Every morning we woke up to news, to gathering people planned to have their voice be heard, to more murders and abuses, to frequent disasters that took away lives and properties, to the starving and sick babies in a place far from your touch, to a young man who just chose to end his life after being accused of molesting a girl.
People are frustrated with the way they live, the way people controlled them and the way life controlled them. It seemed hope is the least thing of expectant and faith is cheaper than bread.
I had been trying to figure out for several days on how should I view all these as a Christian, but not a concerning citizen or a frustrating young people. How should I approach all these desperation alongside with people in a way that God would want me to be?
Should I support? Or stand aside? Or wait for Him? Can I send them gospel when they are asking me of money?
And as the question bothered me as well as other questions in my life, God taught me a valuable lesson that answered all.
I always thought I was a Christian in control with my own effort and strength. When I read about the LORD is my strength, it only sounds like an effect to me when I cried for help and when I felt that I am weak. But when things just go on smoothly, I still bow down to the verse with humility and unawarely believe that whenever I was doing something with my own strength, it was the strength from the LORD!
Horribly, it brought about the adverse effect that when I struggled on something, when I failed, when I lost control, God is the first one my mind is trying to blame. This act would just reject the whole Bible and Truth when promises of victories from God are wiped off my heart. Yet, I didn't realize it, it was like a vicious cycle where I feel the strength and not feel the strength.
There is a movie called Green Lantern recently which the character gained power from a ring. This movie just illustrated many of us, Christians who believe there are times we put on the ring and have power and there are times we just drop the ring somewhere and lost it, so we have to find the ring again.
No! But the Bible doesn't promise the strength is to be feel but it is there! It exists all the time with me. Because the strength is the LORD! LORD exists there all the time with me. He never left for lunch time or whatsoever the reason you could think of. Realistically, many Christians misunderstood that God left us in the time we are most hopeless, in the time we sinned and in the time we failed. This is just the polar opposite of the Truth!
“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28)
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
Jeremiah 29:11
One of the examples is me. I feel vivdly the emptiness inside me when I gripped on the past and believe there's no turn back. I was so disappointed with myself that I think everything is over. There's no way God is going to forgive me because this is different, this sin is different, this time is different. (Beware, this is lie) But does the Bible says any difference?
And God is just amazing!!!
I remembered so vividly too on how He work in my life in present, in the future and ETERNALLY.
Last week, He brought me a chinese praise song, called the Rainbow's promise. He reminded me that His promise with me is eternal and the rainbow is a mark for it. It doesn't change even if I failed, I sinned or I ran away. The promise is there. The plan is there. He is there for the prodigal to come back. Running away doesn't just make the promise gone. And in the movie, the guy tells a very special quote, 'Rainbow is actually a circle. Half on the earth and half in the Heaven. When we finished our mission on the earth, we will go back to Heaven to meet with the person we loved.'
And the next day in church on Sunday morning, the Pastor preached about Luke 5:1-11 and as I'm blogging about it, God reveals more to me.
3 He(Lord Jesus) got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore.
When God told us to do something which is inside our comfort zone( a little from shore), we always feel good to do it. Indeed if we completed the task, we feel so much more contented and glad that we managed to serve Him. Because it is inside the comfort zone, you feel secure to do it for the LORD. You can do the thing asked without RISK(you're in control, with your own effort and strength, which the strength from the LORD is too risky to rely on because it is unseen).
4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”
Now you see what Simon reacted next when he was asked to go deeper.
5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
Simon listened to the LORD but the fact that last night he hasn't caught anything made him to feel risky to rely upon the LORD. Even tough our mindset for the LORD is the Almighty and Omnibenovelent but when it comes to rely upon Him, not many of us could practice this mindset into life, where we think if we couldn't do it, how could it be when God wants us to do it. We are afraid to seek strength from God, it is not comfortable at all(If I go deeper to Him, search deeper for Him, I might have to let go the ordinary and comfortable I have, I just want to be ordinary, I am too afraid to be victorious)!
6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.
See what God just did!
8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”
You see, we are afraid of His blessings because we think we don't deserve it. And we often think when God call us to do something, we are too afraid that we are not able repay such large number of fish. We always think that GOD is waiting for us to repay. (Better give me a small number of fish, because I don't know what shall I do to repay when you just give me such large number of fish, I am just a sinful man! I don't deserve it!)
9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.”
Do not be afraid. God wants to show Simon Peter that as you put into deep water, I gave you a large number of fish. And now I have a greater plan for you, fish for people. Just like previously, my promise never changed. I am there for you as well, making sure you will get large number of people.
11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.
My strength comes from just one place, that is belonged to Jesus.
-Kim Walker(during worshipping with the song 'You are my Passion')
