December Newsletter: His children will be chastened.

Hebrew 12:7-8

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. If God doesn't discipline you as his does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and not really his children at all.

Do you know God not only speak through our family in spirit but also our family by blood?

Living in a Buiddism family after starting having relathionship with Jesus is not easy at all. However, our God is bigger and stronger than any kind of authority and sovereingty on earth.

Psalm 115

Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.

Why do the nations say, "Where is their God?" Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him. But their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men.

They have mouths but cannot speak; eyes but cannot see; ears but cannot hear, noses but cannot smell; hands but cannot feel, feet but cannot walk, nor can they utter a sound with their throats.

Those who make them will be like them, so will all who trust in them.

O house of Israel, trust in the LORD-- he is their help and shield.

O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD-- he is their help and shield.

You who fear him, trust in the LORD-- HE is their help and shield.

The LORD remembers us and will bless us; He will bless the house of Israel, he will bless the house of Aaron, he will bless those who fear the LORD-small and great alike.

May the Lord make you increase, both you and your children. May you be blessed by the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth he has given to man. It is not the dead who praise the LORD, those who go down to silence; it is we who extol the LORD, but now and forever more.

I believe in what is written above by King David. However, what I have believed always fight against the reality, the war against spirit rather than flesh.

I tend to think myself as a good person, in other words, sometimes, it is hard for me to see my own blind spots. I may judge someone unconsciously and think I am better than them because God gets my back.

Matthew 7:1

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, let me take the speck out of your eye, when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?

God's word is always full of power and sharp like sword, his words always wake us up when we were blind in our complacement tendency. We are sinner because we can never try to live on his standard with our human strengths, we will always fail, in fact, we are failing every moment in our lives because we are merely human and we are full of sins and darkness. It doesn't make a difference if you believe in Christ or not, because we all stand at the same point, here on earth as perishable sinners. No one can attain eternal life on his own.

Being the only Christian in my family, sometimes I don't know how to lift others up like how Jesus did in his journey on earth. I often end up judging and slattering others with bitterness. Think that I am better, forgetting the only thing I can boast about is Jesus Christ, the Son of God who died on that cross for my sins, this is the only reason that I could be seperated from death.

The fact that I DO NOT OWN IT neither DESERVE IT. I am still a sinner, a very sinner, and God has not finished the work with me yet ( My favorite quote from my best friend Anna Ro.)

All these realizations hit me after feeling burdened and weary in a fight with my parents. I wanted to talk back when my mom started attacking me with harsh words and lies. I wanted to stay silent originally as how I learned from the bible that tongue is evil. However, I couldn't do it because I was too angry. After that night, I could never sleep well. I know I could never forgive her in my own strengths. I need God to interfere in my family relationships. In other words, I cannot do "LIFE" this subject on my own without failing, I need Jesus to come into my family situation, I need him to teach me how to love my family like how he washed his disciples feet.

My relationship with Christ is much more precious than any other form of worshipping in any religion on earth. Because idols can't answer, idols can't feel, they can't relate to your situation. Only God can, and in fact that Jesus is FULL OF COMPASSION, he is the flesh form of God.

John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

Colossian 2:9 For in Christ, all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.

Philippians 2:5-8 In your relationship with one another,have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own dvantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death--even death on a cross!!

I realized my understanding about Jesus is only 0.0000000000000000000000000000%, no wonder my parents said I should be ashamed to call myself a christian. For my ignorance and foolishness to call myself a Christ follower while not knowing how profound his sacrifice and his love for us....... sometimes I even refused to love my family!

All my mom and dad wanted was simply a respect, the respect to look at them as they are my dearest mom and dad. They didn't owe me anything by worshipping other Gods, and I believe God loves them as deep as ocean right now at this moment even though they are blind. Because it was how he saved me, he came to my life and called my name, opened my eyes when yet I was a sinner and gentile. No one can earn his grace and mercy.

Roman 9:18 Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.

My job is not to complain why I am not born in a loving christian family, instead, I should give more thanks to God because he gives me a perfect opportunity to learn to love those whom are against my God. Jesus opened my eyes to let me see, and he became the savior and the LORD of my life to bless me. God truly blessed me, just when I do not know how to let out the anger and frustration after arguement with my parents, he showed me his love and hope for my family in a worship song.

I pray, for I am nothing. I pray, for I clearly know I need to seek Your will as it is shown to me.

I pray, for I am searching. i pray, for your love is what I need.

On my knees, through the valleys you walk with me.

Some things I only want to let you know, because no one loves me like you, my LORD.

Through tears of pain may fall out, You are with me I have no doubt.

As day breaks, Lord, I want to cry to you, because you so love me, you will pull me through.

The strength that I need I receive every morning, Your grace is all I need.

I fail apart while sining this song, I saw how little I am, how much I could not change the situation, neither my parent's hearts, but how powerful and gracious my LORD is. Only he can wash away all my bitterness and unforgiveness. The only thing I really had to offer is to surrender to his will, choose to let him break down my human pride, humble myself before him. For if I THINK i am illegitimate, then he can' chasten me, his loved one, and every loving father chasten his own child. As a result, I ALSO HAVE TO SURRENDER AND BE OBEDIENT TO MY EARTHLY FATHER, i love to love my earthly father so I can love my heavenly one.

1 John 4:20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister whome they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen.

I am really thankful for how LORD urged me to honor and love my parents in Provers.

DEAR LORD, I know this is only the beginning, please teach me how to love out in action to honor my family. I know you have not done with me yet, I am your jar of clays. I don't know how to love my dad in my own strengths, I CAN'T. But I have full confidence in you, in the holy spirit you have sent to me. Dear Lord, please help me to die on myself more and more, and let the Jesus inside of me to become more and more alive, to let your power move supernaturally, to grow stronger & bigger.

THANK YOU and I pray in Jesus NAME!!!!

Below are the verse in Proverbs about honoring parents:

6:20 My son, keep your father's commands and do not forsake your mother's teaching.

17:25 A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to the one who bore him.

20:20 If a man curses his father or mather, his lamp will be snuffed out in the pitch darkness.

22:15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him.

23:22 Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.

30:11-13 There are those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers; those who are pure in their own eyes and yet are not cleansed of their filth. Those whose eyes are ever so haughty, whose glances are so disdainful.

30:17 The eye that mocks a father, that scorns obedience to a mother will be pecked out by the ravens of the vally; will be eaten by the vultures.

End.

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