THE PURE IN HEART

Yesterday had to be one of the more difficult days in the past two weeks of knee pain. I would wake up in the morning with ankle pain in addition to knee pain. It would appear now that I have some serious problems with my joints. I have been told by several health professionals that it cannot be arthritis because I am too young for that, but now I just don't know. It is even more difficult to walk now. This section of the book becomes so much more relevant. How do I see God in my circumstances? Quoting the title of a different book, "Where is God When It Hurts?"

On the opening page of this chapter, Wiersbe (2007) opens with these words: "At some point in life, each of us must decide what is our highest joy, for the thing that delights us directs us. Generally speaking, children find their delight in what they have; youths in what they do; and adults in what they are. The first live for possessions, the second for experiences, and the third for character." (p. 113). That thing which delights us will direct us. I would like to take a moment and pause on each stage described here. Children delight in what they have. I can see this with the question I once heard a pastor ask a child what they want and the child said a Play Station video game unit. Youths find their delight in what they do. When I was in high school, and perhaps it is still true now, we have our various factions, the ones who play football, those on the debate team, those in marching band, those in student government, those who are popular, and so on. Finally, adults generally find their delight in who they are. This is when career and family goals are pursued. "I am an engineer". "I am a father". Yet, all these things, play station, debate team, engineer are temporal things. Our greatest joy must be found in something far more lasting. Wiersbe goes on to say outlook determines outcome and he gives the example of Abraham and Lot. Abraham looked up and saw God and His promise, Lot looked up and saw Sodom. Abraham became a friend of God, Lot a friend of the world. Abraham in the end gained everything, Lot lost everything. Wiersbe closes the chapter by saying our highest joy is to see God.

So when the Bible says to be pure in heart, what is Jesus saying? It is helpful to examine for a moment how the Bible describes the heart: "Sometimes the Bible uses the word heart to indicate the emotions. "Do not let your hearts be troubled" (John 14:1). "This can be nothing but sadness of heart" (Nehemiah 2:2). But the heart can also refer to the intellect. "Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?" (Mark 2:8 NKJV). Hebrews 4:12 (KJV) states that the Word of God is a "discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." The heart also indicates the volitional function, the will. "But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself (Daniel 1:8 KJV). Jesus admonished His disciples, "Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer" (Luke 21:14 NKJV)." (p. 114). Mind, emotions, and will, all describing the heart. The heart then according to the body is not this physical organ, but rather the inner person representing these different aspects.

So we have touched upon what the heart is, the second part is referring to the purity of heart. "The Lord looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7). David was that man after God's own heart, not because he was sinless but because his heart was single. Saul was a double-minded man. He tried to fear the people and fear the Lord at the same time, and it could not be done. Saul worried about the outward appearance: "Please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel" (1 Samuel 15:30). David sought no honor for himself but only for God. "Let my enemy pursue and overtake me," David prays in Psalm 7:5. "Let him trample my life to the ground and make me sleep in the dust." He closes that prayer with his desire that God alone might be glorified: "I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High" (Psalm 7:17). (p. 116). I think of when Jesus says that we cannot have two masters. We either serve one or hate the other. That particular text refers to God and money but the principle applies universally. We cannot love God and love the world. I love how Wiersbe says it does not mean we are sinless, for surely we cannot be sinless, but it means that our devotion to God is single, it is not conflicted or unfaithful. We seek to honor and worship God. If we read through the many Psalms of David, we truly find a man after God's own heart:

"I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart" (Psalm 9:1).

"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer" (Psalm 19:14).

"Test me, O Lord, and try me; examine my heart and my mind" (Psalm 26:2).

"My heart says of you, 'seek his face!' Your face, Lord, I will seek" (Psalm 27:8).

"My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king" (Psalm 45:1).

Jesus said, "Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks" [Matthew 12:34]) We see a man whose focus and delight was God and it came out in His poetry and it came out in his life. I would like to meet people like this. They are the most pleasant and God-centered people I see. Truly, it isn't easy to always have our delight and our focus on God.

Further describing the word purity, Wiersbe writes: "The word that is translated pure has two basic meanings: "clean" and "unmixed." Our English word cathartic comes from this Greek word. A cathartic is an agent a doctor uses to cleanse the physical system. A psychiatrist also uses catharsis on the emotional level to "cleanse" the patient of hostilities and other destructive attitudes. There is also a spiritual catharsis, a cleansing of the inner person. "He purifies their hearts by faith" (Acts 15:9) (p. 117). The idea here is something that is clean, unadulterated, pure.

Wiersbe gives the description of David when he did not have purity of heart. This instance was the sin of adultery. He did not go out to war when kings went out to battle. He saw a woman bathing and let that desire turn into an affair. The affair then led to the murder of her husband, and David lied about and tried to cover his deeds up. His heart and desire and honor was not God but himself and his physical gratification. Purity of heart requires honesty, with God, with others, and self always. It requires that we seek to honor God in all that we do.

How do we cultivate purity of heart, to have our heart desire God? "Psalm 86:11 explains it: "Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name." No person can ever hope to see God whose heart is divided between the Lord and the world. Our relationship with God must be based on love. For our hearts to love anything other than God is to commit spiritual adultery. "You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God" (James 4:4) (p. 119).

There are several ways we can see God. God is seen in creation. "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands"(Psalm 19:1). We see God also in the circumstances both of our lives and in the world. Paul's conviction was "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Rom 8:28).

"For they shall see God." This is the highest blessing possible for humans, for when we see God, we see Him who is (as the theologians put it) "the Source, Support, and End of all things." Since nothing is higher than God, then seeing God must be the highest joy that we can experience. It was this joy that motivated and excited men and women in Bible times and also inspired the great saints of church history. Moses prayed, "Now show me your glory" (Exodus 33:18). David wrote his heart's desire in Psalm 42:1-2: "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?" Phillip said to Jesus, "Show us the Father, and it is enough for us" (John 14:8 NASB). Of course it was for this purpose that Jesus came, that He might reveal God to us. "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:9). (p. 122).

Prayer:

Father, what an incredible honor it is to see God, to behold Your beauty and glory. That was the desire of Moses and David and so many others. This text says that the pure in heart will see God. That requires us to pray that You search our hearts, and teach us Your ways. It is so easy to desire lesser things and to be directed by lesser dreams. Today, as I continue to experience pain in my joints, my attention is on the pain I feel and not on the God who is bigger than my pain. I pray that for each of us distracted by pain, discomfort, broken dreams, and the many distractions in life, help us to keep our focus and our hearts pure and on You.

THE MERCIFUL

It is rather interesting that I have come to this section. I took a class called Justice, values, and ethics. Social work has a long history of speaking on behalf of and joining with and advocating for the vulnerable, seeking social justice. We had two debates in this class and my topic was capital punishment. In the capital punishment debate, it is either a debate on the side of retributive justice or mercy. Many in today's society far rather punish offenders to the fullest extent than to show leniency and grace. But, grace is the way of the Christian. Wiersbe (2007) begins the chapter by saying how the Roman world also valued justice. Mercy, in that time, and I believe in ours was seen as something to be abhorred of and a disease of the soul. Slaves were seen as disposable property. In that time, if a wife gave birth to a girl or a sickly son, he had the choice to reject the child and let it die. Rare was the virtue of compassion and mercy. I take a moment to ponder my own existence had I been born during first century Palestine. What would be my chances. Blind from birth, currently and potentially permanently crippled, what would be my life chances. My parents opted not to have an abortion though I had been born nearly a decade after its legalization. At times like these, I am not certain if I would desire if they had chosen otherwise. This was the first day when my physical condition and the lingering pain drew me to a moment of sorrow and despair. A consideration of mercy is a good place to pause.

Wiersbe begins to describe the differences between grace and mercy. "Truth becomes faithfulness, holiness becomes justice, and love becomes grace and mercy. Mercy is one of the spiritual bridges God has built so that He can relate to you and me, and mercy is a bridge you and I must build if we are going to relate lovingly to others. God's mercy and grace grow out of His love. Nobody is saved because God loves him or her, for God loves the whole world. Sinners are saved because of God's grace and mercy, His love in action. It is easy to remember the difference between grace and mercy. God in His grace gives me what I do not deserve. In His mercy He does not give me what I do deserve. In one sense, grace is positive whereas mercy is negative, although this should not be carried too far." (p. 98). "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed" (Lamentations 3:22 KJV). We find many examples of mercy in the Bible. Early on, in Genesis 19, we see God sparing Lot and his family from the destruction. It was nothing of Lot, but everything of God's character that prevented the calamity to come upon Lot. Wiersbe makes this awesome statement later on the same page. It is mercy that pity and grace that pardons.

Wiersbe then goes on to describe what mercy involves. It first involves pain. There is an offense. But mercy also involves power. There is the power to punish. Mercy then is the power to pardon. God, in His infinite love and mercy has the power to show ultimate mercy. There is a chain of events that Wiersbe beautifully describe. "These, then, are the links in the chain of mercy: pain, power, truth, love, faith, and growth. We suffer because of another's sin, but we choose to use our power for growth instead of retaliation. It is the act of faith that shows the mercy that converts pain into spiritual growth. It is love that makes us want to exercise this faith; it is the Holy Spirit within who gives us this love." (p. 99).

Wiersbe then describes now the chain of each virtue. We first begin with the right attitude about ourselves, being poor in spirit. When we are poor in spirit, then we mourn over our sin. When we have a right attitude about God's word, we act with meekness. Having a right attitude toward God and His word we begin to hunger and thirst for righteousness. Having God's righteousness we begin to exhibit God's character and thus we have come to mercy.

Wiersbe then looks at examples of mercy in the Bible. The first he discusses is Abraham. Remember in Genesis 13, the herdsmen between Abraham and Lot had begin to quarrel. Abraham then let Lot choose which part of the land he wanted. Now in Genesis 14, Lot is in trouble and Abraham comes with an army to go rescue Lot and his family. Abraham did not need to rescue Lot. He could have said Lot chose for himself where to go and he got himself to trouble. Nevertheless mercy was shown to Lot. The same can be said of Joseph with his brothers. Joseph could have punished his brothers for selling him into slavery yet he chose not to. Instead, he blessed them. Of all the examples of mercy in the Bible, none compare to the mercy that was shown at the cross. "It is the cross that makes mercy available to us and through us. We must never extend mercy on the basis of our own "spirituality" but rather on the basis of His finished sacrifice. If the mercy we show bypasses the cross, then it also bypasses truth and righteousness, and it can never lead to peace. "But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving" (James 3:17). "Peace at any price" is never a basis for mercy. "Making peace through his blood, shed on the cross" (Colossians 1:20) is the only true basis for mercy." (p. 104). Those were very powerful words uttered on the cross. "it is finished". Yesterday, in small group, we discussed the power of this statement. We can rest in the Gospel. We do not need to earn our way to God. Jesus has done all the work. We don't need to prove anything to God. Here, in another context, those words continue to have meaning. Because of Christ's finished work, we are able to show that same kind of mercy to those who do not deserve it. Wiersbe states we must experience God's mercy in our hearts in order for us to be channels of God's mercy. In Matthew 18, we find the unmerciful servant who was forgiven a huge debt but then he was unable to forgive a man of a minor debt. Wiersbe says something about the Lord's supper I never thought of. We do not come to remember our sin, but to remember Christ's death and sacrifice. There truth and mercy are found, the truth of my offense and the mercy of God at the cross. This is a perpetual memory of Christ's sacrifice and mercy.

Wiersbe for a brief moment discusses several ways of dealing with sin. In John eight we find the woman caught in the act of adultery. The leaders propose the legal way of dealing with the offense, to stone her. Wiersbe says the law can never cleans, only condemn. then there is the human way which is exploitation of the sinner, find the person, point out his or her wrong-doing and make others look good. This is the human way. Jesus rejects both these ways in this narrative. Jesus way is mercy, "neither do I condemn you".

"How thrilling it is to go through life sharing God's mercy and not having to judge people to see if they are "worthy" of what we have to offer. We stop looking at the externals and begin to see people through the merciful eyes of Christ. Every Christian we meet is a person in whom Jesus lives; every lost soul we meet is a person for whom Jesus died. In both cases, we have candidates for God's mercy.

The only way God could get His mercy to this world was through His Son. The Son of God had to become flesh before mercy and truth could meet together.

It is the same today; mercy in the abstract means nothing—it must always be incarnate in human flesh. The evasive lawyer wanted Jesus to discuss the abstract question of "Who is my neighbor?" But Jesus forced him to see one half-dead stranger at the side of the road and one hated alien who showed mercy to that stranger. The world cannot see mercy apart from the people who experience it and share it. You and I are to be those people.   ." (pp. 109-110).

Prayer:

Father, mercy is costly. It cost You Your Son. Mercy is not a valued virtue today. We value justice and retribution when wrongs are done to us. We are quick to judge and quick to repay. Help us to see through Your eyes of love and mercy. However, would we not at the same time be soft on truth and soft on sin. You show that balance with the woman caught in the act of adultery. We can remember time after time when we have been wrong. May we not count the times we have been wronged especially with those close to us. Remind us through sacraments such as the Lord's supper of Your sacrifice and mercy that we too can show mercy.

THE HUNGRY AND THIRSTY

I am a man who has lived in a very blessed situation where I can and have eaten at some of the finest establishments both in the United States and abroad. As a Cantonese American, I have had the best Chinese food in China, Hong Kong, Toronto, Vancouver, New York City, Las Angeles, and San Francisco. I say this for the reason of food does not last. No matter how costly the food, it does not last. I recognize much of the world lives on a dollar a day. It would appear unfair that some in the world have expensive meals prepared for them while many starve through the day. Food and water are important for survival. Wiersbe (2007) opens with a profound statement: "Food and water are necessities, not luxuries. This was especially true in Palestine in Jesus' day. Both food and water were used carefully and never wasted. The owning of a well and the cultivation of a field were matters of life and death. So when Jesus linked together hunger, thirst, and righteousness, He was telling the people that righteousness is not a luxury; it is a necessity. Our physical life depends upon food and water; our spiritual life depends upon righteousness" (p. 83). I had long thought righteousness was just one of those Christian words that no one really understood and was minimally significant. Here, the verse reminds us it is a necessity to hunger and thirst for it.

Wiersbe goes on to talk about the comparison between physical hunger and spiritual hunger. If one is not fed with the proper nutrient physically, one will get ill. Likewise, if one is not fed with the right spiritual nutrients, one will get spiritually ill. So then the question becomes what are we filling ourselves with spiritually? What are we hungering for? The concepts of malnourishment, obesity, and food poison apply as much to our spiritual health as it does to our physical health. If a Christian says they do not hunger for the things of God, this would be highly problematic. "What are the hungers in your life? What are the longings that you yearn to have satisfied? If our desires are apart from the will of God, to satisfy them means disappointment and judgment. If they are in the will of God, to satisfy them means enjoyment, growth, and fulfillment" (p. 86). There was a time when I once thought satisfaction and fulfillment can be found in this world. There is a line in a movie many years ago where a mafia member said that you first get the money, then you get the girl, and then you get the power. These three things would appear to bring happiness and fulfillment. Money, women, and power are not in themselves inherently bad. However, if one spends his entire life going after money, women, and power, then it will be ultimately empty. I can see now more than before that a house, a PHD, an attractive wife is what we are living for to chase after, will greatly disappoint. So what exactly is it that we need to hunger for and thirst for? "The words holy and whole belong to the same family. To be holy involves wholeness. Sin divides and destroys, but holiness unites and builds. Holiness is a basic attribute of God: "God is light; in him there is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). When you hunger for holiness, you hunger for God. "My soul thirsts for God!" And to have God in your life means wholeness; He puts everything together. 'Through Him all things are held together" (Colossians 1:17" (p. 87). It cannot be more simple than this. Theologically speaking, we are to hunger for God. However, the text uses the word righteousness. Holiness and righteousness are similar terms. Wiersbe goes on to describe this term also. "To be righteous means to be right—right with God, right wit}, self, and right with others. When you hunger and thirst for God you are causing the inner person to function as God made it to function. Your spiritual senses are exercised and developed (Hebrews 5:14)- "Train yourself to be godly" (1 Timothy 4:7). There is a unity to the life of the person whose deepest desire is to know and please God and to enjoy Him. Instead of running from one substitute to another, seeking inner satisfaction, that person says, "All my fountains are in you" (Psalm 87:7). "Lord, to whom shall we go! You have the words of eternal life" (John 6:68)" (p. 88). Wiersbe goes on to illustrate this with the prodigal son from Luke 15. The younger son went off in the far country to squander his inheritance on wild living. He ultimately was disappointed, homeless, and empty. When he recognized this, he went home to his father, everything was made whole. True happiness and fulfillment was when he hungered for being home.

Wiersbe goes on to discuss having the right view of sin and the right view of righteousness. The Pharisees had it wrong. They saw sin as the "do not" and righteousness as the "does. If this is one's system of holiness, there will be no happiness. Religion is based on rules. Christianity is based on a relationship with Christ. Religion ultimately will not satisfy. I will never know how much to do and feel so anxious about what I did wrong if my religion is based on rules. There is no freedom and individuality in rules. This is not to say that Christianity gives license to do whatever. If Christianity is a relationship with Christ, than I would live in a manner that keeps the closeness of that relationship. Likewise in a marriage, I would love my wife in such a way that prizes the relationship and values her.

So what is the promise? "They will be filled" is Christ's promise; that word filled carries with it a double meaning: "satisfied" and "controlled by." If we hunger and thirst after God's righteousness, then He will satisfy that hunger; and when He has satisfied it, we will discover that our lives are controlled by His righteousness in all that we do. Seeking to become like Him pleases both the Father and us. . . Holiness brings happiness not only by sparing us the pain of sin and its consequences but also by purifying our hearts and minds and giving us an appetite for the eternal. "And I—in righteousness I will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness" (Psalm 17:15). As we become more like Christ, we share more of His joy" (p. 92). It sounds so simple. Hunger for God. Hunger after His righteousness. When we hunger after God and His righteousness He will fill us with Himself and we will be satisfied. This is worship at it's simplest description. A life controlled by worry does not have its affections on God.. In the middle section of Jesus' sermon on the mount He addresses worry, for such basic things such as even food and clothes. In today's terms this includes work and shelter. I just heard today in the news that HHP will cut 27,000 jobs. This is a lot of positions and a lot of people who will be jobless. Work is profoundly necessary to survive. I too at this moment worry about my current state of jobless. This chapter and this text reminds me to hunger after God and His righteousness. What about our daily needs? "All of God's blessings are the by-products of His righteousness. "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (Matthew 6:33). "All these things"—such as food, clothing, shelter, income, husband, wife. When we live for God's rule and God's righteousness in our lives, then we enjoy everything else.

There is no shortcut to happiness or holiness. We must begin with hunger—a hunger for holiness, a deep desire to be more like Christ. God promises to satisfy this hunger, and it is our responsibility to seek to develop this appetite for the righteousness of God. We are what we eat. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." (p. 95)

Prayer:

Father, I worry. I worry about career and health and spouse and children. I worry because these basic needs in life are presently uncertain. Today, You have reminded me to hunger and thirst to be more like You and to set my attention and affection on You. Father, I pray that You grant me the wisdom and the ability to have the right perspective and feed on the right things. There is so much spiritual junk food in the world. Help me to find true spiritual nourishment.

THE MEEK

Wiersbe (2007) begins the chapter by defining meekness. He first states what it is not. Meekness is not weakness. We live in a world that prizes power. Whether it is war between nations, opponents in an athletic event, or the business world, those with power are at an advantage. Wiersbe spends a little time in discussing anger and the devastation of its effects. He includes an exchange a woman has with evangelist Billy Sunday. She says there is nothing wrong with losing my temper. She then says I blow up and then it is over with. Billy Sunday's response is quite descriptive. He says "so does a shot gun. But look at the damage that is left behind. In my time as a mental health intern I have seen countless men and women struggle with anger, and not just anger but rage. The effect can be devastating to all involved peoples and properties.

Wiersbe then goes on to describe what meekness is: "The Greek word that is translated meekness was a familiar word to the people in Jesus' day. It was used to describe a soothing medicine. Doctors gave patients who wrestled with a fever medication to quiet them down and relieve their high temperature so that they could sleep. Sailors also used the word to describe a gentle breeze. (p. 65-66). These two examples, medicine and wind both have power. Medicine has power to heal and everyone who has been in a storm of any sort know the power of wind. However, these elements when kept under control achieve a positive effect. Wiersbe then goes on with a Biblical illustration of meekness. In Genesis 13 we find the quarreling of Abraham and Lot's herdsmen because they have grown two large. Abraham as the uncle and the man who the Bible calls friend of God does not assert his authority. Instead what he says is powerful: "Let's not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers. Is not the whole land before you? Let's part company. If you go to the left, I'll go to the right; if you go to the right, I'll go to the left" (Genesis 13:8-9). Abraham gave his young nephew first choice of the land. He had the power to take first choice himself but he entrusted himself to God because he knew God has ultimate control. Wiersbe also uses Joseph as an illustration. Joseph entrusted himself to God despite all the injustices he encountered with his brothers and while in prison. He had the power to punish his brothers when he became second in charge in Egypt. He never inflicted any harm or retribution to his brothers when he had the authority to do so.

Wiersbe then asks the question are we meek? The best way to find out is to ask are we exercising self-control? How do we react to situations. How is our attitude? What is our behavior like when life happens. This one has been challenging recently. The constant knee pain and difficulty getting up and taking steps has been very frustrating at times. I don't know if I will ever recover. I need both peace and perspective in this area. Wiersbe offers perspective on his reflection on Psalm 37: "Too many people respond—or react—to the difficulties of life by fretting. "Do not fret," says the opening verse of Psalm 37, and it is repeated in verse 8: "Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil." The normal thing to do when people attack you is to get angry, fret over it, and fight back, but this is not the spiritual thing to do. Meek people submit themselves and their enemies to God and let Him handle the problem. Look at the admonitions in Psalm 37: "Trust in the Lord; . . . Delight yourself in the Lord; ... Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; . . . Refrain from anger; . . . Turn from evil and do good" (vv. 3-4, 7-8, 27). The meek center their attention and affection on the Lord, not on themselves or their adversary. When you find yourself fretting because of people or circumstances, you can be sure that you have lost your meekness" (p. 71). Do good. Be still before the Lord. Wait patiently for the Lord. This is a time to center my attention and affection on God and not my present circumstance.

Wiersbe goes on to describe how meekness is cultivated. "You and I must make the choice: Will we submit in the difficulties of life and cultivate meekness, or will we rebel and produce hardness? The fruit of the Spirit is meekness, but it takes time for the fruit to grow, and the fruit grows best in the storms of life" (p. 77). Both King David and the Apostle Paul are great examples of men who went through trial after trial and through it grew not only in maturity but meekness. It is true that trials are the tools by which we either grow or regress. It is all to easy to grow bitter through the difficulties of life. Wiersbe ends with the blessing of meekness, that is that the meek shall inherit the earth. "The meek own everything because they are submitted to the God who made everything and controls everything; God is their Father" (p. 79). This fact that God is my Father seems simplistic and yet it is so hard to conceptualize. The Bible says that God is my Father and He knows each one of my needs. God made everything and controls everything. Wiersbe talks about how Jesus never worried about food or about his life. He slept soundly on the boat while His disciples grew anxious that they would die. Jesus was without worry because He knew the goodness and power of His Father.

Prayer:

Father, how profound it is that I can call you Father. With that one word is all the security and protection in the universe. You made all things and control all things. This situation being jobless and facing knee pain has really been weighing me down. Daily do I need to submit these situations into Your hands and pray for peace, perspective, and for Your provision. Through it, I learn of my anxiety and fears. Remind me Father of Your goodness and grace. Would I learn to wait patiently for you and set my attention and affection on You.

THE MOURNERS

Wiersbe (2007) opens with a rather telling statement. He states that to find out about a person's character, find out what makes them laugh and what makes them weep. I have found this statement to be true. I can remember middle and high school days when students laughed at other people and situations that were not funny. Truly, this is an indicator of maturity or immaturity. Wiersbe tells about a train accident that was tragic. The rescuers found an infant who was alive but her mother was dead. When they took the child from her mother she laughed, but when they took away her candy the child broke out in loud screaming and weeping. The child had no conception of death but she did value her sweets. That which causes us to weep shows what we value.

 

Wiersbe makes another profound statement. "Whenever you enter into the presence of joy, you make yourself a candidate for sorrow." (p. 48). He shows this through the example of marriage. A young couple who marries experiences great joy. But, shortly into the marriage the young bride faces a terminal illness. Anything that has potential to bring joy can also bring deep sorrow. The same can be said about the birth and early death of a child. Before sounding too depressing, I do want to add a point that Wiersbe goes on to say: "Jesus did not tell His disciples to go out and look for sorrow, but He did tell them that He was able to transform their tears and bring them comfort. Of itself, sorrow never makes a person better. I have seen it make people bitter. But sorrow plus Jesus Christ can bring a transforming experience of power into the life of the one who is mourning." Sorrow + Jesus is what makes the difference. I have seen sorrow that makes people bitter. I have also seen sorrow that has turned into comfort by God. Indeed, Jesus is the difference maker.

Wiersbe then goes on into the next section to define different kinds of sorrow. These are natural sorrow, unnatural sorrow, and supernatural sorrow. In natural sorrow, we find many descriptions of this in Scripture. Jeremiah wept, Paul wept, King David wept, Jesus wept. Grief is a natural part of life. "When God created the first man, He gave him the ability to weep, and He did this before man had sinned. Natural weeping is not sinful. On the contrary, it is a gift from God. There is healing in natural weeping. Doctors and psychologists have helped us to understand what really happens when we mourn, and their discoveries have helped us (with God's assistance) to heal the brokenhearted. Natural sorrow expressed in mourning releases a healing process in people's lives that enables them to accept the pain, work their way through it, and adjust to life again." (p. 49). Not only is weeping natural, it should be encouraged. Far too many times after a tragic event or loss we hear adults telling their child not to cry. We hear messages telling men not to weep. Sadly it has left a generation of men unable to express themselves genuinely and constructively. God has given to each of us the gift of tears and we must not suppress the tears when sadness comes. Wiersbe goes on to describe unnatural sorrow. This is the kind that is contrary to the will of God. This is destructive sorrow that does not heal but makes the wounds deeper. He also says it isolates oneself from reality and is selfish sorrow. There is guilt instead of grace and it blinds someone from the comfort of God. According to Wiersbe, when King David's son led a revolt against him, the soldiers fought viciously. Consequently Absalom was killed. King David said these words: "O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my son!" (2 Samuel 18:33). Wiersbe calls this unnatural sorrow. "While we admire David's love, we question his thinking. Would it have been better for the nation for David to die and for rebellious Absalom to live?" (p. 52). This kind of sorrow is unnatural sorrow that is not productive, selfish, and illogical. This is not to say that King David was wrong to love his son. In his cry, we can clearly sense his heart for his son. I do believe that he did however forget that he has other responsibilities.

The third sorrow is supernatural sorrow. There are three words Wiersbe makes clear to describe: "We must distinguish, however, among repentance and remorse and regret. When my consciousness of sin rests only in my mind, then it is regret. When it affects my mind and my heart, it is remorse, and remorse is a dangerous thing. But when my concern over my sin brings me to the place where I am willing to turn from it and obey God—when my concern affects my will as well as my mind and my heart—then I have experienced true repentance" (p. 54). Judas shows us remorse. He felt sorry for what he did but that sorrow did not enable him to repent. He however ended his own life. That is why remorse is such a dangerous thing. Regret however only impacts the mind and not the will also. I did something wrong. However I do nothing to change. Repentance involves confession, and a total turning from that destructive behavior and a turning to God. Wiersbe warns against two extremes. We are not to be too hard on ourselves about our sin and the sins of others but we are also not to be too soft on sin.

What exactly are we to mourn over. "But this mourning goes even deeper. We repent not only of what we do and what we are, but we also mourn over what sin does in this world. Jeremiah wept over the sins of his people. Jesus wept over the sins of Jerusalem. Paul wept as he ministered in the churches. All of creation is groaning because of sin, and the believer joins in that groaning (Romans 8:22-23). Although we thank God that He gives to us in this world "everything for our enjoyment" (1 Timothy 6:17), we also weep because our Father's world has been so polluted and plundered by sin. The present crisis in ecology is but a symptom of that deeper crisis. Many people weep over the loss of precious resources and the marring of irreplaceable beauty, but few weep over the godless rebellion in people's hearts that has caused this crisis" (p. 58). This kind of mourning is not found in our modern church. When we do find it is seen as strange. I went once to a prayer meeting where the sanctuary was full of adults mourning over their sin and the sins of the world. I was very young in my faith then and did not understand what was going on. I see now as I consider the heart of God and how Godly men and women of the past mourn over sin, that sin has caused wreckage and devastation in this world.

What is the result? The verse says for those who mourn, they will be comforted. Wiersbe goes on to say by what ways a believer is comforted. He lists several tools God uses to bring us comfort. There is the comfort from the Scriptures and the many promises and examples of comfort there. There is the inner comfort from the Holy Spirit. I have known this resource having faced several significant losses. It is an unexplainable ministering of the Holy Spirit in the midst of deep pain. God not only uses His Word, His Spirit, but also His people. The church also comforts us in our times of trouble. My fellowship was a tremendous comfort to me when my grandmother passed away three years ago. Lastly, Wiersbe says that God Himself comforts us. "Our English word comfort comes from two Latin words that mean "with strength" (The words fortify and fortress carry the same meaning.) We are prone to confuse comfort and sympathy, but the' are not identical. To sympathize means "to feel with," whereas to comfort means "to encourage, to give strength." Our mourning puts us in touch with the eternal resources of God, and the results is God's comfort. "When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted" (Psalm 138:3).

Our God is the "God of all comfort" (2 Corinthians 1:3). His attitude toward us is not one of hostility but one of love and' encouragement. He is not against us; He is for us. This is one of the emphases in Romans 8. The Holy Spirit makes intercession for us (v. 26). God the Father delivered up His Son for us (v. 32). God the Son is making intercession for us (v. 34). No wonder Paul cried, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (v. 31). '"For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope'" (Jeremiah 29:11 NASB). Our comfort and encouragement is God Himself" (p. 60).

Prayer:

Father, what a promise! What an encouragement you are in our times of loss and uncertainty. You encourage and strengthen us in our deepest hurts. You are our hope when we can imagine no hope for ourselves. As I sit here, I am unsure if I can ever walk again without pain. I don't know Your purpose for this, but I trust in Your unfailing love and promise of protection and care. Indeed, there is so much sin and trouble in this world and I pray that You allow me a glimpse into Your heart for a world who is lost and broken. Teach me to love like You and to see the world through Your eyes. Enable me with wisdom and opportunity to care for someone who is hurting and brokenhearted.

THE POOR IN SPIRIT

I once remember during my first year in grad school when one of the professors referred to this phrase. There was some confusion on the meaning of it. What exactly does it mean to be poor in spirit? Wiersbe (2007) first begins with what it is not. He first says it does not mean poor spirited. What he means by this is that it does not mean having low self-esteem. There is a lot of that today. Having done over 900 hours in mental health settings there are many who have poor self-esteem. When the passage says blessed are the poor in spirit, it does not mean blessed are those who have poor self-esteem. Wiersbe goes on to say it does not mean shyness. Shyness, as I can see is not a state of blessing. Then Weirsbe adds another misconception that I think merits some reflection:

"Neither is the detestable, groveling attitude that we call mock humility. The classic example is Uriah Heep in David Copperfield, who was always reminding people that he was "but a very humble person." In a more refined way, we see this mock humility in the people who deny about themselves what everybody else knows is true. I once worked with a Sunday school teacher who had a great gift of working with children, yet she would deny it every time it was mentioned. "Oh, I can't do anything!" (p. 32). Wiersbe calls this attitude mock humility. It is a kind of false humility. It is not being true. I sometimes feel uncomfortable when attention is brought on to me and when others say positive things about me. In an attend to deflect the praise, I often say that it was nothing or put the attention on to someone else. This is a kind of false humility. Further along, Wiersbe makes this powerful statement: "Who can tell God anything about himself that God does not already know? And, after all, God made us, and God is able to empower us to do whatever He calls us to do. Denying that we can accomplish God's work is not humility; it is the worst kind of pride." The example of Moses is mentioned when he gave excuse after excuse to God for leading the people of God out of Egypt. This is not to say that I cannot sympathize with Moses. Forty years in the middle of nowhere has the ability to place doubt into one's abilities. Right now, as I am in this state of uncertainty with my knee situation, I continue to wrestle with the reality of my usefulness. There is pain when I walk. I cannot leave the house without first taking pain medication. This has a way to bring negativity deeper and deeper into one's thought patterns. Yet, if I believe in a sovereign and all-knowing God I must believe that whatever God calls me to, God will empower me to do.

Before going on to greater detail Wiersbe ends this section by some brief comments. "Being poor in spirit means knowing yourself, accepting yourself, and being yourself to the glory of God. It means knowing yourself—your strengths and weaknesses, your hidden desires, your ambitions, your spiritual gifts and natural abilities—and being honest with yourself. When I was in grade school, I almost developed an emotional disorder over sports. Both of my older brothers were capable athletes, but I am not, and every time the boys in my class chose sides, I was the last one chosen." There are three things: knowing, accepting, and being. Knowing involves both who I am and who I am not. This is significant. Wiersbe knew he was not an athlete like his brothers. How often that happens when one has siblings. Both my brothers are in finance. They work with numbers. As an Asian American who is not good at math, I seem to be part of an odd minority. I chose the humanities in which there were few Asians. Being poor in spirit means taking an honest assessment. No, I am not good at math. I'm not good at sports either. I am a thinker, a writer, a philosopher, and listener. I've been sight impaired since the day I was born. Accepting this has been a challenge every day of my life. Yet poverty of spirit involves acceptance of who we are which includes those things we cannot change. I am certain that God knew exactly what He was doing when He created each person. I love how Wiersbe concludes this section: "To be poor in spirit does not mean to deny your personality or try to suppress it. It simply means yielding it to God for Him to make it all that He wants it to be. The motto is old but true: "God always gives His best to those who leave the choice with Him."" (p. 34) No one is without weaknesses, sins, or imperfections. Poverty of spirit does not mean dwelling on these things,. Rather, it involves bringing these to God in prayer.

In the next section Wiersbe describes the characteristics of humility. This is a very helpful and descriptive section. Wiersbe first says humility is evidenced by the acceptance of others. "When others succeed you are happy for them; when they fail you try to encourage them. If I find myself happy when they fail and sad when they succeed, then I am not poor in spirit. I am proud. When young David killed Goliath, King Saul was glad to get rid of his enemy and honor David, but when David started slaying his ten thousands in contrast to Saul's thousands, then the king became envious and angry" (p. 35). This is a counter cultural attitude. I imagine this happens in business. Sadly it happens within siblings. When one's competition fails it is natural to rejoice. It is something else to rejoice with those who succeed. This morning on the radio was a brief segment on the power of yes. It was on parenting and the point was for parents to be enthusiastic and encourage children in their interests and in their accomplishments. Wiersbe goes on to a second characteristic:   

"Another evidence of poverty of spirit is accepting circumstances. When circumstances do not go my way, do I become angry and critical? Am I always trying to manipulate people and circumstances for my own benefit and comfort? Or am I willing to give in to make things easier for somebody else? Do I cut corners and pull deals to accomplish what I want in life? Paul said, "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances" (Philippians 4:11) (p. 36). I think this one is the hardest for me right now. And for several reasons. I am four weeks now out of grad school and every attempt at a job interview or application has failed. My knee pain has not gone away but has only increased at times. These circumstances are hard to accept. It is easy to become negative and discouraged. 

The third characteristic Wiersbe lists is having the right attitude about things. He quotes Paul: "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty" (Philippians 4:12). This too can be difficult. We are a consumerist culture. The Internet Phone has been around for several years now and I sometimes think about having one. I think this can also relate to relationships. If I had an attractive spouse I would be happy. This places contentment on circumstances. If the addition or subtraction of things change my attitude than it means that things have control over my life.

The fourth characteristic listed is accepting God's will for our life. I am starting to notice a pattern on how difficult each of these are. This is a great summary of the previous others. God's will includes all that we have and all that we are. When I was taking a full load of six classes plus 20 hours of internship a week I was not glad to be in that position. I did not fully appreciate the gift of that season until the last two weeks. Now, I miss that time when I was placed in that position.

The next brief section is on consequences. Wiersbe tries to answer how being poor in spirit can be a blessing. Humility in our time is not a valued virtue. Those who appear to succeed are those who rise to the top no matter the cost. He first lists that humility is Godlike. Christ humbled Himself in obedience to His Father even to death. Wiersbe then goes on to say that humility is the condition in which God can work. "It is difficult to conceive of a Christian growing in grace apart from humility. True poverty of spirit is the soil out of which the fruit of the Spirit can be cultivated. "This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word" (Isaiah 66:2). Certainly the seed of God's Word could never be planted in the hard soil of a proud heart. "teak up your unplowed ground and do not sow among thorns" (Jeremiah 4:3) (p. 39). I think of the parent-child relationship. It is impossible to teach and train a child who is proud, critical, and doesn't listen. Humility is essential for spiritual growth.

Wiersbe concludes with the conditions of humility. The first is to accept God's estimate of ourselves. He says it is necessary both for salvation and necessary as we mature as Christians. Prior to salvation we agree with what the Bible says about who we are, sinful and fallen before a holy God, unable to save ourselves. We are not to think too highly of ourselves and at the same time not too lowly of ourselves. The second step is to yield yourself to God and get our strength from Him. The victorious Christian life is done not by will power alone. It is a journey with God and empowered by His Spirit. The third step as Wiersbe lists is to focus on Christ and His blessings. He makes reference to Peter in Luke 5. Peter spent all night and could catch no fish but when Christ gave some instructions, Peter caught an enormous amount of fish. We need to keep our eyes on Christ to keep proper perspective. The fourth step is to look for opportunities to serve others. Regarding service Wiersbe writes: "Do not look for big opportunities "worthy" of your abilities. Those will come in due time. The great saints of the Bible started as servants, not rulers, and they were faithful over a few things before God made them kings. Moses tended sheep; Joseph was a steward; David was a shepherd; Jesus was a carpenter. Live with the eye of God upon you and forget the praise of others. Serve faithfully in the hidden place, and in due time God will lift you up. Every opportunity for service is an opportunity to exercise sovereignty in Christ. We reign in life by living to serve, to the glory of God." (p. 45).

Prayer:

Father, this chapter was like a mirror. I see who I am now and see who I want to become. I confess that I find it so hard to accept my circumstance. Whether it is my sight, my joblessness, my knee pain, or things I do not have now, It is so hard to accept these circumstances. Yet, I trust that You are in charge over each detail. I trust that You care and will provide even for the needs that have not been satisfied. It is a constant journey to humility and I look to Christ for the example, strength, and wisdom for each moment. I pray for opportunities to serve and the willingness to accept Your leading.

Kingdom Life

Last night was perhaps one of the more difficult moments emotionally and physically. I was unable to physically go up the stairs to my bedroom and thus stayed downstairs to sleep on the couch. That was my first time that I can remember spending the night on the couch. Needless to say with the pain, the anxiety, and the physical structure of the couch, I did not sleep much. As I ponder these moments, I wonder if my life's best days were behind me. I am now using a walker to get from room to room, and I feel old and a bit useless. I can't do much anymore and I am only 31. A while ago I pondered taking a health psychology class but never did. I know now that there really is a connection between psychological state and illness. There are these physical realities. My perceived state of hopelessness and uselessness. There are however spiritual realities that transcend physical limitation. All too often we only see a part, and not in whole. 

Jesus gives us a picture of Kingdom life and Kingdom living in His most popular sermon recorded in Matthew 5-7. It is a high ideal that Jesus describes, but it is His will and desire for Christians to become. When Jesus began His ministry, there were different factions who believed to have an answer to Israel's problems. Wiersbe (2007) describes these different groups: "The Pharisees clamed that the nation could experience freedom and blessing only if the people returned to the traditions of the fathers. The Sadducees, on the other hand, urged the people to update their religion and become more liberal. The Essenes taught that salvation would come only through separation from the world, so they established their own communities and remained outside the life of the nation. At the other extreme were Zealots, a revolutionary group that sought to overthrow Rome by revolt and force. Unwilling to wait for gradual change, the Zealots murdered and destroyed in the name of Jewish patriotism" (pp. 21-22). I could not help but see the comparison to today. In this election year, the commercials and news concerning elections is everywhere. The beliefs are the same. Conservatives want to go back to the founding fathers and to the good old days of yesterday. The liberals want to go forward and modernize. The extremists want to go against and try to destroy the institutions. We need only be reminded of the Occupy movements over the past year.

I love what Wiersbe says about these groups: "Jesus in effect says, "All of these approaches are right in some respects and wrong in other respects. Their chief weakness is that they are fragmentary; they each deal with a facet of truth but not with the whole of truth.” For example, there is nothing wrong with the tradition of the fathers. But the Old Testament law was temporary; it was preparation for the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. We should not duplicate the religion of Israel under the old covenant. Instead, we must let this Old Testament truth develop into New Testament truth through Jesus Christ. That is why Jesus said, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them" (Matthew 5:17). The Old Testament law was the seed; the gospel of Christ is the fruit... If the Pharisees wanted to hold on to the past and reject the present, the Sadducees went to the other extreme: They wanted to take the rational approach to life and sacrifice the authority of the Word on the altar of intellectual credibility. They were the modernists of their day. Jesus agreed with them that the Word must be a living reality today, but He rejected their anti-supernatural approach. "The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits" (Acts 23:8). When the Sadducees tried to trip Jesus up with their theological questions, He swept them aside with one devastating statement: "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God" (Matthew 22:29). It is through the Word of God and the power of God by His Spirit that believers today experience the reign of God in their lives. The Pharisees lost the present by trying to return to the past. The Sadducees lost the present by denying the past. Both were wrong" (pp. 22-23).

These groups saw only a piece and not the whole. Losing the present by returning to the past or losing the present by denying the past. When we consider the Gospel narratives we find both groups miss the point. One group was so focused on the traditions of the past and the other denied the authority of Scripture entirely. I wonder what misinterpretation of God and life-fulfillment are prevalent today. Many try to have "religion" without God whatever form that make take. Some make religion into a God.   

There are a couple more groups that have only a part of truth. The Essenes in their desire for holy living, was right in intention. Scripture describes a Holy God and the command for the people of God to be set apart. However, isolationism was and still is the wrong approach. Jesus calls His disciples to go into the world and change the world, not retreat from it. We find in the great commission that we are to go into the entire world starting with our Jerusalem and then to the ends of the earth. Isolationism also does not address the root of sin which can only be changed by the power of the Spirit and not by seclusion. The last group is the Zealots:

"As for the Zealots, Jesus chose one of their number to be one of His disciples: "Simon, who was called the Zealot" (Luke 6:35). Imagine selecting a political fanatic to be among the first disciples! No doubt Jesus admired their zeal and devotion, just as He certainly opposed their violent methods. He would say to Simon, "Yes, some things in 'the establishment' need to be destroyed, but not through hatred, violence, and human force. The weapons we use are not of the flesh; they are of the Spirit. It is not by killing others but by being willing to die yourself that you will establish God's kingdom." (p. 24).

The political phonetics look to radically change the social systems by force. Yet, Jesus did not come to establish a political or physical Kingdom. The disciples at the time were mistaken in why Christ came. They too wanted Jesus to restore Israel through a physical Kingdom. The Kingdom that Jesus describes is one radically different. In Matthew 5:20: "For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven" Jesus describes the requirements for the Kingdom. By first glance, it would appear difficult to achieve these requirements. After all, there were over six hundred laws to observe. Yet, it is precisely these laws that Jesus came to challenge. True righteousness is not external rules to follow. In one of His parables, "Jesus had the Pharisee pray: "God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get" (Luke 18:11-12). Certainly there is nothing good about being an extortionist or an adulterer, and there is nothing bad about fasting or tithing. But if that is the whole of a person's religion, he or she has nothing. And if people are proud of their religious activities to the point of looking down upon fellow sinners, then they are in bad condition spiritually" (Wiersbe, 2007 p. 24-25). This kind of religion is highly problematic. It is rule-focused, and self-centered. Additionally, it makes false comparisons. Certainly, when we compare ourselves to "sinners" who have done far worse "sins" we appear rather "saintly". What if we compare ourselves to ministry leaders? The point certainly is not to make comparisons to others, but false righteousness has a tendency to make oneself look better than one really is. If anything, we conform ourselves to the likeness to Christ. Furthermore, in the sermon on the mount Jesus looks not merely at the physical act of murder or lust, but the heart intention. True righteousness goes much deeper than external behavior.

Wiersbe (2007) goes on to describe not just the mark of true righteousness but the motive. "Not only were the Pharisees and scribes mistaken about righteousness and sin, but they were also mistaken in their motives for serving God, and Jesus deals with this error in Matthew 6. The Pharisees and scribes were religious in order to get the approval and praise of others. But true Christians have a greater motive than that: They live for the approval and praise of God. After all, if true righteousness is a matter of the heart and only God can see the heart, then only God can give the reward. "I am he who searches- hearts and minds" (Revelation 2:23) (p. 26). In chapter six of Matthew, Jesus discusses the acts of giving, prayer, and fasting. All three activities were falsely done in front of people for the praise of people. Jesus challenges the motive by which we do what we do. We aim to please God. I recognize how difficult it is to actually do this and not care what other people think. In grad school I gave four or five presentations a semester and so many times I was caught up in worrying about saying the wrong thing or not knowing the right response. It was not until my final semester when I was able to let go, and was able to do my last five presentations caring only what my Heavenly Father saw. Stories earlier this year have been told also of Jeremy Lin and his early struggles in playing for the audience and how it impacted his performances. It is when we play and live for an audience of One that we live with freedom.

Wiersbe (2007) considers the Beatitudes individually, but before going into them in detail he describes them collectively: Having received the righteousness of Christ, I can begin to manifest in my life the character of God. I become merciful instead of condemning; I seek to cultivate purity of heart; I become a peacemaker, not a troublemaker. As I grow to become more like Christ, I experience the kind of treatment He received when He was on earth—reviling, persecution, and false accusations. But because of His grace, I become salt and light in a world that is decayed and dark. Having entered the kingdom, it is now my privilege to enlarge the kingdom by applying His righteousness in the world about me... The Beatitudes tell us how to enter and enlarge the kingdom, but they also tell us how to enjoy the kingdom. "Blessed are . . . for they will. . ." They will what? Just read the promises, and you will see how much believers enjoy from God when they seek to cultivate true Christian character. "Theirs is the kingdom"—authority. "They will be comforted"—encouragement. "They will inherit the earth"—provision for every need. "They will be filled"—satisfaction. "They will be shown mercy"—provision for ministry to others. "They will see God"—spiritual vision. "They will be called sons of God"—becoming more like God in daily life. There is a price to pay, but the results are well worth it.

Jesus Christ invites you and me into a life of enrichment and enlargement.

Will you and I pay the price?" (pp. 27-28).

Peace, purity, mercy, these are the realities of true righteousness. The results just mentioned, authority, satisfaction, spiritual vision, encouragement, provision, these are the blessings, but most importantly, being children of God. This final passage sums up the sermon on the mount and Kingdom Life as it is meant to be now.

Prayer:

Father, I confess that I only see in part. At any given moment, I miss the point. I take on the beliefs of the zealot who thinks politics and anarchy could be the answer or isolationism, or returning to the past or modernization. The answer as I am seeing lies not in these external changes but inner change. It is seeking true righteousness and the change of the heart. To do that, we need the enabling of Your Spirit. We are already Children by position and as such we have Your provision, encouragement, spiritual vision and true satisfaction. Open my eyes I pray to Your Kingdom realities to become less and less self-focused and more and more Christ-centered.

Walking Or Riding

It has been about a year since I have revisited this site and wrote my last entry here. A lot has happened since then. I finished my foundation and concentration year clinical internships. I have completed my last year of graduate school and have been job searching for about three weeks now. One week ago, I turned 31. In the midst of what appears to be accomplishments, has been the frustrations of receiving rejection notices, empty job leads, and the sudden onset of major knee pain. This week has been very difficult having received a rejection notice on Tuesday afternoon and then one on Wednesday morning both from agencies serving Asian Americans. The Tuesday rejection notice included the line "You have impressive skills and experience but you do not meet the minimum qualifications". The Wednesday notice was very similar: "We are looking for other applicants with other qualifications". In other words, "you're not who we're looking for". Back to back rejection notices are hard to take. That, plus the increasing pain in my knee is creating this sense of abandonment by God.   

 The Bible states in detail our position in Christ. It paints the Christian as someone who is victorious. King Solomon notes a scene he sees and describes this oddity: "There is an evil I have seen under the sun, the sort of error that arises from a ruler: Fools are put in many high positions, while the rich occupy the low ones. I have seen slaves on horseback, while princes go on foot like slaves" (Ecclesiastes 10:5—7). Princes ride on horseback. Servants go on foot. Spiritually speaking, the children of God should be on horseback, and those material things, money, possessions, and appetites are on food. Wiersbe writes: "too many people are walking when they should be riding. Too many people are acting like servants when in fact they are princes, heirs of the King" (Wiersbe, 2007 p. 12). It is amazing that the second time this week I have been brought back to the first chapter of Genesis. This idea of rulership is painted here: "God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground' "(Genesis 1:28). This was the original design for human beings to have dominion over living things. Yet, in the third chapter our first parents go from sovereigns to sinners to servants. Eve's desire to be like God began the chaos that is still being rebuilt. For the Christian, Adam's disobedience was made right through Christ's obedience. "For if, by the trespass of the one man [Adam], death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ." The text says that we will reign in life. Here and now. Present tense. This is God's desire:

"God the Father created you to be a king, God the Son redeemed you to be a king, and God the Spirit can empower you to be a king. We reign in life through the power of the Spirit of God. "For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose" (Philippians 2:13). "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us" (Ephesians 3:20). If left to ourselves, we fail; but if we yield to the indwelling Holy Spirit, we succeed. He alone can empower us to live like kings. The question you must answer is, Am I walking or riding! Or, to put it another way, Am / serving my servants, or are they serving me? Are you ruling over the appetites of the body? Are you in control of money and material things? (Money is a wonderful servant but a terrible master.) Are you reigning in life" (Wiersbe, 2007 p. 14).

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I confess that recently, I have been living far more like a servant than a prince, as an heir of the King. I let worry cripple my faith. I am worried about ever finding employment, worried about my knee situation, worried about tomorrow. Father, in the next few days and weeks I pray that you would be teaching me about what it means to reign in life and live like an heir of the King.