God Is In Our Favor

My son,” Abraham answered, “God will provide the sheep for the burnt offering.” Then the two walked on together. Gen. 22:8

Abraham, knowing that Isaac is the actual sacrifice, hoped in the Lord to provide a substitute for Isaac.  Having hope amidst desperate situations is what The Lord requires. As well as having faith that The Lord has a purpose for our obedience.

Having encountered The Truth--who is God, Abraham obeyed without question even if it was excruciating for him. I would have thought, "How can God ask this of me?" Yet an encounter with The Truth makes us realize that all we see are His--even our children, that He is good all the time, and that He always acts in our favor.

Suggestion Versus Commandment

I went to a coffee shop to study, but i didn't want to get coffee since I had too much already for the day.  So I asked the barista what he recommends.  He then suggested to me a shake that he says I will surely like.  I couldn't really make out what kind of concoction he was trying to serve me. He just mentioned something about a fruit and that it tasted like yogurt. It turned out that his suggestion was okay, and I enjoyed the shake.

With a suggestion, you can either say yes or no.  People who suggest are those who do not have authority over us and hangs by our decision.  But people who have full authority over us can command us, and  our actions will either be to follow or disobey.  The negative implications of not following a suggestion are not usually as grave as not following a command.

When the Lord said, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another (John 13:34)," He was not suggesting, the Lord was commanding us.  He didn't say, "I suggest that you love one another as I have loved you...".  Why does the Lord command us?

1. He has authority to do so.  He is God and He is above us, and our obedience is demanded although we are given free will. He loves us so, that we were not born puppets, but creatures with a capacity to decide and choose good or evil.  We need to come to realize that His authority is like more of a father rather than a tyrant.  His authority is born out of love for us.

2. He knows that His commands are good for us.  Our wisdom is limited, while His is all encompassing.  Since God created us, he knows how we are supposed to be as His creation. When God commands, we have to obey because our disobedience will lead us away from Him.  When we are in a state of sin, we are ashamed and our dignity is stripped from us, just like how Adam and Eve realized that they were naked when they disobeyed God.  The 10 Commandments are good for us.  They were not called the "10 suggestions" because the consequences of disobeying are severe. If we "covet our neighbor's wife" we know the kind of tragedy that will fall on our family.

3. To give us direction in life.  His command is a way of revealing His perfect will for us. We often ask, Oh Lord what is in store for my future? What are your plans for me?  I believe that through His commandments, He directs us to the kind of life He wants us to live.  The fruits of our obedience will be the revelation of His plans.  What about the rich young man?


Now someone approached him and said, "Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?" 
He answered him, "Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good.  If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments." He asked him, "Which ones?" And Jesus replied, " 'You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother'; and 'you shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" The young man said to him, "All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?" Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to (the) poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions. Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." (Matthew 19: 16-22)


The true result of total obedience and observance to God's commandments will be a life of surrender to the Lord, putting Him first in our lives; even above our wealth and following Him to eternity.


The Lord does not command us to do something to our own demise.  He gives us commandments  rather than just suggestions because if He says so, it is sure to be good. God is good...all the time. 

Your Servant is Listening

When Samuel went to sleep in his place,
the LORD came and revealed his presence,
calling out as before, "Samuel, Samuel!"
Samuel answered, "Speak, for your servant is listening." (1 Samuel 3:10)


When the Lord first revealed Himself to Samuel the prophet, Samuel did not recognize His voice and thought it was Eli calling Him.  Eli advised Samuel that it was the Lord calling. So, on the third time, Samuel recognized the Lord and said, "Speak, for your  servant is listening."


Here are some of my reflections:


1. We need a mentor.  Eli was Samuel's mentor and helped him in recognizing the voice of the Lord.  In our spiritual journey, when we do not seem to hear the Lord, the Lord has sends us people to help us hear Him.  That person may be a priest in your area, your prayer group leader, your parents, or a friend.


2. We need to obey. Samuel could have dismissed Eli's advise for visions and revelations were uncommon during Samuel's time.  But He followed Eli's advice and he recognized the Lord.  Obedience  requires discipline, commitment, and humility.  Most often, obedience does not require us to fully understand a situation, but to trust.  When we are given a new service assignment by our leaders, we do not fully understand yet why we were chosen or if ever we will succeed.  Often we only realize the wisdom when we have obeyed and proceeded with the service.


3. We need have a posture of servant.  The word servant had a deeper impact in the Ancient times.  It meant that you have no freedom and that you have been bought to do your master's bidding. So when Samuel said, "Speak for your servant is listening," he had the posture of being fully disposed of whatever the Lord wants Him to do.  Often, we are choosy. We complain and grumble.  The posture of a servant is humble and submissive.  It is through humble hearts where the Lord speaks loud and clear. 


Today let us listen to our Lord and do his bidding.

Sent on Mission

Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. (Lk 10:1)

In two days I'll be heading to Bangkok to take part in the CFC Singles for Christ Global Leaders Summit, after which, our team will be sent to Myanmar to do mission for a week. Some mission teams will be sent to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.

The Gospel is very affirming. Christ sends us. This is a very important element of mission. Being sent is an honor for Christ's servants. The dangers are real and the cost is not small. But why go on mission? I could think of three.

1. Because Christ commands it.
Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations (Mt 28:19)." " As the Father sent me, so I send you (John 20:21)." As Christians, part of our identity is to be missionary. We obey the Lord, out of love, loyalty, and sacrifice.

2. Because the harvest is ready.
He said to them, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest (Luke 10:2). Out there, people are just waiting for the good news to be proclaimed. This is God's work, it His field, He knows where to send us. We need only say yes and He will put His Spirit in us.

3. Because life is meant to be a great adventure!
In mission you will experience things you won't expect. You will be surprised how mightily God will use you. Live life to the fullest! Our abilities will be maximized, our heart for others will be expanded, our spirituality will be brought to greater dependence on God through intimate prayer. Mission will help us see beyond ourselves and lead us to a clearer purpose for our lives.

As Steve Green would put it, "To love the Lord our God is the heartbeat of our mission." We are sent because God loves us and we go because we love the Lord. Let us pray for missionaries worldwide that they may continue to be faithful and endure hardships that come their way. Let us pray that we too may find the strength to say yes to God.

She Said Yes

September 8 is Mama Mary's birthday. What can we recall about her to honor her? For me one of the most significant things she did was when...

She said, Yes.

"Be it done to me according to thy word (Luke 1:38)."

Do we say yes to the Lord everyday? The daily gospel, "Thy Word," challenges us to yes to the Lord through its message. But how can we say yes if we do not know what the Lord asks of us today?

Three things can happen:

1. We miss out on God's question and challenge for us.
When we don't open our Bibles or when we are not in reflective prayer, we miss the opportunity to know what He asks of us.

2. We say no to God.
We know His will for us, but simply ignore it, delay it, or run from it.

3. We say yes.
Christianity is a daily yes for the Lord. Our yes to the Lord is a process of being sensitive to His will and having the courage and the obedience to do His will.

Mary's "yes" is the opposite of Eve's disobedience. And through her yes, our Savior is born and gave us new life. "And as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive (1 Cor 15:22)."

Let us pray to God using Mama Mary's intercession for the courage to say yes even if the cost of following Christ is high.
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