The Source of Blessings

Luke 17: 11-17

11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee.

12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him.  They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"

14 When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.

15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him - and he was a Samaritan.

17 Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed?  Where are the other nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" 19 Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

I feel that many times, I am part of the other nine.  I receive so many blessings, daily.  But I many times I forget to thank and praise God for them.  It's the worst when I ask for something specific through prayer and God graciously provides for my request.  But as I celebrate, the thought of thanking God enters my mind wayyy too late.  Sometimes, that thought doesn't enter my mind at all.  That shows just how little faith I have.  I lift prayer requests up to Him, but sometimes I don't fully trust that He will provide for them.  It's like I don't fully believe in His power.  Thankfully, I have recently been able to trust Him more deeply and not rely so much on my own abilities.  This is being done through persistent prayer as I ask for true faith.  I can feel the Holy Spirit continuing to mold my attitude and mindset in a way that makes me realize that every blessing comes from God alone.  Consequently, I find myself giving thanks to the Lord much more often.

The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin, The Prodigal Son

Luke 15: 1-7

1 Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him.

2 Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them."

3 So He told them this parable, saying,

4 "What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?

5 "When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

6 "And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'

7 "I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

Jesus goes on to tell the parables of the Lost Coin and of the Prodigal Son.  These parables show the genuine heart of God.  To Him, it is the utmost joy when a lost soul returns to Him.  As that is the heart of our Father, that should be our heart too.  Wherever we are, whether at school, at home, or in the Bahamas, we should constantly be looking for those lost sheep.  If we truly had the same heart as our Father, we would be out looking for the lost 24/7.  But sadly, that isn't the case.  To tell the truth, I tend to forget that heart very often.  I get caught up with the busy-ness of my life that I push those convictions aside.  But God's heart is SO APPARENT in these parables!  I'm so selfish.. I want to change.  I need to change.

Genealogy of Jesus

Luke 3: 23-38

23 When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age, being, as was supposed, the son of Joseph, the son of Eli,

24 the son of Matthat [...]

31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David [...]

34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, [...]

36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, [...]

38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

Sorry, I have no intention of devaluing the fullness of God's Word by including elipses.  But for the purposes of my blog, I refrained from typing all 15 verses of names.  I tried to catch all the prominent names.  Anyway, the reason why I wanted to share this passage was because every time I read this genealogy, I get the shivers.  It's so crazy!  It's truly a testament to the awesome sovereignty of God.  Is it just amazing to me, or does anyone else think it's incredible?  From the fall of man in Adam to the salvation of man in Jesus, God had a plan.  And as He had a plan for each one of the names in that genealogy, He has a plan for every one of us.  For me, it's a daily struggle to remind myself of that.  I tend to burden myself with worries and thoughts about my future.  But God is always in control.  Every success and every little obstacle of my life is placed by God.  I must ask for true faith.  Faith even the size of a mustard seed.

Alabaster Vial

Mark 14: 3-5

3 While He was in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard; and she broke the vial and poured it over His head.

4 But some were indignantly remarking to one another, "Why has this perfume been wasted?

5 "For this perfume might have been sold for over three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor."  And they were scolding her.

This woman truly understood the Lordship of Jesus.  As king, He deserves and owns all that we have.  Nothing that we have is ours.  It is through the sovereignty of God that we have what blessings we have.  Rather than complaining about what we don't have or what we want, we should instead constantly lift our blessings to God, giving Him all due glory.  

I just realized I have 3 midterms next week.  Ruh rohhhhh.

The Last Shall Be First

Mark 10: 43-45

43 Not so with you.  Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,

44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.

45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

What Jesus teaches here is totally opposite of what the world says.  The world teaches that those who are the most ambitious and the most talented will be first.  Those who keep their self-interests safe will definitely be successful.  According to Jesus, that's not so.  One can only attain greatness by being a servant, even slave, those around you.  In other words, humility is key to the "greatness" that Jesus refers to.  This "greatness" is not the self-glorifying attribute that the world defines it as.  It is a greatness in the eyes of God.  Jesus is the ultimate example of this greatness.  He, the Son of God, stepped down into the world of man in order to be humiliated, beaten, and killed for the sake of man's salvation.  

Many times, I'm tempted to fall into the trap of thinking that I am great because I lead this and that and have such and such responsibilities.  Pride is so dangerous.  I must constantly remind myself that a heart of service is what glorifies God, not the self-glorifying responsibilities that I have.  

Jesus' Leaving Words

Matthew 28: 18

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

This is a very well-known passage and quoted a lot.  But it's so powerful every time I read it.  It has three parts to it.  First, Jesus sets up by declaring that He has been given ALL ultimate authority.  I'm stating the obvious, but when someone is given authority, everyone is expected to follow and listen to that person.  With His authority made clear, Jesus then gives a powerful commission: to make known His name to the ends of the earth and to teach what He has taught during His stay on earth.  The Great Commission.  This is the job that Jesus left us with.  And as His authority is unmistakable, our lives must revolve around this commission.  Finally, Jesus knows that many times it will be difficult to stay committed to the task.  There will be persecution.  There will be distraction.  There will be doubt.  Thus He says the last part, "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."  He gives us comfort with His promise that He will never desert us, wherever we may be.

I'm in Philadelphia right now.  In a ballin' hotel.  With the heater blasting.  Because it is flippin' cold.  And I had a genuine Philly cheesesteak :)

All glory, honor, power is Yours, Amen.

Matthew 21-24

One word stood out throughout today's reading: hypocrite.  I could clearly see how much Jesus hated the hypocritical pharisees.  He says in Matthew 23: 27-28 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!  You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean.  28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.  Jesus hated the pharisees because they didn't practice what they preached.  All the things that they did was for show.  They loved the glory and respect that they received, never lifting that glory up to God.  I have to be careful not to follow in the footsteps of the pharisees.  May I never delight in personal glory or self-righteousness.  All glory belongs to God, and only God.

Matthew 24: 44

So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

BE READY!

Matthew 17: 1-6

1 Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves.

2 And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light.

3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.

4 Peter said to Jesus, "Lord it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him!"

6 When the disciples heard this , they fell face down to the ground and were terrified.

Wow.  What an image.  I tried imagining myself in Peter, James, or John's shoes.  I think I would have seriously peed my pants.  It's always humbling to read passages like this and be reminded of how awesome and majestic God is.  I sometimes forget that God is so ultimately vast, powerful, magnificent, and all those other "big" words.  When the disciples heard God's voice, they fell face flat on the ground.  I don't think that was voluntary.  I'm sure it was automatic.  Just because I don't physically hear God's voice, I sometimes tend to go about life carelessly.  I must remind myself that the creator of the universe is always watching.

1 Corinthians 13: 1-3

1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

Instead of sharing from my daily devotion, I wanted to share something from my pastor's sermon today.  It fits alarmingly well with our KCM theme for this semester: Love.  Basically, Paul says that love should be the driving force for everything and anything that you do.  If love is not the sole motive, then the act is useless.  You can do as many "Christian" deeds as you want such as giving to the poor, but if love is not spurring you, you gain NOTHING in God's eyes.  I think many of us, definitely including myself, are guilty of this.  What drives you to serve in your church, give to the poor, or even evangelize?  Is it satisfaction?  Desire to appear holy?  Revelation 2 says this:

Revelation 2: 2-5

2 'I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false;

3 and you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake, and have not grown weary.

4 But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.

5 Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place - unless you repent.

God tells the church of Ephesus that He knows that they have been doing good deeds, trying to glorify God.  However, they have lost grasp of the love that first drew them near to God.  Do you remember the first time you accepted Christ and truly understood what He did?  How much love filled your heart then?  Compare that to how you feel now.  God wants us to remember that time and repent if that same love doesn't drive our actions today.

Matthew 12: 35-37

35 "The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. 

36 "But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.

37 "For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

The mouth is so dangerous.  Though I generally tend to choose my words carefully, I have to say, many times I say things that are very unnecessary, especially derogatory jokes.  The laughter ensuing such jokes may make me feel good, but what about the person being made fun of?  How is that person taking it?  It makes it worse if that person isn't present at the time.  Though the jokes may be in jest 100%, they are not edifying to God.  They make light of His creation, and I become guilty of judging the victim of such banter.  The thing is, I know this.  But in the heat of the moment, it becomes difficult to restrain myself.  How do I control myself?  In verse 34, Jesus says, "For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart."  I have to fill my heart with God's love.  And how do I do that?  Simple, spend more time with Him - through His Word and through prayer.  With a heart that is filled with God's love, there is no way that unwholesome talk can escape my lips.

I want to share one more passage that made me smile :P

Matthew 12: 22-27

22 Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed him, so that the mute man spoke and saw.  

23 All the crowds were amazed, and were saying, "This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?"  

24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "this man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons."

25 And knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, "Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand.

26 "If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand?

27 "If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out?  For this reason they will be your judges.

The part that made me smile was verse 26.  Jesus cleverly OWNS the pharisees.  In my mind, I was like, "OOoooh, buurrrnnn!!"  Haha, Jesus is so cool man.

Matthew 5-8

There were numerous truths that I was reminded of during my reading today.  I wanted to share just a few:

Matthew 5: 13-16

13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again?  It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. 

14 "You are the light of the world.  A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;

15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

16 "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

I asked myself: how brightly do I shine on campus?  Sadly, I must admit that my light has barely been noticeable.  As I look back on my three and a half years here at USC, I don't think I glorified God in sharing His good news as much as I would have liked.  Yeah, I did go out to many weekly evangelism days, but that was just barely once a week.  What about the other six days of the week?  I'm guilty of blending in with the crowd in my classes.  And by that I mean trying to act as normal as possible and bringing as little attention to myself as possible.  I have always been convicted of this and have always tried to change, but here I am in my last semester - the same old Justin.  I'm guilty of hiding my light under a basket.  Writing this post won't change me immediately, but again I am reminded that complacency brings no glory to God.  I really want this last semester to be different, but old habits die hard.  It's my genuine prayer to truly be intentional in all that I do this last semester.

Matthew 5: 38-41

38 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.'

39 "But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.

40 "If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.

41 "Whoever forces you to go one mile go with him two.

"Turn the other cheek."  We've all heard that before.  But seriously, when the time comes, how many of us would truly be willing to do exactly that?  It sounds silly, but I've imagined a bunch of different situations where I could be tested to the limit.  Say some guy is obnoxiously messing with a friend (worse if the friend is a girl), and I try to step in.  The guy then turns on me and challenges me in an aggressive manner.  Say the situation escalates to a point where the guy physically attacks me.  I'm pretty sure that, by this point, my blood would be boiling like crazy.  Do I just stand there taking hits or do I retaliate?  It would take every single ounce of strength in my body to prevent me from leaping on the guy and doing as much damage as possible.  Haha I know, the situation I just described is pretty dang ridiculous.  But I just wanted to make the point that "turning the other cheek" is no easy task.  My pride would have made it extremely hard for me to turn the other cheek.  Now, think of Jesus.  How much pride must He have swallowed to have been able to endure all the ridicule and persecution that He did?  He got spit at by the very beings that He created for crying out loud.  His love for us dominated all other negative emotions that He could have expressed instead.  I want to be like that.  I really do.  Only true understanding of God's love can make me like that.

Matthew 6: 1

"Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.

Honestly, I had my reservations about starting this blog just because I didn't want to give off the impression that I am super righteous.  But like I said in my previous post, I started it for two reasons: 1) to keep myself accountable and 2) to bless others if at all possible.  I will still have to be careful and check my motives every time I share through this blog.  Weird how I applied this verse to blogging when it's actually talking about praying and giving to the poor, haha.

I'm at Freshmen Retreat and I'm sooo tired..  It's 4:50AM.  Freshmen have soo much energyyy.

Matthew 4: 3-4

3 And the tempter came and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." 

4 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.' "

As I started reading Matthew again, these verses jumped out at me.  Too many times I have failed to nourish myself with the Word which is everlasting.  I've become comfortable with the fact that I can go about my daily activities on physical food and strength alone.  All the while, my soul has been starving.  Just as my physical body needs food, my spiritual body needs God's Word.  Reading and meditating on the Word is not optional.  It is necessary to live.  Even Jesus, who had the power to turn stones into bread, didn't rely on that power but instead on the Father and His words.  We must feed ourselves daily with the food that gives everlasting life.

I've decided to start this blog in order to keep myself accountable with my daily nourishment and to possibly provide a source of encouragement and refreshment for those that happen to read this blog.  If you taste delicious food, don't you want to share that experience with the rest of the world?  I'll be posting verses or passages that stick out to me as I read.  Hulk, keep me accountable, yeah?  I've actually been really encouraged reading your posts, and so it's thanks to you I started my own :P.  Everyone else, keep me accountable too!  If I'm not posting on this regularly, I may be starving!