What do you see?

Scriptures: “Listen to me, O Jacob, Israel, whom I have called; I am he; I am the first and I am the last. My own hand laid the foundations of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I summon them, they all stand up together.” (Isaiah 48:12-13)

A man walked by a construction site and saw two men working there. He was curious what they were doing. So, he walked up to one of them and asked him, “What are you doing?” This worker replied, “Laying bricks.”

Then this man walked to the other man working at a little distance away and asked the second worker, “What are you doing?” This worker stood up and, with his eyes wide open and excitement in his voice, said, “I am building a big, beautiful cathedral!”

This was an amazing answer. Both of them were workers for that construction project, hired to do the tasks they were told to. And, yet, the two of them saw something totally different out of the same job. One saw only that mechanical, mundane, and physically exhausting job. To him, every day was just another day and every job was just another job.

But, to the other guy, he saw beyond the repetitive hard labor the beauty and the impact their work would have on their community. Every day was a special day because he had something to look forward to. Every day was a blessing because he was able to participate in something special, something significant. His work was no ordinary work and that brought him joy and excitements!

What a contrast between the two of them. I couldn’t help wondering how much we realize the significance and impact of things we do everyday and consider mundane. Bible says that our Lord God is the Designer and the Architect of this awesome and beautiful universe we live in. But, He is more than the designer and the architect of this universe. He is also the designer and the architect of the lives of each one of us.

In the book of Jeremiah, God told Jeremiah that, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5) Before we even existed, God already knew us, each of us. More than that, He already set us apart and appointed us for His purpose. You see, we did not come to this world by accident. We came with a purpose, and a mission, as planned.

Our problem is we often get caught up in all the busyness and in all the motions and commotions without realizing that everything we are going through are actually all parts of a bigger picture, a picture God has drawn for our lives. Yes, it is true that we have to go through all the steps and motions. But, if we can see the big picture; if we can see the role and the significance of everything and everyone that comes our way in life, how different will we feel in moving from one day to another, from one thing to another? Will we be complaining and feeling discontent still? Or will we be excited about every new day and new thing given us?

What do you see in the life you have right now? In your work, your family, your church, your walk with our Lord Jesus? Is this just another day? Or, is this another awesome day? Feeling down by your workload? Getting exhausted because of all the demands for your energy and resources? Our Lord has set us apart and, for this, every day and everything takes on a new meaning, a meaning that has eternal implications. More than this, He is with us through them all. So, let’s not be weary. Let’s first seek His guidance to understand what that picture He has for us is and let’s learn to enjoy it and make the best of it, His way!

Prayer Requests:
For all those burdened with work and responsibilities

Prayer:
Our gracious Lord, You have promised us that, if we come to You with all our wearies and burdens, You will give us rest. So, allow us to lift up all our burdens to You. Open our eyes so we may see the glorious plan You have set for us and help us to live each day You bless us to the fullest Your way because we pray in the wonderful name of our Lord Jesus, Amen!

Five Finger Prayer

Scripture: But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matthew 6:6)

Thank you to Connie Holt, who sent this to me this morning.

This is so neat. I had never heard this before. This is beautiful - and it is surely worth making the 5 finger prayer a part of our lives.

1. Your thumb is nearest you. So begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our loved ones is, as C. S. Lewis once said, a "sweet duty."

2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers. They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction. Keep them in your prayers.

3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our leaders. Pray for the president, leaders in business and industry, and administrators. These people shape our nation and guide public opinion. They need God's guidance.

4. The fourth finger is our ring finger. Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger, as any piano teacher will testify. It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain. They need your prayers day and night. You cannot pray too much for them.

5. And lastly comes our little finger - the smallest finger of all which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. As the Bible says, "The least shall be the greatest among you." Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively.

Prayer request: For us all to have richer prayer lives, spend more time with God one on one.

Prayer: Lord, help each of us to carve out more time with You, spend more time in Your presence. Draw us each closer to you with every prayer. Amen

Informed Consent

Then He said to all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me (Lk. 9:23).

A few weeks back, I received one of those email messages from a medical advocacy website talking about a class action lawsuit being levied against the drug company that manufactures a drug called Levaquin. There is now evidence that the drug can cause tendon ruptures. This is the drug that my Dad was given that we now believe caused the final downturn that led to his death. His doctor never mentioned anything about possible side effects; as far as we knew, it was one of those wide-ranging antibiotics administered to treat developing pneumonia.

I had my own experience with a new prescription drug a couple of years ago. I had been prescribed one of those PPIs to treat acid reflux, but within a week I had to stop taking it because every joint in my body was screaming in pain and I couldn’t function. I went on the Internet and did a Google search on the side effects of that drug and sure enough, it was listed. As happened with my Dad, the doctor never said a word about possible side effects.

As a result, I’m now very wary about prescription medications. I was recently prescribed a new medication to control my asthma and you can bet I went over the accompanying insert with a fine tooth comb. I know exactly the possible side effects to look out for (so far, so good – thank God!). I’ve learned that “informed consent,” when it comes to medical matters, is not about one’s doctor providing details; it’s about doing the research on our own and informing ourselves.

Fortunately, our Savior doesn’t treat us that way. He didn’t mince words when He told us the cost of discipleship, and our consent to His call to be His followers is an informed one. Jesus said: Remember the word I spoke to you, ‘No slave is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you (Jn. 15:20). Nothing vague in that! But He doesn’t leave us to walk alone; He has given us the Holy Spirit and one another to support us in our journey back to our heavenly home.

In these days, we have to take an even firmer hold on that promise. The latest rumblings out of Washington tell us that it will become increasingly harder to openly live our Christian faith. Even some faith communities are falling by the wayside, openly supporting behavior that the Bible clearly condemns. It won’t be long before upholding the teachings of Scripture will be viewed as a hate crime. Yet, Jesus said that if we deny Him, He will deny us when the day of judgment comes.

So let us stand firm with our Lord and in solidarity with one another. Let us hold fast to His promises and run the race together. In that vein, I’d like to ask all of you to please pray for me as I join hundreds of other Christians in the fall 40 Days for Life campaign that begins on the 23rd. You can read about the program here: http://40daysforlife.com/about.cfm. It’s a small way to help protect the most vulnerable members of our society, but just like the loaves and fishes, even the smallest acts done in faith can be multiplied in the abundance of God’s grace.

Prayer Request: For the most vulnerable in society, especially the unborn and the disabled.

Prayer: O Lord our God, throughout all time, You have raised up a faithful remnant of followers to answer your call to serve the least of our brethren. Help us to go forth courageously, in the power of Your Spirit, unabashed and unafraid of the forces that conspire against us, for we know that in You is the ultimate victory. Lead us and guide us in these dark days, that we might make known the truth of Your Word, and be the voices in the desert preparing Your way. We make this prayer in the mighty Name of Jesus, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Sixteen Years

Scriptures: “Be very careful, then, how you live-not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15-16)

A few weeks ago, my younger son came to me and asked, “Dad, can you teach me how to shave?” I looked up and saw his face with mustache and whiskers, so I said, “Sure!” But, inside, I thought to myself, “It’s about time! Otherwise, you are going to look older than I am!”

So, I went through all the details and all the things to watch out for when shaving with him. After he finished shaving and showed to my wife and myself his work, my wife made a comment of how he looked much younger then.

It then hit me that my son is shaving now. After sixteen years, now he wants to shave like a grownup. He’s no longer a little boy. He’s turning into a young man. He’s actually taller than I am. His voice is lower than mine. He doesn’t follow me around whenever I go out to work in the backyard or garage. He’s not interested in coming to my office with me, either.

He goes out to movies with friends and to church camping with other youth group members. He has his own taste for music, clothing, comic books, and the list goes on. He demands to be convinced, instead of being told to. He’s joined the church’s youth group leadership team and now has his own view of how church should run. The more I think about it, the more I am convinced he’s turning into a young man now.

You would think sixteen years is a long time. But, at that moment, it didn’t seem long at all. Somehow, I don’t feel like I have done all that I want to do to prep him for life. I looked around and I still saw a lot of areas in his life that I would like to work on. Then I thought, isn’t it the same with everything else in life? Just when we think we still have time, it ran out from us unnoticed. Just when we want to take a break, we find ourselves pressed for one kind of deadline or another. Time is never enough!

Maybe that’s why Apostle Paul reminded us to be careful how we live. He urged us to live wisely, i.e. to make the most of every opportunity. Why? His reason was “because the days are evil!” (Ephesians 5:16) In that brief instruction, I sensed the urgency in his tone. Paul saw the wickedness of his time and, at the same time, he saw the need for salvation in his time, too. He realized, as many of us have, that time is short both on personal level and on the level of the grand plan of God. So he urged each child of God to make the most of every opportunity to do good to bring people out of the bondage of sins and to bring goodness into a wicked generation.

If we care to take a closer look, we would see the tremendous needs out there, even more so right there in the church. If only we know the problems the brother or sister sitting next to us is going through! If only we know the short of hands in our outreach ministries to students, to single parents, to aged seniors, to young and old families, to immigrants, and so on! If only we know how many people out there can be reached through publications, through web sites, through community activities, and so on! If only …

Yet, like you and me, Paul also only had 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. He realized that we face the same time constraint as he did. So he urged us to be wise in managing our time. What can we do with the time given us? How do we determine what goes to top of our priority and what not? Since each of us was called for a purpose and was given a mission, we need to review and assess where we are in terms of our calling on a regular basis.

Maybe it’s time for you to sit down and think about where you are and where to go from here. I know it is for me when I saw that sixteen years of my son’s life have gone by and I didn’t feel like I have achieved the goal I had. He became a reminder from God to me to help me move on for many more sixteen years. How about you? By the grace of God, I sincerely pray and hope we can all honestly assess our spiritual journey and be able to step forward with renewed commitment and clear priority for His purpose and glory!

Prayer Requests:
For all those watching children growing up and facing the empty nest

Prayer:

Our Heavenly Father, thank you for the gifts of loved ones and time with which we are called to serve. We pray for Your wisdom and guidance to help us be the faithful vessels of Yours to bring the lost back to you and the glory due You because we pray in the wonderful name of our Lord Jesus, Amen!