurting relationship? Will we open up ourselves to God so He may work inside us and cleanse us for His glory? Will we open up ourselves to people around us so they may see God and His amazing work and grace in our lives, the everything they yearn for?

As Paul prayed, “I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ…” (Ephesians 3:16-18)

Prayer Requests:
Our thankfulness and responsiveness

Prayer:
Father God, we know you are able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, so we boldly ask that You continue to move and empower us in our homes, our church, our ministries and in every aspect of our lives so You may be glorified in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!, Amen!

God's Perfect Peace

Scripture:
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." (John 14:27)

Wow, now that the surgery is over and Jackie is at home and itching to get out of bed and do things, We sense God's peace over us as we look back on this experience. Granted, the experience is not really over yet because Jackie still was taking some pain medication and the stitches are still there, but the majority of the experience is behind us. At the same time, the experience is still fresh in our minds so we can learn from this in a deeper way.

First of all, before, during and after this experience we sensed a lot of love from family and friends. Many called and expressed their concern and wanted to know how Jackie is doing. This kind of love comes to us and gives us peace because the love of God is manifested through the love from our family and friends.

Secondly, even though this surgery is quite common and relatively "easy" today, with only the need to cut four little holes in the abdomen to do the surgery, it was quite trying during the three days in the hospital when for two of those days Jackie was having a negative reaction to the original pain medication. After they changed it she literally was on her feet in only a couple of hours. During the first two days I felt a peace from God because I knew we were in a good hospital and we would soon be through this. On the last day when they changed the medicine and I noticed how quickly Jackie responded, I felt God's peace along with our joy.

Thirdly, as we look at how God has cared for us by having good insurance coverage here a Avery, we have God's peace because we are both thankful that this little trial, has not damaged us in any lasting physical, emotional or spiritual way.

Just like Psalm 121:7-8 says, "The Lord will keep you from all harm. He will watch over your life. the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore."

Prayer Request:
That we would continue to share God's love and support others when they need it during a trying experience.

Prayer:
Dear Lord, thank you so much that you are caring for our needs and watching over us so that no harm comes upon us. And thank you Lord for our brothers and sisters in Christ who you use to share your love to us in the body of Christ. Amen.

Take Up Your Cross - submitted by Gloria Lewis

Scriptures:

Luke 9:23 - "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me"

Matthew 10:38 - "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."

Shortcuts through rough times may lead to shortcomings later down the road. Let's learn to ask God what we are supposed to learn from a rough situation...instead of asking God to remove that thing entirely.

Whatever your cross,
whatever your pain,
there will always be sunshine,
after the rain ....

Perhaps you may stumble,
perhaps even fall,
But God's always ready,
To answer your call ...

He knows every heartache,
sees every tear,
A word from His lips,
can calm every fear ...

Your sorrows may linger,
throughout the night,
But suddenly vanish,
in dawn's early light ...

The Savior is waiting,
somewhere above,
To give you His grace,
and send you His love ..

Whatever your cross,
whatever your pain,
"God always sends rainbows ....
after the rain ... "

(author unknown)

Prayer Request:
That we may hear the voice of God in our lives and be obedient to take up the cross that He gives to us.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, You know better then we do, what is best for us, and you give us crosses and trails to bare, knowing that they are good for us. Help us to see what you are doing in our lives and be obedient to what you give us, so that we my become more like your Son. In Jesus' name. Amen

The Key to Heaven

Scriptures: “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

On Wednesday, I had an opportunity to visit our Corporate Center in Pasadena. It has been more than 2 months since I last visited that facility. So, on the way there, I kept wondering if the card key would work. I didn’t know if the card key would expire. When I finally got there and found that the card key still worked, it was a great relief to me, knowing that I still have access to this facility. Because of that, I knew I could continue to visit my friends there any time without having to worry about being denied the access.

This experience reminds me of a similar experience at home. One time, a friend of mine visited me and we decided to go play tennis in our community tennis court. It was after dinner and was about 8 pm when we got there. We played for about an hour and then, having sweated a lot, we stood around and chatted for quite some time. As a matter of fact, we were having such a great time that we totally forgot about time. By the time we realized that we needed to go, it was past ten already. When we tried to leave, we found that the gate was locked and we were locked in. So, we had to call the security to open the gate for us. But the security never showed up. So, we ended up climbing over the fence to get out.

We have been granted access to many good things in life. However, these earthly accesses are never perfect. Sometimes they may expire, like our corporate access cards. Sometimes, they come with a timer. Still other times, we may lose our keys by accidents or by theft. They are simply not perfect.

Bible tells us that we have been privileged to access the throne of grace in heaven. Jesus is the key we have to open the access to this glorious throne. This key will never be damaged, nor will it be stolen, nor expired. There is no timer either. He is always good.

Whenever we feel the need to talk to Him, He is always there. We don’t even need to perform any ritual in order to approach the throne of grace. It’s simply a prayer away. We may be lost when searching for things, for directions, for comfort, for healing, for encouragements, for purpose and meaning in life, or for companionship. But He is never lost and is always more than resourceful in meeting our needs and beyond.

The best part is “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8) He never changes; His love never changes; His faithfulness never changes; His power never changes; His protection and guidance for us never changes; His plan for you and me never changes. Praise the Lord for He who has all authority in heaven and on earth is not only willing to be our Lord and watch over us, He also opens the riches of God to us all so we may be able to live a triumphant life here in testimony of His salvation.

Thank you, Lord!

Prayer Requests:
For those who are in desperate need of healing, encouragements and companionship

Prayer:
Our gracious Lord, thank You for Your unchanging love and commitment to us all. We pray that, with Your guidance, we make the best use of this privilege You have granted us to approach the throne of grace for the glory of God. Thank You for being there for us always. We thank and pray in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus, Amen!

Peeling Onions

Then the Lord answered me and said: Write down the vision clearly upon the tablets, so that one can read it readily. For the vision still has its time, presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint. If it delays, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not be late (Hb. 2:3 ).

My car has been in the shop for more than week after breaking down on the freeway on my way to Brea. I thought I would have my car back after a week, but was told it would take more time because a critical part is on back order. I had hoped that by now this ordeal would be over, but instead, I have to wait.

When someone is seriously ill, it is normal to pray for an instantaneous, miraculous cure like the ones we read about in Scripture. Those do happen, but more often, healing is a long, slow process. Healing involves waiting. When someone is in surgery, the outcome and prognosis are not always immediately known. Even after successful surgery, additional treatment or rehab are sometimes required. And it takes time for the incision to heal. We may wonder why God doesn’t just snap His fingers and make the pain go away. Why does He make us wait? Does He enjoy watching us hurt?

I don’t believe for a moment that our heavenly Father ever enjoys seeing His children in pain. But sometimes He does allow misfortune to befall us in order to bring us to something better. When the Israelites were in captivity in Babylon, the Lord encouraged them through the prophet Jeremiah to keep faith, and that He was with them. “For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for woe; plans to give you a future full of hope!” (Jer. 29:11). Healing comes in many forms and, like life itself, is not an event or a destination. It is a process and a journey, and how we get there is as important as getting there, maybe more so.

In my car “drama,” I’ve been given the opportunity to practice patience, and to keep a sense of humor in a bad situation. I’ve also counted my blessings. Had I been in one of the inner lanes on the freeway when my engine quit, I could easily have been hit by another driver. Instead, I was able to pull safely off the road. Getting my car towed from Pomona back to Eagle Rock could have cost me a bundle. My husband made the decision a couple of years ago to increase our Triple-A to the “plus” coverage, so the tow was covered 100%. So far, all the repairs have been covered under the extended warranty I purchased at the time I bought the car. That warranty, by the way, will expire at the end of this month. Talk about timing! And I just learned that the warranty will cover 5 days’ cost on my rental care, which will cut that bill down considerably.

My husband and I have been able to joke about all the things that went wrong in our household in the month of September. Our son’s van had some problems. Our water heater started leaking and had to be replaced. It shorted out the phone line in the process. Fortunately, my husband and son were able to fix all those things themselves. Then the issues arose with my car. You can’t lose what you don’t have, and these little “losses” have helped us realize how blessed we truly are.

The reason the car has taken so long to fix is that as one diagnostic was addressed, it revealed others that need attention and you have to tackle those one at a time. Healing is sometimes like that, especially spiritual and emotional healing. It can be like peeling an onion. We deal with one layer and cry, and we deal with it, and then eventually come to the next layer and we cry some more as it is peeled away and we work through the pain. As we become ready and truly receptive to more healing, the Holy Spirit will reveal that next layer to us. Sometimes healing happens in the most unexpected ways, and often when we’re not looking. It can be a painful process, but in the end, we can look back at all that God has done and realize that He has been working in us and guiding us all along in both overt and covert ways, and that “the sufferings of the present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us” (Rom. 8:18).

Prayer Request: That we might keep our eyes open and respond with gratitude to all the ways that God is working in our lives.

Prayer
Lord, our God, we thank you for all that you allow to come into our lives, even when those things are painful or difficult. We trust in the plans you have for us, and we know Your hand is upon us, even when we can’t understand what is happening. In those times, give us the grace to cling even more tenaciously to you, who are mighty Lord, forever and ever. We pray in the Holy Name of Jesus, Amen.

Excuse me sir, are you saved?

Scriptures:
"How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" (Isaiah 52:7 & Romans 10:15)

As you all know, my wife and I have been focusing on what faith and healing mean because tomorrow she is scheduled for surgery to remove her gall bladder. On the one hand, we believe that God's Word is the truth and we are starting to learn how to "grow" our faith by reading, meditating and praying through the healing scriptures in the Bible. I am also continuing to read and study about others who have been healed or are ministering in a faith healing ministry, on the Internet.

I have been considering what the scriptures say about how healing is used to reach others for Christ and how when Christ died on the cross, he not only healed our sinful nature so that we could become His children and inherit eternal life, but also how "by his stripes we are healed."

In any event, last night, while reading articles and watching video clips about evangelism, I found the following testimony about a man in Sydney, Austrailia, who witnessed for Christ all his life, which I want to share with you. There are three ways to view/read this testimony at this URL. Just click it and you will see the options on the page.

http://www.freecdtracts.com/testimony_11.htm

Prayer Request:
That God will continue to heal Jackie and in the process teach us to know what He has told us in His Word we already have through Christ, and that we all would continuely be faithful in witnessing the Good News of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Prayer:
Dear Lord, You have given us so much, and everyday we learn a little more about the abundant life you have already given to us in Christ. Thank you so much for dying on the cross for us.

Promotion of Good News

Scriptures: “You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” (II Corinthians 3:3)

Back in the 70’s, when I was still in college studying Marketing Management, my professor showed us an award winning commercial. At the beginning of the commercial, we saw a car running on the road, moving freely from lane to lane.

Then, the camera pulled back a little bit and we saw that the car was actually a very small car, like a remote-control toy car, moving in between wheels of bigger cars and trucks who were stuck in a stop-and-go traffic. The small car then came behind a big rig with a 40-feet container and decided to go through the big truck from underneath. So, it sped up through the 18 wheeler only to find the traffic light turning red. So, it slammed on the brake and stopped right before the cross walk. Because of its size and sudden appearance, the truck driver stopped his truck with an amazement on his face. Then, the screen went blank and “TOYOTA” showed up on the screen and concluded the commercial.

Other than the background music, the whole commercial was like a silent movie. No one was saying or reading anything at all. And, there was no word or phrase anywhere to be seen in the commercial, except the last scene when they showed “TOYOTA” on the screen. The message of the commercial was loud and clear. In a time when “Bigger Is Better”, this Japanese automobile manufacturer was trying to promote the small car in the US market. So, even though no one said anything, the feature of their product, agility, was very well presented and clearly communicated. Because of the clarity of its message and the impressive approach of delivering the message, it won the award.

But, throughout the entire commercial, no where would we be able to find anything that identifies the advertising company. To some extent, I think this is really just like witnessing. When we witness for our Lord Jesus, we are supposed to present Jesus and the salvation He has brought us. That’s the good news this world badly needs. And, that should be all that we should be sharing.

Instead, I often heard people witnessing with a lot of “I” in their sharing. I find it fascinating that those who like to use a lot of “I” in their conversation and sharing are usually people who are very self-centered too. Jesus once said, “For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34) As a result, when they give a testimony, all that people hear are what they did or didn’t do, not what the Lord has done for them.

We, as Christians, have been charged with an honorable and awesome responsibility to share the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ and His salvation. I think we need to learn to be Christ-centered, not I-centered so that, just as Paul said, people will read the messages God wants to deliver in His letters, us. I pray that, when delivering the messages of God, we are as plain and un-noticeable as possible, so that people will be able to read and be touched by the power and messages from God without any distractions. After all, who am I to take the spotlight that Jesus deserves?

Prayer Requests:
Those who work hard to spread the Gospel of our Lord Jesus

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for being our Lord and Savior. Thank You for giving us opportunity after opportunity to share with other people the good news of Your love and salvation. Be exalted in our lives and help us to faithfully proclaim Your name in every possible way to everyone we meet. In Your glorious name we pray, Amen!