The Victory through Jesus

Today's passage is kind of related to what Pastor DeWayne talked about on Sunday. The life we live now is not limitless. We have a fixed amount of time on earth and we are ultimately waiting to go see God and spend eternity with Him. I never really wondered how that process would be, though. In verse 52 it says, "in a flash." When I read the heading for this portion of the passage I was kind of amused, and I thought "What does this mean?" It really is just unfathomable that the change from mortal to immortal is going to happen that fast.. when you hear stories of going to heaven there's that one question that you're going to be asked, "What makes you deserve to be in heaven?" or something along those lines. Is it after the question that you're going to transform? Thinking about it is scary and truly amazing.

That is the victory we have in Christ. Our lives will not end when our natural bodies die, but we will have eternal life in the spiritual body like yesterday's passage says. The victory in Jesus is life, but while we are in our natural form, we should still make the best of it and life according to God's plan. He has plans for everyone and while we fulfill them we should reflect God's heart - love, kindness, forgiveness, mercy, grace.

So I want to live my one life and be happy in it serving God. I do not want to waste the time God has given me on this earth, so i want to be more loving, supportive and prayerful towards those around me. Don't you?

Heavenly

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today's QT talks about the resurrection we will experience with Christ on the Day. I'm honestly a little confused about the first part, but this entire passage just seems so beautiful as I imagine what that Day will be like, whether I fully comprehend this passage today or not. "What you sow does not come to life until it dies." We don't experience true life until after death -- whether he's talking about spiritual death or natural death, I'm not so sure -- but what an awesome idea to know that after death, we still have life! And after death, we will "bear the likeness of the man from heaven." When we are resurrected, we will bear the image of Christ, of Heavenly beings. We will be raised imperishable, in glory, in power, in Christ's image.

As beautiful as this image is, it's saddening to think that many of our loved ones won't get to share in this same happy ending. We can change that though, with lots of prayer and through continual interaction whether they're small or big, significant or not. I need to have a greater sense of urgency in letting my friends in on the world's best kept secret. I want to believe in the power of prayer and in the power of the Holy Spirit to work in me through small and big acts so that those that I love get to look forward to such a beautiful eternity with our Father.

The Remnants

Verse 24 reminded me of the "remnants" from the Old Testament. God reserved for himself a several thousand Israelites who have not bowed their knees to Baal to bring about spiritual awakening to Israel, when the nation was falling into idolatry. It's so awesome that God has the power to wipe out an entire nation, but still chose to use the weak - so that the weak can be strengthened and empowered with godly power - to carry out His will.

I pondered about my weaknesses, and how God can strengthen me to fight in these areas. One of them is money. Whether rich or poor, money is a big issue in our lives. Even if I had millions of dollars, it'd still bring me problems. If I don't have much money to spend, my biggest struggle would be that I can't get what I want to get. (Or even to survive). Since money is oftentimes the test between godly wisdom and worldly wisdom, I want to conquer this area in my life. I first need to learn to conquer the money, not be conquered by it.

하나되는 예배

하나님께서는 한사람 한사람에게 각기 다른 은사를 주셨습니다. 우리는 그 은사를 통해 하나님안에서 하나가 되는 완전한 예배를 드려야 합니다. 주님께서 우리를 주님의 지체로 부르셨으니 우리는 주님의 손과 발이 되어야 합니다. 손과 발이 하는 일이 다르듯이 각기 다른 직분을 가지고 주님을 섬기지만 우리가 추구하는 것은 같습니다. 하나님의 영광을 드러내는 것입니다.

오늘 말씀은 바울이 고린고교회 성도들에게 주님이 주신 은사를 주님의 몸되신 교회의 덕을 세우는데 사용하라고 합니다. 주님께서 주신 능력을 단지 우리의 만족을 위해 사용하는 것이 아니라 하나님께 영광을 돌리도록 해야 합니다. 하나님의 뜻을 나타내는것 그것이 예배의 참된 모습이 아닐까 합니다.

주님안에서 하나되는 예배를 통해 날마다 성령님이 함께 하심을 느끼고 주님께서 인도하심을 몸소 깨닫는 저희가 되길 소원합니다.

Gifts to the World

Paul says that prophesying and speaking in tongues is the best way for unbelievers to see God's glory. But that is very difficult for some people to do. Although prophesying is one of the gifts God gives us, it is not the only thing we can do for nonbelievers to see that God exists.

Being made in the image of God, we are expected to portray the essence of God: Love. Everything we do reflects God even if it's picking up something another person dropped, or holding the door for someone. I found this passage kind of difficult to handle because I have never spoken tongues nor have I really seen someone speak it.

The passage says prophesying is the best way to show God is real, but for those who are not strong in that department, we should find other ways to show God's love - God's presence.

That is what I want to do.. I want to exude God's love.. say hi to people i normally don't say hi to, hold more doors for people..stuff like that..

Edifying Gifts

Paul tells us to desire gifts that will edify the church, and he also says that we should follow the way of love, God's love. Putting these together, Paul says that we should desire to edify the church out of the love we have for our brothers and sisters--this love should be rooted in the love we have received from God: selfless love. So when we use our God-given gifts and talents, we should use them not for our own gain.

It's so easy to serve the church with selfish motives. When we seek to edify, how often are we actually thinking of the church rather than ourselves? This is a challenge and an area of sin that I am constantly struggling with. I fall into pride so many times when I serve because it's so easy for my initial desire to serve the church to turn into a means of showing off my capabilities. Edifying the church quickly gets lost in the picture, and glorifying God quickly turns into glorifying myself. I want to pray for humility this week as I try to reevaluate my heart in serving God and those around me.

Pursuing Love

Today's passage is such a common passage,
but when I looked at it in QT manner, I was so confused
as to "What is love?"
It says in today's writing that Love is something that is
timeless and infinite, something that can be fully realized
when we meet God (v.12)
On the other hand, it says that every other gift such as
speaing in tongue and phrophecy, is something that is
limited to time and perhaps just a brief even that
will take place on earth...

One things that gives me impresison is that wecan fully love
God when we go meet him and it says that "I shall know fully, even
as I am fully known." This means that God's love for us is as FULL as it
can be, and we don't have a clue what that is about.

There are many things that we can pursue in life, but
I think timeless elements of life can be the most Godly
and Spiritual things that we can pursue. If we can only have
LOVE, towards others and towards God... I think all the rest will
follow well ~~ But LOVE is at times hardest thing...

I guess there are TIMES when I can feel God's love and presence,
but there are also times when I can loose that so quickly. As verse 7 says,
I think we need to DELIGHT IN TRUTH in order to know how to
have the mind and heart of Jesus Christ. Truth must drive us to a closer place
to our God.

I guess I can start by asking God to grand me his own will,
and to give me determination to die to my will and follow his and
only his...

Christianity is a long way to go.. ~~
but it starts with today's passion .. ^^
May God grant us his passion today..

One Body of Christ

As human beings we have a longing to be appreciated. Even a simple gesture of appreciation gives us motivation to do more. Likewise, bosses need to learn to appreciate their employees to improve productivity and teamwork. Disgruntled employees probably find their work taken for granted, without any recognition. I'm really particular about receiving appreciation for what I do. It's probably not a very humble attitude to have. I also have to ask myself if I'm showing appreciation for the things that I receive.

I feel like, just as much as our church is in need of servants, we need people who can encourage people by appreciating them. It's really everyone's job. Sharing in the joy and the pain of every individual can unite the body. Everyone is different, but we all have to learn to embrace (and appreciate) everyone's unique qualities, and take a step further to love them for it. Instead, too many times I'd been caught up in comparing myself to others.

I'll train myself with encouraging words. That's my application.

One Community of believers

Paul is explaining the gift of Holy Spirit to the church of Corinth, and it is interesting how I found that the gifts are given to people at the will of God, according to His purposes. Not according to ours, but according to His.
I suppose this is an obvious statement to us Christians, but if you think about it, and how we ought to apply it to our lives, it takes on another meaning. A church cannot properly function with only an arm. It needs legs to move, and so on; the different gifts are given to us to fulfill the church as a whole body, and we must remember that each and every part must function properly for the entire body to function in a healthy way.
Going back to the topic, there have been times where I feel one particular gift is always more desirable than others; if I could sing like angels, I would trade that for my little knowledge around computers and HTMLs any day! But all this is God-given, and we must respect and treasure the God-given talents and spiritual gifts, as well as those of our brothers and sisters, and work to-ge-ther to build up the body of Christ, this body of Church.

Spiritual Gifts

I think it's amazing how God knows us so well... how He created us to be so unique... and to give each of us a perfect gift to fit the individuals we are... what's more amazing is how God calls us, people who can be so different from one another, to be one body... each with a different gift... so that His work can be done...

Looking at the students in RY, there is so much potential of what God can do through them... for some, their spiritual gifts have been discovered... while others are still in the search... When I was in the youth group, I used to wonder why some people were so great at things I weren't... I remember wanting to be like them... to play the piano like them... to sing like them... all for the wrong reasons... It wasn't until I was an older member of the youth group that I learned that we are given different gifts... and that these gifts weren't used to impress others... but to be used for God's glory... I hope that our students will realize this early on... that as they grow closer to God and the Spirit reveals what their gifts are, that they own it and use it to glorify God... how awesome that would be...

참된 예배

오늘 말씀은 바울이 고린도성도들에게 그들이 교회에서 하는 행동들을 탓합니다. 그들의 행동들이 바울을 얼마나 화나게 했었는지, 바울을 그들을 절대 칭찬하지 않는다고 하였습니다. 이 당시 고린도 교회에서는 부자들이 가난한 자를 위한 나눔이 없었고 성만찬을 거룩히 여기지 않았으며 심지어 예배시간에 잠이 든다고 하였습니다. 이런 것들에 대해 바울은 많이 화가 난듯 합니다.

그러나 중요한것은 이 고린도 교회의 모습이 아직도 우리의 모습과 같다는 것입니다. 바울이 지금 저희에게 돌아온다면 우리도 같은 질책을 당할 것입니다. 저희는 교회 안에서 조차 주안에서 완전히 하나가 되지 못하고 마음이 맞는 사람들끼리 함께 합니다. 주님의 풍성한 은혜를 깨닫지 못하고 나눔을 실천하지 않습니다.

어제 SAM사역을 위한 예배를 다녀왔습니다. 지금 이순간 북한에서는 주님의 사랑을 미처 깨닫지도 못하고 굶어 죽는 아이들이, 사람들이 많이 있습니다. 가난한 형제 자매들을 모른척하는것이 비단 고린도교회의 모습이 아니라 지금 우리의 모습임을 고백합니다. 그들은 분단이후 처음으로 하게 된 성만찬때에 흐르는 눈물을 주체할수 없어했습니다. 한달에 한번 하는 성만찬을 우리는 어떻게 받아 들이고 있습니까?

우리에게 허락된 많은 것들 때문에 진정한 예배를 드리지 못할때가 많습니다. 우리가 생각하고 있는 당연한것들에 대해 주님께 감사하며 진정한 삶의 예배를 드리길 원합니다.

Authority

Today's passage really confused me.. I did not really connect with some parts of the verses.. like the ones about hair.. but then again it is probably because of the cultural difference of now and in the Roman Empire.

What I did get out of the passage is that there is always going to be someone who is above us who has authority: Pastors, bosses, teachers, parents, elders, the law. These things we have to respect and obey because it is our duty to do so, so that there can be peace (at least i think so..)

I know a lot of people are prone to wander and want to do things that go against authority, but as children of God, He is the one we have to obey because He is our Master who loves us and died for us. I have learned before that is the first and last thing we can do for what God has sacrificed for us. Being in an ethnic studies class, I learn about social hierarchies but the hierarchy presented in this passage is not based on race..

Man is the head of the woman, Christ is the head of man, God is the head of Christ. This does not mean women should worship man. BY NO MEANS will women worship men because God is at the top. The highest place belongs to God and we should be ones to being glory to his name.. so let's be examples of what God represents because that is one way to worship God and respect that He is our God.

JOY

So, when I was younger, I learned about JOY in Sunday School. JOY is putting Jesus before Others before Yourself. Corny as it is, it's true. But true as it is, it's hard. It's easy to have YJO, YOJ, and maybe even JYO; but how many times do we put ourselves last and live out JOY? Our calling to be ambassadors of Christ is three-fold, just like JOY. J - We are ambassadors of Christ; O - we are ambassadors to this world; Y - we are ambassadors.

Paul tells us that to live this out, we need to live for the glory of God, first and foremost. But next in line is "not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved." We should be careful not to cause anyone to stumble, whether they are in Christ or not. That's really hard for me to do, I realize. All I focus on is what I need and what I want, and when that comes in direct contradiction with what someone else needs and wants, I am likely to disregard the other. But when we remember not only that there is joy in being last but that there is purpose in putting others before ourselves (so that they may be saved), there is even greater joy.

Serving Two Gods

As I am reading these passages of scripture,
I wanted to think about what is my IDOL these days...
I guess my biggest enemy is TIME...
I have too many things that I want to do, and too little time
and I have too many things that I have to do, but too little time

But what I oftentimes find myself do, is not fulfilling any
but putting my hand to all of it!!

I guess I have a little bit of problem focusing too much on the
"not so necessary stuff" and vs. "must do it stuff"
And because my focus is not there, my BODY
(which belongs to God) is being abused in different ways...
How I spend my time can be serving idolatry or serving God

Just like it says in Bible that 'you can't serve two gods'
I guess my plan is to serve ONE!! but do one thing with my body
as well... serve the ONE god with ONE goal in mind.. being all sold out
for one goal... and organizing my time towards that..

hm.. ok, gotta go do HW (can't wait till i graduate)

Warnings to the Saints

How ironic, that the times I feel the strongest are also the times I'm the most vulnerable. v.12 really convicted me today, and I really feel like I need to regurgitate on the gospel message and be "saved" every day. But it's comforting to know that God won't let me be tempted beyond what I can bear, and that He'll provide a way out. Actually, since as our hearts weather more storms they become tougher and more resilient, our ability to be able to hold fast to the Word will increase - so maybe that's what Paul means by "a way out". That means those are struggling with various kinds of sins and addictions can have hope in that God is in control.

I resolve to pray for the church that is struggling to come together as a body to share in the joy and love of Christ. I'll pray that their eyes will turn to God and find Him as the only source of comfort and strength, and that God will strengthen them to be able to fight temptations.

Laying Down Our Rights

In the past few weeks, Pastor DeWayne has preached about community... what it is about... and how to become one... It all comes down to this: LOVE... love for God... love for others...

As Christians, we feel that we have certain privileges that others do not have... for example, there are Christians who feel that they have the "right" to judge those who are in sin... to point fingers at others for their wrongdoings... yet, we don't have that "right"... we are called to love others as Christ has loved us... to lay down ourselves for the sake of others... this comes so much easier when the "others" are people who love us and share their love with us... we are more inclined to reciprocate their love for us.... however, when it comes to people who are "unlovable" in our eyes, we hesitate and have less of a desire to love them... which is why, we can't do this on our own...

I think we are fortunate to have such an awesome group of students in RY because they make it easy for us to love them... I think I've taken that for granted... and have only done the "minimum" to show that I care about them... I've heard it said once before that love = time... Therefore, I want to commit more time to share Christ's love with them... through more personal contact... and definitely through more time praying for them individually...

My place in the world

I studied hard in my high school years in order to get into a good college, which can help me get a good job and be successful in this society. But I always thought that getting a job was not the end goal; it was simply a way of allowing me to do more of God's work in this world.
But over time, a job became more than just a job; it became a career and I needed to spend more time to develop my career and goals, and to be the best in what I do, not only to further glorify God but also to be happy in what I was doing.
I know that this is not simply a way of making a living, but an area though which we can glorify God, but I find it difficult at times to be able to bring God into my daily picture. I ask for His help in my daily activities and I remind myself that I cannot do this without His help; yet I am not sure how I can further God's kingdom through my line of work.
What's funny is that I know, at least in one particular occasion, one of our customer is the Church of Latter Day Saints, who would like to use our product to further their propaganda and trying to reach out to other people in the world. And though I am not a direct part of that, just knowing that a product from my company is being used for such a case, what does that make me? I know there are more questions than answers, but I think all this is part of the reason why I need to walk with God and commune with Him on a daily basis...

천국의 소망

모세 율법에 곡식을 밟아 떠는 소에게 망을 씌우지 말라 기록하였으니 하나님께서 어찌 소들을 위하여 염려하심이냐. 전혀 우리를 위하여 말씀하심이 아니냐 과연 우리를 위하여 기록된 것이니 밭 가는 자는 소망을 가지고 갈며 곡식 떠는 자는 함께 얻을 소망을 가지고 떠는 것이라.

우리는 하나님의 일꾼 (소)입니다. 하나님께서는 하나님을 위해 일하는 자들을 탓하지 말라 하십니다. 하나님은 그를 위해 일하는 일꾼을 염려하시고 걱정하시기 때문입니다. 이런 하나님의 보살핌속에서 우리는 우리의 주어진 사명을 감당하고 살아갑니다.

밭가는 자나 곡식떠는 자가 추수할 때의 소망을 가지고 살아가듯이 우리도 주님이 맡겨주신 사명을 감당하며 주님 오실날의 소망을 가지고 살아갑니다. 천국의 소망이 있기에, 주님의 약속이 있기에, 주님 말씀을 따르며 충성된 일꾼으로 살아가야 합니다.

우리가 비록 바울처럼 독신으로 모든것을 버리고 주님만을 위해 살아가지는 못하지만 그의 충성된 모습과 천국을 향한 소망을 가지고 살아가길 바랍니다.

Critical Choices

As children of Christ, we have to be an example for those who come to us for advise and things, like our students coming to talk to us about issues in school or in their life. The Corinthians did not bother to think of the consequences after they decided to eat the sacrificed meat for the pagan gods. Non-believers would see that they are eating the meat of a pagan god, which is the sign for worship, and believe that there is more than one god. That Corinthian did not make the right choice because it did not help the lost get closer to God, the One and Only.

Like everyday Christians today, there are many choices we have to make... and they have to reflect the love of God and the care He has for all his children (believing and non), for if the people around us know we are Christians and we do not do the right thing they would not think Christians are, in truth, good people. We would lead them astray, so we have to be good examples, good shepherds to the people around us... for we should want to lead our brothers and sisters closer to God or to God.

For my challenge.. I just want to have the sense in doing the right things at the critical moment so that God's love would be reflected - not to make myself look good, but so that God may be glorified and in the core of what I do.

What Drives You?

I'm a little confused by what Paul is saying when he says that we should remain in the state we were in when God first called us. Is he saying that we shouldn't focus so much on how our holiness is apparent to others but rather focus on actually trying become more holy?

Paul goes on to say that although we accumulate many responsibilities and distractions as we continue on in our journey to Christ, we need to live as though we don't have any of them. Because time is short, we can't afford to lose the time we need in order to bring God's kingdom. Taking on more responsibilities will inevitably take time away from our ministries and our time with God. But we need to know where our priorities are. It's easy to think that the more we take on, the more we're doing for God, but when we do that, it's also easier to forget the "why" because we're so focused on the "what." My Bible study class learned about worship for a few weeks now. And what we've learned over and over every week is that it doesn't matter in what form you worship or where you worship, but God desires our hearts to be in the right condition. As we serve God (in whatever way you are) let's remember that Christ is at the center, and our hearts should be set on Him alone.

Called to be there

One of the questions that I ask many times in my life,
is whether I am doing what I'm called to do.
Calling is such a complicated thing, there is never end of
a calling, and there is no "doing enough" for the calling!
It always pushes, pulls, hopes, and expects something
more everyday.

I guessPaul was commanding Corinthians church for their
up and down spiritual path. Their church is known for
abusing so many spiritual gifts that they have. And Paul
says, "Stay where you are"

As RY is starting their 2nd official meeting at Albany High
I think I had about 3 different dreams of scenario that may
happen... I woke up very confused... not knowing what's
going on. But I realize that my role is to be there, and to
encourage and to do best I can, for God does not critisize
beyong what we can do at our level !! ^^

Pray for this Thursday !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Peaceful Relationship

It's cool how Paul promotes a peaceful (and thereby a blessing, edifying) relationship, because he's concerned not about whether it's right or wrong, but for the spiritual well-being of Christians with a desire to marry. It's his advice, a proverbial wisdom, rather than a Levitical law; and this speaks to me because Paul really cared for them and understood their position. The advice didn't come in the form of harsh rebukes.

Another thing I realized was that family's happiness reflects spiritual happiness too. Paul says that marriage comes with certain responsibilities, but that these responsibilities ultimately lead to peace in the family. For a lot of us, home is synonymous with family, and that is the place where we seek comfort and love. If there is no peace at home, it is bound to reflect elsewhere in a person's life.

Speaking of marriage, I voted Yes on Prop 8 today. It's sad that the No campaign is avoiding the terms "gay" and "lesbian" to focus on how Prop 8 would undermine a basic human right. Marriage is instituted by our Creator, and a court ordering that same sex marriage is not legal could only mean that we'd be forced to accept (note that accept is different from tolerate) this perverse form of relationship "whether we like it or not". (In the words of Mayor Gavin Newsom of SF) To me, it's not an issue of being unfair, or a threat to our rights - it's about our basic moral and ethical values that we need to protect. But regardless of the outcome, there's no doubt that the Christian community needs to understand and welcome the gay and lesbian community without passing harsh judgment on them. (But that's where we need to draw a clear boundary. This is outside the premises of Prop 8.)

Honoring God in Real Life

In today's society, we are constantly bombarded with images of sex in our surroundings... Yet, I feel that it's taboo in the church... where people who struggle with sexual sins are unable to share it openly with others, even though they may need to seek help... Because it is the reality of our world today, I wonder if our students have these struggles in their lives... and if they do, I wonder if they would ever feel comfortable to seek help from us... I think this is why we have to constantly strive to love one another through the eyes of Christ... we don't have any right to pass judgment on others, but because we do so often, people are hesitant to be completely honest... sharing things only at the surface in fear of rejection...

I think that my students would feel more comfortable to share their struggles with me and with one another if I were able to create a safe environment for them... where they will feel accepted no matter what they are going through or have already experienced in their lives... and in order to create such a place, it has to start with me, where I make myself vulnerable to them, letting them know of the struggles I had growing up and how I sought help to overcome them in my life...

Free to choose

God has given us freedom in our daily lives, but not everything we do is beneficial for us, especially we all ought to consider the fact that our bodies were brought at a price; by the blood of the lamb, and our bodies are no longer our own, but it is a temple where the Spirit resides.
In this age and days when the society has become so liberal in expressing so many sins freely, we must remind ourselves and each other that our bodies were bought at the cost of Christ's suffering, and as we share the gospel with the children of God, we have to teach them not to be swayed by the cultures of this world and these times; and that we will learn to discern the truth from lies, and become children of God who do not abuse the "freedom" that He has given us.
We ought to live this one life, not to our own benefits, but for God and it ought to show through the choices that we make, that we do not choose to follow the free ways and thinkings and practices of this age, but we choose to follow God.

세상의 판단

우리는 종종 아니 자주 세상의 판단을 받게 됩니다. 오늘 말씀은 세상이 우리를 판단하는 것이 아니라 우리가 세상을 판단할 것이라는 선포의 말씀입니다. 세상의 기준에 의하면 우리는 날마다 잃으며 살아갑니다. 주님과 함께 하는 시간, 주님께 드리는 예물은 세상의 시각에선 wasting time, wasting money입니다.

그러나 우리는 주님과 함께 하는 시간이 무엇보다도 가치있는걸 알기에 세상의 기준을 무시하고 살아갑니다. 어떤것과도 바꿀수 없는 주님이기에 세상이 판단하는 돈과 지위보다는 주님을 위한 봉사를 우선으로 합니다. 주님의 아이들에게 주님의 사랑을 알리는것이 급선무 이기에 저희는 주일학교 선생님으로 부르심을 받았습니다.

주님의 영광을 나타내는 주의 자녀가 되길 바랍니다. 마지막 날에 세상은 우리에게 판단을 받기에 오늘도 주님 오실 그날을 기다리며 주님 말씀을 붙들고 하루하루 살아가길 소원합니다.