The War

1 Thessalonians 5: 6-8

6 so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.

7 For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night.

8 But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.

Paul's use of the words, breastplate and helmet, is significant. We are in a war - a spiritual war - that has been waging since creation. We tend to forget that it exists as we can't physically see it. But it is as real as anything can get. Paul makes this clear to the church in Thessalonica. This reminder applies even today, as we wait for the coming of Jesus. Jesus will come like a thief in the night. We have to be ready. We must remain sober and alert, living each day worthy of God's kingdom. How? Paul says:

1 Thessalonians 5: 16-22

16 Rejoice always;

17 pray without ceasing;

18 in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

19 Do not quench the Spirit;

20 do not despise prophetic utterances.

21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;

22 abstain from every form of evil.

This is my prayer. That I would be able to do these things naturally.

The Christian Walk

Ephesians 4: 1-3

1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,
2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,
3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

I guess you can call this my "life verse(s)." These sentences just struck out to me the very first time I read Ephesians. Not just the sentences, but all the major words. It's just so true - if you call yourself a follower of Christ, act like one. The way you conduct yourself should be worthy of being associated with "Christian." No one should take the title of "Christian" lightly. Sadly, the term "Christian" is so easily thrown around now. People have no problem calling themselves "Christians" just for going to church once in a while. But being a Christian entails so much more! It's come to point where genuinely faithful Christians prefer to refer to themselves as "disciples" rather than "Christians." It makes sense, but seriously, how sad is it that the word "Christian" has become so trite?

Humility. Gentleness. Patience. Tolerance. Love. Interestingly, all are qualities that seem so rare in people these days. The world encourages fast-paced, self-absorbed, ambitious lives. This is where Christians are able to stand out - raising questions among non-believers.

Ephesians 4: 29
29 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your moth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.

I definitely have to control some of the gibberish that comes out of my mouth. Haha -.-

Not My Life, But His

Galatians 2: 19-21

19 "For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God.

20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

21 "I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly."

My old self has died.  Christ lives in me.  My life is not mine to lead.  He leads it according to His will.  Remember this, JUSTIN.

Catch-up on 1 Corinthians

I was a little behind in my daily reading.  So I ended up finishing 1 Corinthians today.  This may be a long post, as many things struck out to me as I read.

1 Corinthians 5: 9-11 | Teaching on so-called brothers

9 I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people;

10 I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world.

11 But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler - not even to eat with such a one.

This was a bit of a shock to me.  Paul explicitly states that one should not associate with a brother who calls himself Christian but still acts in immoral ways.  Not even eat with him!  I was taken aback because the center of Jesus' ministry was love.  Didn't Jesus try to love everyone, maybe save the Pharisees?  But it does make sense.  Such "Christians" give Christianity a bad name, and those outsiders who observe these "Christians" doing immoral things get the idea that Christianity condones such behavior.  I guess in a way, they resemble Pharisees - acting in a way that doesn't reflect their allegiance to God.  I leave this passage still a bit confused as to how I should approach such "Christians."  I encounter quite a few of them in my daily life.

1 Corinthians 9: 18-23 | For the sake of the gospel

18 What then is my reward?  That, when I preach the gospel, I may offer the gospel without charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.

19 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more.

20 To the Jews I became a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law;

21 to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law.

22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.

23 I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.

To bring people to Christ, Paul adapts to the people he is ministering to.  This is a key element in evangelism.  One of the missionary families that our church sent out, Kim MSN's family, practices this idea.  They currently live in Indonesia.  But since the majority of the people there are Muslim, Kim MSN's family decided to cut pork from their diet.  They also do not attend church, but instead worship by themselves quietly on Sundays.  Like Paul, we must be able to do all things - to change, to adapt, to empathize - for the sake of the gospel.  But of course, as Paul clearly writes, we must do so while under the law of Christ, not overstepping our boundaries as Christians.

1 Corinthians 10: 13 | Temptation

13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

Temptation to sin is difficult to overcome.  Sometimes, it seems impossible to fight.  Everyone can attest to that.  But temptation is not a sin in and of itself.  It is giving into that temptation that is sin.  It is important to know that God does not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can handle.  We have it in us - through the help of the Spirit - to withstand every type of temptation that attacks us daily.  Even knowing this, I fail many times.  I must pray more earnestly!  I need the shield and sword of God.

1 Corinthians 15: 32-33 | The mentality of the world

32 If from human motives I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, what does it profit me?  If the dead are not raised, LET US EAT AND DRINK, FOR TOMORROW WE DIE.

33 Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals."

This was interesting to me, because this is the mentality of many unbelievers.  Live it up, party hard, have no regrets, for death is the end.  This is what makes us different from them.  We believe in the resurrection of Christ and the future resurrection of our souls.  Without believing in that, we would be living without conscience like the rest of the world.  Paul warns us not to be swayed by the lifestyle of the unbelievers.  Though it may look appealing, their treasure in heaven is barren.  We must remain steadfast and take joy in knowing Christ our Lord.

1 Corinthians 7 | Teaching on marriage

Paul talks in-depth about marriage, and brings up many important points.  For the future! ;D

The Wisdom of God

1 Corinthians 1: 18-20

18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

19 For it is written, "I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE, AND THE CLEVERNESS OF THE CLEVER I WILL SET ASIDE."

20 Where is the wise man?  Where is the scribe?  Where is the debater of this age?  Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

1 Corinthians 1: 25

25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

I like to think that I have decent judgment - that I can make the right decisions, foresee consequences, cater correctly to any given situation.  But how foolish it would be to think that I am "wise."  It's so very true that God's foolishness is wiser than men and that His weakness is stronger than men.  We, as humans, can never attain the wisdom of God.  We can never even begin to comprehend it.  God's wisdom is a "mystery" - "the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory."  But many times I want to be the one in control of my life, especially my future.  I like to think that I have everything planned out - from grad school to career to marriage.  But who knows if my plan aligns with God's plan?  My life is not mine to plan.  It's His.  His wisdom far exceeds every man's wisdom combined.  Knowing this, the next logical step would be to put all my faith in Him - to trust Him with everything I have.  But as we all know, it's not that easy.  My sinful nature prevents me from doing so.  Only prayer and help from the Holy Spirit will allow me to gain that faith.  From the start of this school year, it has been my continual prayer to have that genuine faith and to trust in God's plan for me.  Even as I type this, I still carry doubts about my future, though not as many as before.  I need to put God as my true leader, not myself.

To Be Without Regret

Acts 20: 26-27

26 "Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men.

27 "For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.

Paul is speaking to the church of Ephesus as he leaves.  Paul isn't being self-righteous as he says: "I am innocent of the blood of all men."  He is stating the truth.  Paul basically gave his whole life to spreading the gospel and to proclaiming the kingdom of God.  What a humbling thought.  Because he gave his all to declaring the gospel, Paul was able to say with full confidence that he wasn't responsible for the blood of any man.  Will I be able to say that before I die?  Will I have lived my life without regret, giving my all to proclaiming the goodness of Christ?  I definitely don't want to leave this life with thoughts like: "I wish I had reached out more to my unbelieving friends," "I wish I had been more confident in declaring Christ's lordship to my dad," "I wish I had given more to the homeless, both materially and spiritually," etc.  I have to live my life without shrinking from proclaiming God's glory in any situation.  As I die, I want to be able to say what Paul said.

Grace Falls Down and Covers Me

Acts 16: 22-31

22 The crowd rose up together against them, and the chief magistrates tore their robes off them and proceeded to order them to be beaten with rods.

23 When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely;

24 and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

25 But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them;

26 and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were unfastened.

27 When the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.

28 But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!"

29 And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas,

30 and after he brought them out, he said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

31 They said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."

I was just reminded of a skit that my Uganda team practiced for our trip to Africa.  It was the Paul skit.  I think I played the role of the jailer.  This story is simply amazing in so many aspects.  First, there's the persecution of Paul and Silas.  They get thrown in jail for driving out a demon from a possessed slave girl.  The slave masters get super angry because the demon-possessed girl had been a source of income.  But despite their persecution, Paul and Silas sing praises to God.  They rejoice in their persecution as they share in Christ's suffering.  What faith and dedication to God!  If only I had even a small snippet of their faith.  Next comes the crazy earthquake, demonstrating God's awesome power.  But the best part of the story comes with the jailer's response.  At first, he wants to commit suicide because he had failed his duty.  Yet by the grace of God, he is stopped and saved by Paul.   The jailer is not only saved physically, but more importantly his soul is saved.  Paul shares with him the gospel, and the jailer believes.  Praise God.  His grace is amazing.  The jailer felt it that night.  I feel it everyday and am eternally grateful for it.

The Spirit of Truth

John 16: 13-16

13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.  He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.

15 All that belongs to the Father is mine.  That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine an make it known to you.

16 "In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me."

I feel like it's hard to fully understand who the Holy Spirit is and what He does.  Of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit gets preached about the least.  But reading John chapters 14-16 makes it clear what purpose the Spirit fulfills.  He is our Counselor, who has taken Jesus' stead in this world.  He guides us daily and keeps us aligned with the truth.  What is this "truth"?  It's the truth of God's Word and Jesus' teachings.  When we stray, He keeps us in check and convicts us to return to our Father.  He intercedes for us in prayer when we don't know what to say.  Thank God for such an awesome gift!  Without the Spirit, who knows where many of us would be right now.  

*Haha, side note - I think it's really cool how Jesus talks sometimes. "In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me."  It's like all mysterious and.. cool.  Haha.

So that's that.  Finished the last of the four gospels today.  It was very interesting to read the four in consecutive order.  Each gospel had its own unique style of writing.  Yes, the stories and parables became repetitive at times, but I still enjoyed reading them over and over because I was really able to soak in Jesus' ministry here on earth, His heart for the lost and the least of us, and His ultimate faith in God.  The part of each book that is always sobering is the end, where Jesus takes on the sin of the world and sacrifices Himself.  But the reason why the gospel is so great is because it doesn't end on a sad note.  Jesus has risen.  For that reason we are able to rejoice, celebrate, and give all thanks to Him.

Time to study for biochem. >:)