When the Worlds Falls, Stay with Me

It’s funny that frequently when there is a problem in my life, I walk away from God. 

My present state of health discourages me. Headlines in the news disheartens me. Entertainment and music become my means of escape from the difficulties of life. 

But What did God make unclear that we are meant to rely on Him for everything? 

If God is God, being all sufficient that He is, then to remain in Him is the safest place for a person to be. 

What irony to see the disciples who urge Jesus to send the masses of people who sat to listen to Jesus away so they can feed themselves. 

Thankfully, Jesus refuses them (Matthew 14:15). Jesus confounds them even more when He says: 

“They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” (‭Matthew‬ ‭14‬:‭16‬ NKJV)

They found five loaves and two fish, but they saw that wasn’t going to sustain a crowd of 5000 men (this number did not include the women and children who were with them). Veins rose from their foreheads as the crowd grew restless.

It’s like the disciples all wore baseball caps that day that they could not see over the bill of their caps.

The answer is right in front of you! 

Jesus performs a miracle where not only feeds everyone there but also fills 12 baskets of leftovers!

God demonstrates His inexhaustible power that magnificently floored human independence. There was no way that any man could feat to feed those countless thousands instantaneously. Stretching a fish lunch would be a joke. 

Jesus did this supernatural wonder for one important reason: 

“I am all sufficient. Stay with Me.” 

At wake of the ills of the world, the failures of man, the decline of health, the ear of disaster, the sense of hopelessness, you can either turn for an escape, turn on others or turn to Jesus. 

If you’re hungry and have no food, don’t leave me to find food. Didn’t I tell you: 

“do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? (‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭25-26‬ NKJV)”

At your want to desert Me to bring meaning and satisfaction in your life, did you hear: “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst (John‬ ‭6‬:‭35‬ NKJV)”!!!

When the sky folds and when people turn on each other, don’t run for a solace, “STAY WITH ME”! Stay with Christ. 

“Christ is enough for me. Christ is enough for me. Everything I need is in You. Everything I need” (“Christ is Enough” -Hillsong Worship). 

Listen to the song and let it be an anthem to you. There isn’t a resort outside of Christ. 

He is everything you need. He is everything you want. I just need to change the way I think and just “taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! (‭Psalms‬ ‭34‬:‭8‬ NKJV)”

Look at Him and find that He is the river and you’re the tree. Sink your roots in the bank. Stay with Him. Your leaves won’t wither; in fact, you will prosper and live to produce what you couldn’t think was able to come out of you (See Psalms 1:3). 

Jesus is everything you need. There is no one like Our God! 

Discovering New Music

  

Summer licenses you to try new things. Like fries with mayonnaise or pancakes for dinner. Both great I might add. 

Here are some Christian worship artists who aren’t currently in the present mainstream, like Hillsong United, but nonetheless very “ears-worthy”: 

1. Starfield.     They’re aren’t your typical Christian radio band. These boys from Canada write songs that are personal to their relationship with God, sojourning a style of music that is beyond relevant, rather relative to the listener with God while he worships. Since their launch in 2000, Starfield aspires to create music that prints people’s experience with God onto notes. My favorites like “All for You” and “Alive in this Moment” spur this “this is exactly how I’m feeling with God” vibes. 
2. Audrey Assad.    Assad stimulates quiet moments with her music, encouraging me to listen carefully to her words and see the relationships between my heart and where my heart should be. Her rendition of “Open the Eyes of My Heart” awakens a sense of revival within to the sincere message of the song, for these such anthems have a way of becoming cliché, or more so me becoming complacent. Listen also to “Deliver Me”. 
3. Glorious Unseen.   Tears broke from my eyes when “Hear Our Prayers” streamed from my earbuds. It is a sober heartcry, imploring God to tune His ears to our brokenness. It’s rare you hear repentance songs, so this is one definitely for the set list. 

More than bringing variety to your playlist, I hope these artists’ music move you powerfully with their unique expressions of praise to our beloved Savior. 

Maybe while you’re at McDonald’s, trying fries with mayonnaise. 

God’s Plans Override Our Ideas

“But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise…”(I Corinthians 1:27 NKJV)

God confounds our intellect when He uses debased things to carry out His intelligent operation. An excellent example is God’s sovereign use of Jonah to convert Nineveh.

Jonah hated Nineveh. Their people had oppressed Israel. Now God called Jonah, an Israelite, to witness to his enemies.

From start to end of the book of Jonah, Jonah carried a bitter grudge against the very people God desired to experience his mercy.

In sheer awe of God’s wrath, Nineveh immediately repents:

“Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.” (Jonah 3:10 NKJV)

God enjoyed to take pity on Nineveh; however, Jonah shared a different response:

“But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry.” (Jonah 4:1 NKJV)

Hatred propelled Jonah to run to Tarshish, and hatred hardened his heart to Nineveh’s revival. He hated the idea of Nineveh receiving salvation. Yet God chose this hateful person to deliver hope.

God doesn’t choose us by our skills or talents; He qualifies anyone whom He wills to accomplish His plan to receive glory for Himself.

Jonah shows us that God’s delight to receive glory exceeds the liberty of man. God doesn’t bend His plans to suit man’s feelings. He uses whomever, whenever and however.

He used a disobedient, unreliable son to be the chosen ancestor of the Messiah to convey God’s road of glory may even include unexpected potholes.*

He used a prostitute to save the spies of Israel to show His grace confounds our reason.**

He used a false prophet to bless His chosen people to say He can even use evil men to please His wants.***

God has called all his own to serve in bringing Him praise:

“…who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.”(II Timothy 1:9 NKJV)

God saved you not to be a pet in His collection of souls, but a masterpiece of His wide scale operation to fulfill His wants.

Ephesians 2:10 puts it this way, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10 NKJV)

If God has determined an event that involves our participation, He may use us even with our unwilling attitudes. Let us then see that our destiny is designed by God to glorify Him. And on that thought, let us want to complete it with a willing spirit.

*Gen 49:8-10
**Joshua 2
***Numbers 22-24

God’s Pleasure for Glory

God is eager to glorify Himself. He goes as far as using providence to manipulate the course of man’s will to author a testament of praise to God.

Joseph is a classic work piece of praise to God. Joseph suffers the anguish of being sold into slavery by his own brothers, then is framed for adultery and imprisoned for 2 years. Yet it delighted God for Joseph to undergo these trials. And while we know the prosperous outcome of Joseph, we neglect to imagine the grief Joseph experiences through these circumstances for the sake of God’s pleasure.

And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. (Genesis 45:7 NKJV)

At the moment Joseph reveals himself to his brothers, he comforts them by disclosing to him that his descent was purposed by God to save their lives.

God confounds the wisdom man when he uses tragic episodes of life and transforms them to handiworks of glory.

Joseph did not expect his struggles will result in being a father to Pharaoh and a ruler of Egypt. Egyptians hated the Hebrews so this is never enter into the thought of Joseph (Gen 43:32). Yet Joseph’s trauma birthed a testimony of God’s grace that forces him to glorify God.

God wants to author your life to tell of His magnificence. God does works all things together for good to those who love God (Rom 8:28), but those who are sincerely being conformed to His image (Rom 8:29) would hold their good to the good of God which is for His name to be lifted up.

God desires for the knowledge of His glory to fill the whole earth (Hab 2:14).

All the scans of the known world lived off the fat of Egypt during the global famine, and it is inevitably possible that the nations learn of Joseph’s Great God and worshipped. Joseph’s house manager glorified God at Joseph’s brothers’ curiosity of their money in their sacks (Gen 43:23). Pharaoh glorified God and set His ambassador Vice President of Egypt (Gen 41:38).

You have to give God every chapter of your life for the praise of His glory.

He is passionate for His glory, and He has commanded that you effort everything for His glory (1 Cor 10:31). Make it a delight to God to offer yourself available to His pleasing (Rom 12:1). He wants to be praised!

Jesus, Best Superhero

I am not ashamed of Batman. He is my favorite superhero. Honestly, I have idolize him a lot. He is just this ultimate symbol of willpower that rather then accept tragedy, he swallows and nurses his fears so that he may prey it on the fearful. Although human, to me he is the best superhero, because the rest of them are identified by their powers and therefore their powers are actually their crutch. Take it away and they’re worthless. But Batman is a cripple, maimed by his parents’ death, but that tragedy is his strength because it forces and pushes him to protect and avenge the weak among him.

But Batman is flawed. He can’t abolish evil. As much as he sweats for the peace of Gotham, evil still permeates. His weakness is his rule which is not to kill; so he won’t ever be able to permanently rid of the enemies of the law. Joker knows that and he takes advantage of it.

Superheroes as great as they are artificial. They can’t overcome the ills of our reality. As moral as they swear to be, they lie, cheat and bend the rules to “save the day”. I can’t say that’s pure justice if the end justifies the means.

But Jesus is the real deal.

but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, (II Timothy 1:10 NKJV)

Jesus destroyed death, which is pretty much the fear of man. They suppress the idea that one day they will die and what follows after will not to be liking.

But Jesus has shown the way of life and immortality to everyone by swallowing God’s wrath against man.

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— (Romans 5:12 NKJV)

Man rejected God who made man to worship and serve Him. Missing God’s demands is what sin is. And we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23). Sin separates us from God and puts us under the punishment of death.

Then Jesus steps in:

For He (God) made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (II Corinthians 5:21 NKJV)

Jesus is God. Quickest way to defend this is John 1:1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1 NKJV)

We use words to reveal what’s on our mind. Jesus is called the Word because He is the revelation of God to man. Jesus is the image of the invisible God (Col 1:15 NKJV).

Jesus who to us is the Word who “became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14 NKJV)

Sinless God became as sinful men to paid the penalty of sin.

God’s law cursed us with no way to merit righteousness that God see even our attempts as filthy rags (Isa 64:6 NKJV).

But Jesus as the Superhero that He is rescued us from death!

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” ), (Galatians 3:13 NKJV)

Hung on a cross, this instrumental of death, Christ became the propitiation (substitute) for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. (I John 2:2 NKJV)

Heroes defend the weak. For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. (Romans 5:6 NKJV)

Batman “died” for Gotham (Dark Knight Rises 2012) and “rose” as Bruce Wayne to live for himself. But Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, (I Corinthians 15:3, 4 NKJV)

Christ lives today, never losing His identity, but reigning as the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8 NKJV). Now in His glory, He doesn’t “hang up the cowl” (Batman!), but lives continually praying for us and helping us.

Jesus is the Hero without limits. Best Hero. Case closed.

Look at God and Worship Him

God is passionate for His glory. He acts in mighty ways to make us turn our eyes upon Him and worship Him.

In Israel, there were twelve stones that were erected as a memorial. The memorial reminded Israel Who brought them to the Promise Land. This was what Israel was to say when asked for the reason of the stones:

“…for the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over,

that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.” (Joshua 4:23, 24 NKJV)

What do the stones mean? They meant that the world needed to look at God and fear Him. Israel had no capability to cross the Jordan river. The stones reminded them their success was the result of God’s intervention.

God still acts today to steal our attention on ourselves and to get us to stand in awe at God. He is Almighty God, and we need to accredit Him the honor that is due to His name.

Hillsong United Zion

David wanted to build God a home. God chose a place for his people that endures time and decay. He chose Zion. With their third studion album, Hillsong United returns to declare the Lord’s eternal resting place.

Zion comes out February 23, 2012.

RENew Your Mind Because You Need To

If you’re child of God, you belong to a new life that will outlive the one now.

You need to renew your mind to adapt yourself to thinking with an eternal perspective.

I illustrated this point on my dad’s TV broadcast by pointing at his gray hair. Okay, it may have been a little personal, but I wanted the viewers to grasp the understanding that the life around us is dying.

Because of our sin, us and the world as a whole is decaying to the point of death. We will all die someday as the consequence of our sinful nature. We can dye our hair, conduct plastic surgery all we want, but the truth is our body is degrading. Bible describes man’s life as “his days are like grass” (Psalms 103:15 NKJV).

But we who belong to God shouldn’t fret at this because we understand life here is temporary. Rather we anticipate a new life where we will enjoy new glorifying bodies according to what Christ has promised us.

“And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, ‘I believed and therefore I spoke,’ we also believe and therefore speak, knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you.” 2 Corinthians 4:13-14 NKJV

We enjoy a shared faith in Christ that we “believe” and we profess to others, because we know that God who raised Jesus will raise us up as well someday.

1 John 3:2 advertises us the new bodies we will all enjoy:

“Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”

When we will unite with Christ, we will be like Christ. We enjoy a glorious body that has yet to be revealed and is so marvelous to describe. We won’t need to exercise and diet to modify and maintain it. It is an eternal body.

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.”  2 Corinthians 4:16 NKJV

We shouldn’t running around like the world, anxious to “immortalize” themselves with the latest cosmetics, because we know that we can’t preserve this body. Our focus is on the man who is being renewed within us.

This man is the new man who Christ has raised from spiritual death and made alive to walk in newness of life. This body is transformed into a new creation in Christ. The body is actually our human soul that is actually the true body. We are not body with a soul, but a soul with a body.

Being made alive to a reality that observes eternity, we “put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him” (Colossians 3:10 NKJV)

Our focus in life should be to nourish, build, mature, shape the new body to conform the wants of Christ and to be content in the pursuit of glorifying God.  We understand that we are not our own because we belong to God in Him making us*, and in Him choosing us to become like Him.** And at salvation, we became doubly owned when God purchased us by Christ.***

We need to escape the world’s thinking. It’s still depraved to sin and it’s blinded from beholding eternity.

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God”  Romans 12:2 NKJV

Renewing our mind pretty much is changing our appetite. I once hated celery. I had to change my mind to understand that celery is good for my body. Now I eat celery, not because it tastes good, but because I know it does good for my body.

Once we build towards eternity, problems don’t bring us down.

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 

while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. -2 Corinthians 3:17-18 NKJV

The world doesn’t bog us down, because we are setting our eyes in eternal perspective. Quickest idea that comes to mind is a passenger given a parachute during his flight. The stewardess comes to him and informs him that the plane will eventually crash, and that he needs to take the parachute in order to survive. The passenger immediately takes the parachute and prepares himself for the jump to come. Let’s say during the course of the flight, the plane experiences turbulence, and a passerby spills hot coffee unto the lap of the passenger.

The passenger does react in pain, but he doesn’t mediate on it. He observes the coffee burn as a light affliction compared to the crash that would have incinerated him had he had not a parachute.

We don’t involve ourselves in the moans of this world, because we know that all our sorrows will all be evaporated one day in eternity. Instead, we run towards God against all odds, because we walk in faith on the promises of God that mark the path for us to walk against any logic that denounces it.

Faith is the eyes that beholds the visible against the invisible and moves out already in sheer confidence towards what he believes in his heart.

We are running towards God. We live by faith that all His promises in the Word are true to the ultimate extent that we act upon them.

But to do this, we need to be renewed in the spirit of [our] mind (Eph 4:23).

Don’t become so adjusted to the culture around that you fit right it. It’s dying! Set our eyes on heaven. It’s eternal! It’s real!

“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.

Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 

For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”  Colossians 3:1-4 NKJV

 

 

 

*Genesis 1:27:

Then God said, “Let Us make man in our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over allthe earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” ²⁷ So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

**Ephesians 1:3-4 :

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, ⁴ just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love…”

***1 Corinthians 6:20:

For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your bodyand in your spirit, which are God’s.

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR! + NEW YEAR V. BEST YEAR EVER

The best year is Jesus coming to break through our darkness

Every year is a hope for a better future. For us who are God’s children, every year is the hope for the best future to come! The return of Jesus!

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. (I Thessalonians 4:16, 17 NKJV)

One day, maybe even today at the eve of a new year, we will see Him breaking out of the sky in radiant glory. There all our sadness that glued us to mourning and hopelessness will fade as we open our eyes in a brilliant joy that will outweigh all excitement this world had ever or could ever muster.

We will rise when He calls us. The world and all its sorrows will look strangely dim to us, as depart from it to join Jesus Who will lead us to place He has prepared for us.*

And we will be with Jesus! Insecurity is be swallowed by eternal security. Doubt is shadowed by everlasting hope. Darkness is hidden by the Light of Jesus, for There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light.(Revelation 22:5 NKJV)

He will wipe every tear from our eyes “because the former troubles are forgotten….they are hidden from [our] eyes” Isaiah 65:16 NKJV).

“There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4 NKJV) All the things that once troubled us and weighed us with sigh and concern will be erased, leaving behind only the memories that lighten our hearts to the greatness of our great God.

Then as the it has been foretold in the Word of God, we will altogether cry in joyful praise and celebrate, singing this song to the Lamb:

“Great and marvelous are Your works,Lord God Almighty!
Just and true are Your ways,
O King of the saints! ^{” **}

2013 sounds great and promising, but THE BEST IS STILL YET COME!

So honestly I want to go Home! So if Jesus can today, I’m hoping in the best future I can ever enjoy!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I HOPE THIS YEAR WILL BE THE YEAR THAT JESUS COMES BACK!

LET’S BE READY FOR HIM!

*Luke 14:1-4 NKJV: “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. ² In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. ⁴ And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

**Revelation 15:3

Giving God Burdens, Your Obedience, His Glory

Every matter, no matter the size, God wants you to call on Him. God wants your mundane issues, and He wants your big problems.

You obey God when you call on Him for help.

He commands it. When we pray, “give us this day our daily bread”.* It’s not a ritual prayer for well meaning, but a model that God planned to tells us that He wants us daily to ask Him to provide us help.

He promises to help us when we throw our problems upon Him:

Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved. (Psalm 55:22 NKJV)

Give God all your problems. Especially the ones you know you can’t resolve.

Frankly, You are human which means you’re weak, never perfect. We all are!

We live in an imperfect world. You may even start off great, but then end in an overwhelming predicament. Life is like that.

You glorify God when you call on Him for help.

God delights in these situations, because it’s an opportunity for us to experience His excellent, everlasting strength when we call on Him for help.

“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him…” (2 Chronicles 16:9 NKJV)

Don’t keep any loads. Throw them all upon God. His strength is perfected in our weakness.*

Our God is ALMIGHTY God.

*Matthew 6:11

**“And He said to me,’My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV)