"Born To Serve"

Matthew, my youngest son, turns 21 today! He is in his fourth year of university and he plans on becoming a teacher. 

He is clever for he knows when to pray and ask God for help in math assignments.

He is chary for he never boasts or promotes himself. I do it for him.

He is crazy for he inherited that trait from me.

He is compassionate for he wouldn't hurt a flea: he just shoots at balloons, and um . . . maybe one of his brothers.

He is a celestial  . . . that is when he sleeps!

And most importantly, he is compliant for he cherishes his relationship with God.

When I use to drive my sons to school every day, then drop them off, I prayed faithfully on the way back home that God will give each one of my sons a strong desire to know right from wrong.

God answered my prayer. All four of my sons have the highest integrity and their greatest desire is to be obedient to Him.

The Bible says that if we walk in all the way that God has commanded us, we will live long and prosperous. Obeying God gives us immense happiness. Disobeying God gives us grief and misery.

 "Walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, 

so that you may live and prosper 

and prolong your days in the land that you will possess."

Deuteronomy 5:33

"All People Are Equal, But Some Are More Equal Than Others"

I've noticed that many of the large Churches today are more like business organizations than unified bodies of believers in which every individual is considered of equal importance, and where everyone contributes to the ministry of Christ.

In Churches today, we frequently see jealousy, insecurity, unresolved disputes, hurts, unforgiveness, disrespect, antagonistic attitudes towards correction, controlling spirits, haughtiness in titles, and possessiveness of designated ministries. This is because we don't value all members equally, or because we see certain ministries as having more importance than other ministries. As a result, division and strife occur, causing both believers and unbelievers to turn away, rather than drawing them closer to Christ.

I can't help but wonder what God would think of the long and fancy titles that christen people with paid positions in churches today? Do you think God would be impressed? I can't even decipher the meaning of half of those titles.

I wonder what people in churches think when they turn over their bulletins and read on the back the short list of printed names of people with ministry titles in the church? Wouldn't people in the congregation get the impression that the roles of those members are more important? Yet every time I went to a secular concert of my sons' high school orchestra of over 100 students, the name of every member of the band was printed in the bulletin next to the instrument her/she played. This is because every member of the band was considered valuable, and rightly so, because as a group they were amazing and a great pleasure to listen to. But separately, well, that's a different story. (I know because each of my sons played percussion.)

What about when people enter a church and one of the first things they see is a large, glass-encrusted display of pictures that include only a fraction of the church's members? Wouldn't they wonder where the rest of the church body was? If all parts are vital to make a whole body function, then why aren't the rest being recognized? Why isn't a picture posted of a keyboard player, the nursery volunteer, or the person who tithes regularly? Is it because people who are paid to work in the church are considered more important than the volunteers or the ones who work hard all week in secular jobs and help support the finances in the church? When a parent wanders the hallways at a high school, don't they see the picture of every student who ever graduated from that high school?

The Bible states that all members of the church body are equally important, just like all parts of the human body are indispensable. If we treat one member as more important, then division occurs. When there is division in the church body, it starts to lose valuable parts or members, and its effectiveness to win souls for Christ.

"Now the body is not made up of one part, but of many. . .

But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body,

every one of them, just as He wanted them to be.

If they were all one part, where would the body be?

As it is, there are many parts, but one body. . .

But God has combined the members of the body,

and has given greater honour to the parts that lacked it,

so that there should be no division in the body,

but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.

If one part suffers, every part suffers with it;

if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it."

Ephesians 12:14-26

We need to be careful that we don't develop a mentality that values one member of the church body over another. Every single person that God brings into the church is vital for it to function properly.

I Am A Jealous God

When I go shopping, it disturbs me greatly to see pictures of a popular male teen idol on little girls' pink pyjamas or on pillows to place by young girls' heads at night.

It also troubles me when I go to toy stores and see large bedroom wall posters of a provocatively dressed female teen sensation.

I wonder how a parent would feel if their son or daughter was that teen idol or teen sensation? Wouldn't such a parent be gravely concerned? I know I would.

I wonder how a parent would feel if their son or daughter was one of the many children who are spellbound by the world's latest idol? Wouldn't that worry a parent? It would certainly worry me.

Whenever you see pictures of famous and sexualized people on billboards, transit buses, posters, and clothes, beware that you and your children are not tempted to idolize that person. The dictionary defines "idolize" to mean "regard with blind adoration or devotion".

The Bible says that the only person we are to worship is God because He is the One who created all things. He alone, therefore, is worthy of our passion and reverence. Anyone who sets themselves up to be idolized by others is sinning against God. Anyone who idolizes a person or promotes idol worship of a person is in direct disobedience to the command of God.

"You shall have no other gods before me.

You shall not make for yourself an image

in the form of anything in heaven above

or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.

You shall not bow down to them or worship them;

for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God."

Exodus 20:3-5a

God is a jealous God and He commands that you give Him all honour and glory.

If any of us idolizes a person other than God, we will be sorely disappointed. However, if we put our trust in God and give Him our love and adoration, we will never be disillusioned or disheartened.

God loves us like no other! Let's not dishonour Him by taking our eyes off Him and placing them on another.

Jesus! An Indiana Jones?

Many pastors today do not preach a balanced theology. They preach what they feel will be pleasing to the ears of the people in their congregation, thus dangerously creating "luke-warm" Christians.

Jesus, on the other hand, is not like this. He is balanced in His character in that He dearly loves people, but He hates sin.

In Churches today, we hear about the amazing love of God and the wonder of His grace, but seldom do we hear about God's righteous anger towards evilness and sin.

In the Bible, John, a disciple of Jesus, writes of an account where Jesus made a whip; yes, just like the one the movie character Indiana Jones had. John goes on to say that Jesus used this whip to drive out all the animals, the money changers and merchants from His temple. (I bet His aim was accurate.) He then threw their money on the ground and overturned their tables.

Jesus was angry because the people were sinning. They were using the House of God as a business place to make money.

"So He made a whip out of cord,

and drove all from the temple area,

both sheep and cattle:

He scattered the coins of the money changers

and overturned their tables."

John 2:15

Wow! How often do we ever hear about this type of God in our Churches today?

Many professing Christians do not hate sin as equally as they love the grace of God. In fact, the sad truth is that many live in sin and continue to call themselves Christians.

The Bible warns us against this:

"But since you are like lukewarm water,
neither hot nor cold,
I will spit you out of my mouth!"

Revelations 3:16

Boy! I think we would all like to pretend this verse isn't in the Bible, but it is.

We all need to be aware that an imbalanced Biblical thinking will lead us to death and separation from God. Before revival is to come to our churches and our land, we need to correct how we think about God and acquire a more balanced perspective of His character.

Eye Of The Needle

Have you ever noticed that the poor can be exceedingly generous while their rich neighbours give so little? Why is that? Could it be that wealth and riches foster greed, selfishness, and lust for influence and prestige, which leads the affluent away from God and all that is in His heart?

Why is it that Christians who have very little of this world's money and material possessions also have a greater love and reverence for God than those who have much of this world's wealth?

Have you ever travelled to an underdeveloped country where poverty is rampant and the people there have so so very little? Yet those who believe in God impatiently long to go to church on Sundays to worship God with great passion and love for Him. The poor arrive in Church long before the service begins, and some even walk several kilometres to get there. They don't chat in the foyer and they don't walk into the worship service halfway through, sit down, and check their phones for text messages. They have none of the world's possessions or excess money, but, in reality, they are very wealthy because they have more of God in their hearts and lives. And what little they do have, they give.

The Bible says that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it is for a person who seeks the wealth of this world to be a servant and child of God.

"It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle

than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God."

Mark 10:25

Let us all have a greater desire for the things of God and not for the things of this world. We don't need to drive the most expensive vehicle, live in the largest house, or wear brand-name clothing. What we do need is more of God in our lives, and a greater love and passion to serve Him.

Be Careful Little Eyes

Last night as I was handing out candy to children in our neighbourhood, a terrified and shaking four-year-old girl came to my door. She never even had her arms outstretched for me to put candies into her Halloween bag. Instead she cowered and whimpered. Her frightened eyes would dart back and forth between me and my neighbour standing outside of his driveway in a ghoul costume. This little girl desired no candy, only protection.

I asked where her mother was and she pointed up the street. I looked in the direction of her finger and saw a woman standing on the sidewalk. To my dismay, the mother was not paying any attention. She was in another world. She was busy texting on her cell phone.

I glanced at my neighbour, hoping he would be understanding of the situation. I was glad he took the hint and disappeared.

I turned back to the little girl and told her to go to her mother and stay with her. I tried to soothe her by saying, "Your mother will protect you."

However, the little girl was frozen with fear. She couldn't move. I continued to watch her eyes, wondering what to do or say next. I looked to her mother again, but she was still unmindful of her daughter.

Finally, the litte girl turned around and ran as fast as she could in her mother's direction, screaming and crying.

Do parents realize that the fear instilled in a young child's mind remains with them for life? Halloween might be scary fun to parents, but it is not to sensitive young children.

The Bible says that we need to think about things that are positive, things that do not have a negative effect on our minds, hearts, and souls.

"Finally, brothers and sisters,

whatever is true,

whatever is noble,

whatever is right,

whatever is pure,

whatever is lovely,

whatever is admirable —

if anything is excellent or praiseworthy —

think about such things."

Philippians 4:8

Halloween ghouls, horror movies, sexually explicit images, and violent computer games all have negative effects on the minds of people, young or old. The images we allow ourselves to dwell on will be forever stored in the memory of our brains.

The words of a childhood song that I was taught in Sunday School come to mind:

Oh, be careful little eyes what you see

Oh, be careful little eyes what you see

There's a Father up above

Looking down in tender love

So be careful little eyes what you see

Be careful little ears what you hear . . .

Be careful little mouth what you say . . .

Be careful little hands, what you touch . . .

Be careful little feet, where you go . . .

We all need to pay attention to these simple lyrics for they have profound meaning.

This Is The Day

Today is Daniel's birthday. That's right. He was born on Halloween.

The day before Daniel was born, I remember anxiously going to an appointment for a pregnancy check-up. My due date was the next day, October 31st, and I had been praying to God for weeks that I wouldn't go into labour on that day. My doctor eased my worries by informing me that I showed no signs of going into labour any time soon. I was relieved. Who wants their child born on Halloween? I was concerned that my child would grow up being called "witch", or "warlock", or other evil names connected with Halloween.

However, my doctor's predications were wrong. The evening of the 30th, I went into labour.  It was right after supper, so I felt I still had time to pray and I did! I prayed earnestly all the way to the hospital that my child would be born before midnight.

Unfortunately my labour was long and complicated. Daniel was face up instead of face down. He wouldn't turn and all my labour pains were in my back. Eventually a specialist was called in and Daniel was delivered by forceps the next morning — October 31st.

When I held Daniel for the first time, the first thing I noticed was his red hair. I was thrilled! But then I became worried that he would be called "pumpkin head". Name calling can be so cruel and can scar children for life.

Miraculously my fear did not come to pass. There was never a time my son Daniel was called any names or bullied in school. He always had friends and was highly respected for his intelligence and talents. God answered my prayers, but not in the way I expected.

I learned from that experience that every day is God's day and we should rejoice in it! October 31st is a special day as it was the day my first child was born and God taught me a valuable lesson.

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."

Psalm 118:24

Recently, my son's prayer has also been answered. It has been a year since he has obtained his PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering, and for a year he has been working at a temporary job. However, just recently, Daniel was hired by the company he has been eagerly hoping and praying to work for. He starts in a week. This is his birthday present from God!

God has a plan for each of us and His timing is perfect!

"'For I know the plans I have for you,'

declares the Lord,

'plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

plans to give you hope and a future.'"

Jeremiah 29:11

Here is a picture of Daniel in our dining room, getting ready to play a board game with me and his brothers. Daniel loves board games and he is hard to beat! And I hate to lose!