Smiling with God...

John 12:24-25 The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. Though here Jesus is talking about following his Father at which requires an enormous sacrifice. More often than not, we ignore this sacrifice. After talking with many missionaries, they find it easy for this concept of following God to take root in the poor countries they serve. Why? It’s because they are dying, desperate, and in absolute need of a savior. I have heard stories upon stories of those who the poor cry out to God minute by minute. Desperation is often a requirement for God to catch our attention. I can think of many situations in my life where my sin has lead to desperate moments where God used me to change. However, why do we have to be desperate? Here Jesus is calling for a life where we are not desperate, but where we voluntarily choose a life that is op...

Luke 4:42-43 At daybreak Jesus went to a solitary place. The people where looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. But he said, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” There was a sense of purpose here. Jesus had a purpose on why he was there and what he was doing. The work was great in the town he was in, but there was a higher purpose and a calling that his Father sent him for. There is nothing like knowing what exactly that is then your life is as clear as a bright sunny day here in Hawaii. Clarity is nice. Having a sense of direction and purpose provides something that some call Meaningful Work. Clear purpose and direction, allows you to say Yes to what is critical but more importantly, it gives you the right to say NO. Jesus here said NO. He passed on what appeared to be a golden opportunity to help others. But, what we now see is that though he would...

Genesis 6:22 Noah did everything just as God commanded him. In this story I was fascinated by how much God hated man so much that He was willing to kill off everyone. However, what is more crazy there was one person on the entire earth that God found righteous. But what does it mean to be righteous. The definition for a righteous person is that some one who is morally upright; without guilt or sin. In also this case it is someone who is obedient. Who follows God and trust him whole heartedly. It is something to have that kind of obedience, to do everything God has commanded. It’s not easy. But it is the necessary ingredient for in order for not only righteousness but also to find favor with God. God provided the right path for all of us. However, it is up to us to walk in obedience to Him. This verse shows that what God desires from us the most is for us to be obedient to Him. He desires that we follow Him with our whole heart, mind and soul. This is what I know I need to d...

Genesis 4:6-7 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” It is an interesting thing God says to Cain here. It proves the nature of man that sin is always there. It also says that sin is always at our doorstep. It shows that sin is ready to pounce on us and destroy us. But also it shows that there is a two part thing for us to do. We must be obedient to God at this moment and be free of sin. While the text does not specify exactly why the Lord rejected his offering, but what is interesting is that it had to do with the matters of the heart. The hidden sin we have directly affects our relationship with God. Our relationship with God is dependent on our obedience and our attitude towards Him and His laws. Here there was something suspicious about Cain, and then sin took over him. O...

Genesis 2:18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” I like here how God had made a decision that Adam needed a helper for life. However, God states that it's just not that anyone should be a helper but someone who is a "suitable" helper. Someone who is very much in the same tune of life that you are in. Someone who is a good fit. Maybe not a perfect fit, but a fit nonetheless. That's the beauty of a helper. Someone who is a good fit and together you accomplish the works that God has prepared for you. But in order to do that. It seems like we need to be "in the Garden". We need to be connected to God. We need to be in His will. We need to be fully engaged to the love of God and be in obedience to Him. Only then will we be able to be allowed to see His will. When I look for potential partners in life, I used to have a list and stick to it. However from this lesson, it seems that God already has a pl...

“As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” -James 2:26 The old issue of faith and works. It sounds easy thing but I it has been an issue with every person in the church for centuries. Every denomination was practically created because of certain works that a Christian can and cannot do. James here talks about this subject and says that faith and works go hand in hand. You cannot have one without the other. In fact James provides evidence through the lives of Abraham and Rahab. They both showed that their works were a reflection of their faith. That is what James here is talking about. Your works is a reflection of your faith and your faith is shown through your works. James here addresses that we should not get caught up in faith and works that and to focus in upon the fact that we need both. What also can be seen is the real center of the matter that the heart of the person and their relationship with God that is reflected through your faith and wor...

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” -Isaiah 6:8 A classic part of the scripture where Isaiah responds to the call of the Lord. Prior to this the Lord allowed Isaiah the ability to see this amazing vision and was able to be in the presence of the Lord. Through that process Isaiah realized that he is completely unworthy to be in the presence of God. After the Lord made him clean, with grace and thankfulness, Isaiah immediately stepped forward in to ministry. When I read this I am overwhelmed by the amazing grace of God but also the renewed heart that Isaiah had for ministry. This just proves that when you have a brush with God it changes you. Reading this account of Isaiah’s life gives me the strength for a renewal of my own ministry. Sometimes I forget how much love God has for us. Often time it is taken for granted. Then when I am about in my everyday life, I tend to lean away from doing th...