Not knowledge but true understanding and wisdom in Christ

We are blind unless we are in Christ.

Reading scripture with the intent and purpose of drawing meaning and forming principles is not helpful, but only through the revelation and guidance of Christ the true infallible Word of God and our light do we gain understanding and wisdom through Scripture.

Jesus Himself said the Scriptures bear witness of Him. Life is not in the Scriptures themselves, but in Jesus. Trying to draw meaning will only make us more confused and driven into madness, for our nature can use knowledge as weapon to sin.

For example, is it reasonable to try to figure out what Jesus meant when he says when someone strikes you on the left cheek let them strike the right? is it even reasonable to form principles to live our lives by? By nature we will try to use our own understanding to live up to this standard. But in the end it will just be behavior modification. Like Jesus said, only the outside of the mug is cleaned but the inside is still dirty like white washed tombs. I believe that's why Paul says he makes no opportunity for the flesh, and he boasts in his weakness, for God's strength is made perfect in his weakness.

When are we weak? We are weak in Christ. This is a simple yet complex and profound thing. I cannot explain with words. You just have to go and relate with Christ through prayer. Listen to what he says, talk to him about everything with an open and abandoned heart.
When we are in Christ, our mind and heart are transformed by Scripture. We no longer try to draw meaning from scripture, but our way of thinking and living is transformed.

I don't know how to put this in a clear manner, but we need to go to Jesus. He is our way, our truth and our life. Don't just stop at scriptures.

The harvest is plentiful

But the workers are few.

As I was praying today I saw a field of golden wheat.
God is doing a mighty work of salvation in Asia.

50 years ago, a government leader in China said that Christianity belongs to the museum, God and Christianity can go to hell. At that time, it certainly seems so. But look at it today, grains of seeds that fell in the field have finally ripened.

There are millions upon millions of Asian people coming to Christ(being the predominant religion in 4 countries, and having 40-120 million Christians in China alone). Doctors, lawyers, businessmen, to lowly folks in rural villages. Their faith, hope and love are pure and innocent. With passionate hearts some of them will go to the west, bringing the good news of God's salvation back to Jerusalem.

God is fulfilling his promise in Isaiah 49. We can't just sit and waste our lives. Let's pray for people to reap the harvest.

Will of God: Rejoice always

Heard a story about St.Francis.

One day he was walking back to church in a snow storm with a brother.
He asks his brother, "If I preached a sermon today and many are converted, should I rejoice?"
His brother says, "Of course."
Francis answers, "No, no, I shouldn't rejoice."

"But if we arrive at our church and knock, but no one answers, yet we knock again, but our brothers come at us with sticks and beat us, if then we are still able to rejoice, then that is true joy that comes from God."

Things I need

When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”

I lack trust in people and it displeases God. My nature is to measure myself with the short stick and put the long stick to others. Always trying to figure out if another person is a Christian by their small faults and blunders.

I really need Jesus to transform my heart and nature. Give me your heart to love, to accept all and to always trust. Let me not ask "Lord, what about him?" but "Lord, what about me?"

What should man do

I've been reflecting a lot lately. I was at a point of being lost and almost burning out. But praise God, he made me suffer and abandon even good things to desire him.

I was really bugged by the lack of strength in my life. I don't know how to put it into words, but to put it simply it's a mismatch between what I want to do with what I am able to do.

It's a complex paradox within myself.
I want to do more evangelism, but fear grips me.
I want to be more honest and open with people, but fear of offending them grips me.
I want to encourage others more and spend more time building relationships, but laziness and fear stops me from doing so.

I am constantly at war with myself. And it's excruciatingly painful. I wanted to die.
But through all this pain God reminded me these things are good but not the best.
The nemesis of what is the best is at times what is good.
I was focused on doing and not being.
I neglected prayer and eating God's word.
I was trying to use my own intellects to figure out what God's word meant.

But what God desires is not what I do but a pure heart to seek him and to embrace him.
Jesus is the best.
I need to feast on him everyday like bread.
Forget about what I do and not do. I just want a pure heart to see my spiritual poverty and the immeasurable riches in Christ.

On sin.

Sin has been on my mind a lot recently. Especially experiencing more of my own throughout this term.

Sin, Greek archery term meaning missing the mark.
Sin, it is part of human nature. Everybody has it, nobody likes it, let alone wanting to admit they are sinners.
Sin, falling short of God's glory. Not due to actions, but passed down from generation to generation.
Sin, our impatience, envy, cruelty, selfishness, laziness, deceitful motives, lies, lack of trust, critical attitude, making our hearts hard and cold, imprisoning us. We are prisoners awaiting a death sentence.

The root cause of this sickness is our rebellion towards God. Blessed are those who realize this brokenness and mourn. Pitiful are those who are blind to their own sin, thinking they are perfect and healthy.

A Christian confesses his/her own sin before God and embraces Christ through grace. Not bringing their own deeds or performance to Christ, but holds on to Him with their dear life.

Blessed are you if you realize your spiritual poverty. For Christ is all you have, and the kingdom of heaven is yours.

Let me embrace thee.

Today was a good reminder of what’s essential in life and what is not.

Character and my being is essential, what I do is not

Love is essential, obeying rules is not, ministry is not.

But grace does not contradict discipline.

Legalism has to do with motive and what our salvation is based upon, not all doing and following/obeying of rules is legalism. Or else Christ died for no purpose.

I want to be more like you my Lord and Savior. It is so hard to love like you, I need you to love like you. Please please help me. Let me be like the whore who wipes your feet, be like Peter who embraces you despite being a sinner and denying you.

Help me to abandon all for the purpose of knowing you, my life, my bread, my truth, my light, my way, my all.