"In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there."
-Mark 1:35
I'm taking a interesting class about engineering ethics (it's a required course for me). The professor gave us an activity to do- she put a list of different values on the board and asked us to pick our top five. I picked my top five, and then got the idea to write about the different values I chose for myself. Obviously the list was limited and I was not able to deeply think about which ones where my top five, but I did choose five. Starting today I want to write down a couple thoughts I have on why I chose these values.
The first value I chose is balance. If you have been reading my blog for a long time, you may remember that I wrote a post about relaxation. Even though I wrote that a long time ago, I still remember why I wrote it. It's so important to me that I take time to rest. I find that if I spend too much time doing homework or other work, I become quickly exhausted. On the other hand, if I spend too much time not doing anything important, I become lazy and unproductive. Balancing my life is definitely hard, because I never want to do work and I always want to relax, but a successful life is a balanced one.
When I think of the word "balance", the phrase that comes to mind is "eat a balanced breakfast". What does that mean? It means eating enough of everything. You don't want to just each a lot of one thing, because you miss out on vital nutrients. Life should be the same way. We can't always do one thing, or we'll miss out on the importance of other tasks. What are the most common causes of not eating a balanced breakfast? Laziness, and eating only what we like. These are also reasons I have for not living a balanced life; I am often lazy and only do what I like. However, I'm missing out on important "nutrients".
If you pay attention while reading my blog, you may notice that I choose verses at the beginning of my posts because I find that they relate to the topic in some way. You may be asking how Mark 1:35 relates to balance. Balance is important for physical life, but also for our spiritual life as well. When Jesus lived on this earth, He never just did one thing. He didn't just preach all the time, or heal people all the time. He took time to have fellowship with His disciples and with God. In Mark 1:35, Jesus took some time to pray to God in a secluded place. We can't expect to live an effective spiritual life if we only focus on certain things. We can't just focus on preaching, we have to spend time in prayer. We can't just focus on reading the Bible, we have to fellowship with our fellow believers. Balance is an important value that I have and I hope to implement more effectively in my life.
-Smart
Bear With One Another
"...Bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you."
-Colossians 3:13
For whatever reason the phrase "bear with one another" has been on my mind for a couple weeks now. I don't even remember where I first saw it, but I think it was the verse of the day on Bible Gateway or something. This phrase has really been speaking to me because of my attitude towards other people. I mentioned a number of times on this blog that I tend to demand a lot from other people, whether it be in music, sports or other things. I easily get frustrated at other people when they make mistakes, or just don't do things the way I want them to do it. When I saw the phrase "bear with one another", it really challenged me to examine myself and to put these words into practice.
I decided to look up what verse "bear with one another" comes from, finding that it comes from Colossians (see above). In the chapter Paul is talking to the Colossians about putting on a new self. He urges them to "set their minds on things above", and to become renewed in Christ. He then says that as those "chosen by God" should practice different virtues, one of which being forgiveness. Paul knew the heart of Christ as evidenced by his deeds and his words. Jesus always forgave those who didn't deserve forgiveness, and He ultimately died to forgive everyone; even though we do not deserve it. Paul urges us to set our minds on Christ, and to practice the things that Jesus practiced.
I think the reason I like the words "bear with one another" so much is because it really speaks to my attitude. If the verse simply said "forgive one another", I don't think it would have the same impact on my heart. Forgiveness is for a sin or wrongdoing, but I don't see others as sinning against me. The phrase "bear with one another" is much more general and covers more than just a wrongdoing or sin. It implies that I must accept someone, regardless of what they do- good or bad. Often times I get frustrated at people even if they are trying their best, which is not the heart of Christ. How can I become frustrated at someone who is trying to do what is right?
It can be difficult to simply "bear with one another". There are many aspects to people, and many times we do not like some of them. God made everyone differently, but everyone is made in the image of God, so we should treat them as such. When it's difficult to accept someone, the best way to change our attitude is to look at Christ. As Paul says earlier in the chapter, we must set out minds on things above. Jesus loved everyone, regardless of how they treated Him. He even asked God to forgive those who crucified Him (Luke 23:34). I hope that these words are able to change our attitude towards others.
-Smart
-Colossians 3:13
For whatever reason the phrase "bear with one another" has been on my mind for a couple weeks now. I don't even remember where I first saw it, but I think it was the verse of the day on Bible Gateway or something. This phrase has really been speaking to me because of my attitude towards other people. I mentioned a number of times on this blog that I tend to demand a lot from other people, whether it be in music, sports or other things. I easily get frustrated at other people when they make mistakes, or just don't do things the way I want them to do it. When I saw the phrase "bear with one another", it really challenged me to examine myself and to put these words into practice.
I decided to look up what verse "bear with one another" comes from, finding that it comes from Colossians (see above). In the chapter Paul is talking to the Colossians about putting on a new self. He urges them to "set their minds on things above", and to become renewed in Christ. He then says that as those "chosen by God" should practice different virtues, one of which being forgiveness. Paul knew the heart of Christ as evidenced by his deeds and his words. Jesus always forgave those who didn't deserve forgiveness, and He ultimately died to forgive everyone; even though we do not deserve it. Paul urges us to set our minds on Christ, and to practice the things that Jesus practiced.
I think the reason I like the words "bear with one another" so much is because it really speaks to my attitude. If the verse simply said "forgive one another", I don't think it would have the same impact on my heart. Forgiveness is for a sin or wrongdoing, but I don't see others as sinning against me. The phrase "bear with one another" is much more general and covers more than just a wrongdoing or sin. It implies that I must accept someone, regardless of what they do- good or bad. Often times I get frustrated at people even if they are trying their best, which is not the heart of Christ. How can I become frustrated at someone who is trying to do what is right?
It can be difficult to simply "bear with one another". There are many aspects to people, and many times we do not like some of them. God made everyone differently, but everyone is made in the image of God, so we should treat them as such. When it's difficult to accept someone, the best way to change our attitude is to look at Christ. As Paul says earlier in the chapter, we must set out minds on things above. Jesus loved everyone, regardless of how they treated Him. He even asked God to forgive those who crucified Him (Luke 23:34). I hope that these words are able to change our attitude towards others.
-Smart
The Cost of Discipleship
"He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal."
-John 12:25
Ever since I started attending my church's "adult" worship service, I started to get more and more responsibilities. First of all, I began playing drums on the praise team. Then people started asking me to help them perform their special song (a special song is a time where one group of people sing a song during the worship service). Our church's piano player sometimes wouldn't go to church for various reasons, so they asked me to play piano for the service when he didn't show. I also have to sometimes pray during the service or do different things like write a testimony. On the past Sunday I actually played drums for praise, piano for hymns, and guitar for special song all in the same service.
The point I want to get across is not that I am special or that I am burdened by all these responsibilities. While I may sometimes get annoyed while doing so many things, most of the time I enjoy doing what I can to glorify God and bless the church. Doing all these things for church made me think about sacrifice. I am a selfish person, we all are to some degree, and sometimes I would question other people's contributions to the church. I wonder how some people can just show up to church with seemingly no responsibilities. It seems like they just consume and don't do anything to help. Then I started thinking about the sacrifice and cost of being a Christian.
Jesus in Mark 12 is at some treasury of a church or synagogue, where He watches people put in money. He notices people putting in large sums for a while, and then He notices a widow put in two small copper coins. He tells His disciples that the widow put in more money than the rest of the people, because she gave all she had. To the other people, giving large sums of money was easy because they already have a surplus of money. The widow had almost no money to live on, yet she dedicated what she had to the church. Jesus wasn't looking at how much money the people were putting in; He was looking at how much it cost them to put in their money. Jesus judges people's heart more than their works. Of course works are important; referring back to the parable, the people putting in large sums of money do more to help the church than the widow, but Jesus noticed the widow because of her sacrifice.
Honestly, it's hard to know how much a person sacrifices in their Christian life. This is one reason why Jesus tells us not to judge others. Only Jesus can righteously judge people; but the point of this post is not judging others. I confess that I often look at what other people are doing rather than encouraging them. What may seem like a small sacrifice to me may cost that person more than I know. Jesus is looking at our hearts, and that is what we should work to cultivate in ourselves and in fellow believers.
What does Jesus say about the cost of being His disciple? He says "if anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me". He also says that "He who loves his life loses it". Jesus is telling us that becoming His disciple will cost us our lives. The talents we have or our ability to do things vary from person to person, but everyone is able to give up themselves. Being a disciple of Jesus is not easy, because it will cost us much. However, the reward of being Christ's disciple is much greater than our sacrifice. Paul says "I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord (Philippians 3:8)". While being a disciple of Jesus will cause us to lose many things, knowing Jesus Christ is much greater than those things. I pray that we would be able to give up ourselves and become a true disciple of Jesus.
-Smart
-John 12:25
Ever since I started attending my church's "adult" worship service, I started to get more and more responsibilities. First of all, I began playing drums on the praise team. Then people started asking me to help them perform their special song (a special song is a time where one group of people sing a song during the worship service). Our church's piano player sometimes wouldn't go to church for various reasons, so they asked me to play piano for the service when he didn't show. I also have to sometimes pray during the service or do different things like write a testimony. On the past Sunday I actually played drums for praise, piano for hymns, and guitar for special song all in the same service.
The point I want to get across is not that I am special or that I am burdened by all these responsibilities. While I may sometimes get annoyed while doing so many things, most of the time I enjoy doing what I can to glorify God and bless the church. Doing all these things for church made me think about sacrifice. I am a selfish person, we all are to some degree, and sometimes I would question other people's contributions to the church. I wonder how some people can just show up to church with seemingly no responsibilities. It seems like they just consume and don't do anything to help. Then I started thinking about the sacrifice and cost of being a Christian.
Jesus in Mark 12 is at some treasury of a church or synagogue, where He watches people put in money. He notices people putting in large sums for a while, and then He notices a widow put in two small copper coins. He tells His disciples that the widow put in more money than the rest of the people, because she gave all she had. To the other people, giving large sums of money was easy because they already have a surplus of money. The widow had almost no money to live on, yet she dedicated what she had to the church. Jesus wasn't looking at how much money the people were putting in; He was looking at how much it cost them to put in their money. Jesus judges people's heart more than their works. Of course works are important; referring back to the parable, the people putting in large sums of money do more to help the church than the widow, but Jesus noticed the widow because of her sacrifice.
Honestly, it's hard to know how much a person sacrifices in their Christian life. This is one reason why Jesus tells us not to judge others. Only Jesus can righteously judge people; but the point of this post is not judging others. I confess that I often look at what other people are doing rather than encouraging them. What may seem like a small sacrifice to me may cost that person more than I know. Jesus is looking at our hearts, and that is what we should work to cultivate in ourselves and in fellow believers.
What does Jesus say about the cost of being His disciple? He says "if anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me". He also says that "He who loves his life loses it". Jesus is telling us that becoming His disciple will cost us our lives. The talents we have or our ability to do things vary from person to person, but everyone is able to give up themselves. Being a disciple of Jesus is not easy, because it will cost us much. However, the reward of being Christ's disciple is much greater than our sacrifice. Paul says "I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord (Philippians 3:8)". While being a disciple of Jesus will cause us to lose many things, knowing Jesus Christ is much greater than those things. I pray that we would be able to give up ourselves and become a true disciple of Jesus.
-Smart
2014 Key Verse Testimony
"But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night."
-Psalm 1:2
Last year the key verse I chose was 2 Corinthians 4:18, "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal". 2013 was definitely my hardest academic year. I have never struggled so much in school just to keep up with others. In high school and my first semester at college, I found it easy to maintain a good academic standing, but last year I struggled. I also started becoming lazier, which doesn't help when your classes are so demanding. I began to feed my love for distraction, which consumed the bulk of my free time.
Wasting so much of my free time not only took away from me academically, but also spiritually. My prayer life was very inconsistent, as well as my Bible reading. My goal was to finish the Old Testament, but I only got to the middle of Psalms. I've had this goal for two years. Obviously I am very disappointed that I could not even complete this relatively simple task. It's ironic that the key verse I chose for 2013 was supposed to help me avoid distractions. The reason I chose 2 Corinthians 4:18 was to shift my focus away from worldly things and start focusing on spiritual things. Looking back, I wonder how different my year would have been had I devoted my time to Christ rather than to myself.
The past year was not a complete failure; I never like to think that way anyways. In the summer, I attended the Genesis Bible Academy, where I really learned a lot. I am thankful for all the people that prepared the Genesis Bible Studies. The International Bible Conference was a time of encouragement for me. I always feel blessed when I am with so many believers who are worshiping God together. During the fall semester, I started listening to Christian podcasts by Ravi Zacharias and Matt Chandler while waiting for the bus. I really enjoy listening to these podcasts and hearing different views on the Christian life.
One thing I learned and I know it's so cliche, but everything revolves around the Cross of Jesus Christ. You can argue for many different aspects of Christianity, but at the end of the day what separates Christianity from other religions is the Cross. No other person gave up their life in order to set us free from our sin. In one of the podcasts I listened to, Ravi Zacharias states "no other religion gives an answer for sin. Other religions punish you for doing evil things without giving you a way out. They also cannot explain the origin of sin. Only Christianity is able to explain sin and give us a way out (Paraphrased)". Similarly, in the book "The Cross of Christ", John Stott explains that while he does not understand why God allows evil things to happen in the world, only God did something about it. He sent Jesus who experienced our suffering and pain. He became one of us and shared in our suffering. I find that every single year I am amazed at the love of God.
I decided to choose Psalm 1:2 as my 2014 key verse. It reads "His delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night". This is a very practical verse, yet it presents a great challenge. The verse claims that the man who delights in the Word is a blessed man. I really like the simplicity and directness of this verse. Reading the Bible is crucial in growing in my relationship with God. I often find that reading the Bible feels like a chore. However, the verse says that a righteous man delights in the Word. Many of the psalmists in Psalm 119 say that they delight in the Law of the Lord. I want my heart to be just like those psalmists. I want to delight in the Word of God just as I delight in good food.
I also find that I read the Bible in a "one and done" fashion. I read it just to read it and then I stop thinking about it. As the verse says, I want to meditate on God's Law day and night. The Word of God is meant to be not only read, but meditated on and practiced. Although the physical Bible is not alive, the Word of God is "living and active (Hebrews 4:12)". It is "inspired by God and profitable for teaching, reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)". I like how the NIV says that the Word of God is "useful". Normally you describe a book as interesting, fun, or insightful; but the Word is useful. There is power in the Word, and I pray that this year I am able to wield the "sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17)".
I said that I chose this verse because it is practical. I also stated that it presents a challenge to me. In order to read the Bible this year, I've decided to find a Bible reading plan and stick to it. I know it will be tough, because it is tough every single year, month and day. However, I pray that God would give me the strength to read His Word and put it into practice. If I find that I am able to finish reading the Word, I will just try to read it again. I once heard that people don't always need to learn, but to be reminded. I hope I am able to read my Bible everyday and keep it in my heart.
Prayer: God, I pray that in 2014 I would delight in Your Word and meditate on it day and night. Your Word is living and active, and it is useful for many things. Help me to be "transformed by the renewing of (my) mind" through the reading of the Bible. Guide me in 2014 to be Your servant, and to preach the Word in and out of season. Most of all, I thank for the Cross of Jesus Christ. Amen.
-Smart
In and Out of Season
"...preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction."
-2 Timothy 4:2
While thinking about my new year's key verse, I had a Bible study on 2 Timothy 3-4. One verse that we focused on was 2 Timothy 4:2 (above). Paul is urging Timothy to preach the Word both in and out of season. What does this mean? A good farmer will only plant something when it is in season for that crop to maximize growth. Otherwise, the plant will not grow as well, and the farmer will have wasted his time and effort. A good farmer never continues to plant crops all the time.
However, the good Christian is exactly the opposite. When preaching the Word, sometimes it is "in season" and the Christian sees much growth. Other times it is "out of season", and the Christian sees little to no growth. In other words, a good Christian should always be preaching the Word. Why would a Christian want to preach the Word out of season? It is because he never wastes his time or effort. Even if he does not see the fruit of his labor, God sees his efforts, and I believe that when it is "in season" God will bless his efforts and maximize his fruit.
Lastly, how can a Christian always be preaching the Word? First of all, he has to always be reading the Word of God. No one can practice what they do not know. Secondly, he has to "pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17)". This ensures that the Christian maintains their relationship with God. Third, he has to preach with his words. This is what most people think of when they hear the word "preach", yet it is still important. Fourthly, he must preach with his life. If a person's life is not consistent with their words, no one will listen to what they say. Lastly and perhaps most importantly, he must ask God for the help of the Holy Spirit. A person cannot sustain a Christian lifestyle on their own. Relating to step two, the Christian must pray and ask God for His leading.
-Smart
-2 Timothy 4:2
While thinking about my new year's key verse, I had a Bible study on 2 Timothy 3-4. One verse that we focused on was 2 Timothy 4:2 (above). Paul is urging Timothy to preach the Word both in and out of season. What does this mean? A good farmer will only plant something when it is in season for that crop to maximize growth. Otherwise, the plant will not grow as well, and the farmer will have wasted his time and effort. A good farmer never continues to plant crops all the time.
However, the good Christian is exactly the opposite. When preaching the Word, sometimes it is "in season" and the Christian sees much growth. Other times it is "out of season", and the Christian sees little to no growth. In other words, a good Christian should always be preaching the Word. Why would a Christian want to preach the Word out of season? It is because he never wastes his time or effort. Even if he does not see the fruit of his labor, God sees his efforts, and I believe that when it is "in season" God will bless his efforts and maximize his fruit.
Lastly, how can a Christian always be preaching the Word? First of all, he has to always be reading the Word of God. No one can practice what they do not know. Secondly, he has to "pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17)". This ensures that the Christian maintains their relationship with God. Third, he has to preach with his words. This is what most people think of when they hear the word "preach", yet it is still important. Fourthly, he must preach with his life. If a person's life is not consistent with their words, no one will listen to what they say. Lastly and perhaps most importantly, he must ask God for the help of the Holy Spirit. A person cannot sustain a Christian lifestyle on their own. Relating to step two, the Christian must pray and ask God for His leading.
-Smart
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