Unexplainable Yet Undeniable

One other thing that Angelo mentioned at evening service last night. He preached out of John 3 - the account of Jesus meeting with Nicodemus. After Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be born again, Jesus says this in verse 8: "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit." This is the Spirit's work - you don't know how He does it; you can't explain it, but the effects are evident. There's no denying the Spirit's work in the life of a believer. When God saves somebody, he is forever changed. Some things just happen in an instant. Old habits and sins are broken. A desire for fellowship is present. He desires to go to church. He has a song in his heart and a desire to sing out in worship. He wants to learn more about God. No one tells him these things; they just happen. "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."(2 Corinthians 5:17)

Hound of Heaven

Angelo spoke at evening service last night and he made reference to the Holy Spirit as the "Hound of Heaven." This is actually a reference to a religious poem by 17th Century English poet, Francis Thompson. I didn't look too deeply into the poem itself, but I do appreciate that image of a "Hound of Heaven." The Holy Spirit continues to come after us time and time again. When we struggle through trials and we feel like just running away and hiding from the world, the Holy Spirit comes after us. There's nowhere we can go where He can't find us. There's nowhere we can go where He's not there. "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?"(Psalm 139:7) (Funny, Channon made reference to this passage in her blog entry for the day.) Praise God that He doesn't abandon us or leave us on our own, and that He comes after us and doesn't let us go.

The Ant and the Elephant

Greg R taught at Sunday School this past Sunday, and he taught on discipleship, good works, and bearing fruit. He used an analogy that I've never heard before, but I thought it was a pretty good one. It had to do with an elephant. An ant and an elephant are crossing a bridge, and as the bridge is shaking, the ant is boasting to himself, "Look at me shaking this bridge." Ridiculous! As if the ant was the one who was making the bridge move. It's obvious that the elephant was the cause of the bridge shaking. If ant was crossing the bridge and the elephant wasn't with him, the bridge wouldn't even move at all.

This is how we are with God. We boast in our accomplishments and the things that we do, yet we forget the One who is the cause of it all. We do a good job at work, we get a good grade in class, we teach a lesson or preach a sermon and we get a good response - we feel pretty good about what we do and we boast in ourselves. But in reality, we're just like that ant crossing the bridge. We aren't making a dent. We have no effect. It's God who's doing all the work. It's God who's making the bridge move. We're just alongside for the ride. We reap the benefits of what God is doing. We can't accomplish anything without God.(John 15:4) We must abide in Him and trust in Him to do His work, and that He would accomplish His work through us.

Rest

I find it interesting that after studying through Matthew 6 at HFG this past Thursday, I hear more from Matthew at service this morning. Maybe God really wanted me to hear more about trusting and relying on Him. Brian S preached this morning out of Matthew 11, and the theme that stuck out to me the most was the theme of rest. Verse 28: "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." We can often find ourselves busy - busy with ministry, work, events, activities, family, etc. These can easily cause us to get tired and be weary - not only physically, but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. We can get weighed down - "heavy-laden" - with the cares and concerns of life. Our response? Where do we need to go? God tells us to come to Him, and He will give us rest.

Brian said this: "See yourself in need of rest." A lot of the time, I tell myself, "I can handle this. I can do this. I got this." But what I really need is rest. Sometimes, you just have to say "no" to things. You can get overloaded and weigh yourself down unnecessarily, and a lot of the times it's because you refuse to say "no", because you think you can do everything. Yes, we can do everything through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13), but we should be wise in the things that we choose to do and also be wise in the things that we allow to enter our mind. We should trust Him to provide strength and meet our needs, but we also should not put the Lord to the test.(Matthew 4:7)

Verse 30: "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." God's yoke is easy and His burden is light. This doesn't mean that life is no longer difficult and everything is absolutely perfect. The reason His burden is light is because He is the one carrying it. I like Brian's image of us being yoked to God; He has more than enough strength to carry the load. The load of life that we're pulling may be heavy, but it feels like nothing because God is the one that's bearing it.

Feeling tired? Feeling weary. Come to God. He'll bear the load. He'll carry you through.

What's going on today?

Jeremy D taught at HFG this past Thursday, and he spoke about anxiety, referencing Matthew 6:25-34. Oh, how we're so prone to worrying, being anxious, and having many things that weigh on our minds. The cares of life can easily weigh us down. Here, Jesus speaks of the simple basics of life - what you eat, drink, and wear. We worry about these things, how we're going to take care of them, how we're going to meet these needs. The response is simple - verse 33: "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Seek after the things of God - seek after the glory of God - and He will meet all your needs; He'll be the one to provide.

Here's a question that Jeremy asked that stuck out to me: When I wake up in the morning, am I thinking of the kingdom of God and His righteousness? As I thought about it, I can answer that question with a definite "no". What enters my mind are thoughts of the upcoming days events, what I have to do at work, what I'm going to eat for lunch, what's going on in the evening, what's coming up on the weekend, etc. Before the days events have even happened, why am I already worrying about them? My focus needs to be on the glory of God - what He's going to do, how He's going to work, and trusting that He's going to use me on that day for His purposes.

Verse 34: "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." I'm sure I've read this verse hundreds of times, but I think I've always looked at this verse in a negative light. Don't worry about tomorrow's problems; you'll have enough problems as it is today. Sure, it does say that, but we can forget about the God who is Lord over all of these problems. God has enough grace for the concerns of today and the concerns of the future; in fact He has more than enough grace for today, tomorrow, and then some. So even when things aren't going the way that you would anticipate, trust in God's plan, His Provision, and His care for you.

Grace

The single folks were banned (jk) from the Sunday School class on marriage, so I checked out the other class on Romans. Not surprisingly, I was encouraged as well by what was taught. Amel taught out of chapter 11 and entitled the message "Bound For Grace: God's Plan of Salvation In Motion." He talked about God's plan for Israel and the Gentiles, and how we fit into that, but the entire message spoke of God's grace. A couple of points that God brought to my remembrance:

We weren't even seeking after God, yet we found Him. "I permitted Myself to be sought by those who did not ask for Me; I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me I said, 'Here am I, here am I,' To a nation which did not call on My name."(Isaiah 65:1) God, out of His kindness and mercy, reveals Himself to us even when we weren't seeking after Him. In fact, we were going totally away from Him and standing against Him, yet God takes the initiative to draw us to Himself. How merciful this God that we serve!

Another passage that speaks on election: "What then? What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened"(Romans 11:7) Those who are seeking after God on their own and working for it are not going to find it. Only those whom God has chosen will be saved; the rest will remain in their hardness. Is God unjust? By no means! God displays His love and kindness by even choosing any. Were it up to us, we wouldn't come. We don't seek after God (Romans 3:11), but He comes after us.

Last point that I was reminded of: Live by grace. A lot of us have no problem with the fact that we are saved by grace. However, sometimes we forget that we need to live by grace. We can easily get into this rut of living by works. We think that by serving God or by living godly, we deserve to be blessed. Or if we aren't doing so well or if we are in sin, God will withhold blessing from us or will strike us down. God's favor is not earned; it's not something that we work for. Nor does our sin cause God to love us any less. God isn't like us - He isn't fickle; He doesn't change; He remains the same. We must continue to serve God and live by grace, not out of a motivation to receive blessing but as a response to what He has already done for us (and He continues to bless us abundantly). And when we do struggle and when we do sin, we don't have to wallow in sadness and pity; we must repent and turn back to God. God is still there and He is quick to forgive.

Take me out...

Last night, a few of the brothers from our HFG and a few other brothers watched the Giants - A's game. A few memorable moments from the night: free Giants t-shirts as we walked in; Omar Vizquel stealing home plate (straight steal - no wild pitch, no double steal, etc); Dodger fan getting heckled and booed by an entire section of the stadium as he walked in; and the sprinklers turning on right in the middle of a pitch for the last batter at the bottom of the last inning. It was a fun night. Some of the sights:

Welcome to AT&T Park
The brothers (Tay T taking the picture)

Dinner... mmm...

View from McCovey Cove. Signing off. Thank you. Good night.

Go Secure

As we shared prayer requests at HFG tonight, one thing in particular stood out as a sister prayed. She said: "Lord, thank you that our security isn't based on our circumstances." If we're struggling through a trial, if things are going well, if nothing is going on - our security isn't based on these things. God has us in His hands, and He holds us, upholds us, and keeps us. "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand."(John 10:29) No one and nothing is able to take us away from Him. His grip is firm and secure. "This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day."(John 6:39) Praise God that our security is in Him through the work of Christ on the cross.

Love is... (part 2... sorta)

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about what I learned in Sunday School - what love is... actually what love does. Tonight at HFG, one of the points that I picked up from the message also talks about what love is. "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love."(John 15:10) "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."(John 14:15) "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome."(1 John 5:3) Love is obedience. Love is keeping God's commandments - obeying His Word.

Even when we are disobedient, God loves us nevertheless. He loves His children despite their faults. We don't need to clean ourselves up before we come to God. He calls us to come as we are, and He is the one who cleans and sanctifies us. When we don't come to God and when we remain in our sin, sure He still loves us, but God's presence is less felt.

A picture comes to mind of the sun in the sky. When it's sunny and clear, you can feel the full warmth of the sun hitting your face. But if it's overcast or cloudy, you may not feel the full effect of the sun. The sun is still there even if the clouds block it out and puts you in the shadows. In the same way, when the clouds of sin block out God's presence, it may feel like God is not there, but He still is. You just wouldn't feel His presence there in the same way as if the clouds of sin weren't there.

God desires us to be obedient, and this displays our love for Him. We don't obey in order to earn His love. We obey as a response to His love for us. "We love, because He first loved us."(1 John 4:19)

Let's Talk

It's been a couple weeks since I've been in Sunday School, so I came back last Sunday and our topic continues to be godly marriage. This week's topic was learning godly communication. Phil taught on the purpose, process, and practice of godly communication. The purpose of godly communication is to avoid sin, and Phil referenced Adam and Eve and the sin in the garden. The process of godly communication first starts in the heart. It is also talking and maybe more importantly listening. And we also realize that communication is more than words. It involves the choice of words, the tone of voice, and non-verbal cues. Some practical application of godly communication is being honest and dealing with anger both properly and promptly. Phil references Ephesians 4:25-27.

One point of application that God put upon my heart was this: be intent about speaking about spiritual things. This is definitely important in the context of marriage, but it is just as important in everyday life. Talking about work, school, entertainment, activities, friends, and family or making small talk should not drown out conversation centered on the spiritual. There's nothing wrong with speaking about other things, but it should be balanced with talking about God, how He is working, what He's been teaching, what He's been challenging you with, etc. I'm sure this is something that I'll be working on should I, God-willing, get married one day. But this is one thing that I can definitely work on today.

Separation

"If divine grace does not eradicate all sin from the believer, how do you hope to do it yourself? If God love His people while they are yet vile, do you think your vileness will prevent His loving you?" Spurgeon asks these rhetorical questions in today's passage from "Morning By Morning." The answers to these questions are simple.

How do you hope to eradicate sin? It's impossible. You can't do it. Apart from God's grace, you can't get rid of your sin. Only by God's strength and only through Christ's work on the cross can we be freed from sin. "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death."(Romans 8:2)

Can our vileness prevent God from loving us? No Way! Sure God detests sin and is not pleased when we sin, but if we put our faith in Christ, He is our substitute. God sees Christ in the place of our ugly sin. God loves us in spite of our sin. Our sin, no matter how vile, cannot separate us from His love. "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."(Romans 8:38-39)

Family

I've enjoyed my vacation and being with my family for a week and a half, but I was so glad to be back with the family of God. It was good to be back at HFG last night, worshipping in song, getting into the word, praying together, and fellowshipping with the brethren. It's good to be home. As close as I am with my family, there is a stronger bond through the blood of Christ that unites the church body.

Lost

I was just thinking about it. There were a couple of things that I lost or left behind in Hawaii:

- sunglasses - These are at the bottom of the Wailua River in Kauai. I'm sure there's a cool fish swimming around now.

-shoes - I was planning on doing this anyway, so I decided to leave behind some older shoes to create some space for other things that I brought home with me.

-shorts - Note to self: when drying clothes out on the balcony on the 8th floor, be sure to weight it down with something. The next morning, they were gone. I'm sure some transient walking the streets of Waikiki is stylin in some new shorts.

-guava jelly - Man... I was looking forward to this too, but TSA had other ideas. I had a twin pack of big jars of guava jelly (from, you guessed it, Costco), but I couldn't take it as a carry on item. TSA at Honolulu International has PB&J for days now.

Signing Off

Last day of my vacation. Last second trip to the Swap Meet and then off to the airport. Next stop: nice, sunny, cold California. Aloha, Hawaii.

From Up Top and More

6/3/08
We started off the morning early by taking a hike up the Diamond Head Crater. For some reason, it was shorter than what I remembered; I guess we got through it quicker than last time. Here's a view from up top.

After our little hike, we enjoyed some sweet rewards - malasadas from Leonard's:

One last treat for the day - shaved ice from Matsumoto's

In Memory and What I've Done the Entire Trip

6/2/08

Today we took a trip to the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. I've been once before, but it was good seeing it again and being reminded of what happened there on that day of infamy.

And what have I done this entire trip? EAT!!! This is from Puka Dog, which was mentioned on the Travel Channel. Puka dogs are hot dogs that are stuffed inside a bun with the bun being soft on the outside and toasted on the inside. They also have special relishes and mustards in them. This one had a papaya relish along with a lilikoi mustard.

After my Puka Dog "snack", I was able to catch another sunset over on Wakiki Beach. I was hoping for the sunset to hit the water, but some clouds got in the way, so I had to settle for this. Still a pretty sight.

And yes, dinner too. This is over at Cheeseburger In Paradise in Waikiki. If you know me, you know that I haven't had a burger in years. I guess I've been missing out, huh? This is the Royal Ali'i burger - cheeseburger with egg and bacon. Hmm... I guess I could've had this for breakfast, huh?

Sunrise, Sunset

"Praise the Lord for the sun of joy when it rises and for the gloom of evening as it falls... Believe that the night is as useful as the day." Funny how I was just talking about sunsets in my last post and here in Spurgeon's "Morning By Morning," he makes reference to sunrises and sunsets." Spurgeon here is equating them to joys and trials - the sunrises and sunsets of life. We should praise God when all is good and we're experiencing the joys of life. And also when we're going through the struggles and sorrows of life, we're to praise God for them too. God uses both of them. He shows us His goodness and graciousness when we experience our joys. And He shows us His comfort, care, and sustaining hand as He takes us through our trials.

Feast

6/1/08

So, we made it over to Oahu ok. We're only here for a couple of days, so it's gonna be pretty jam packed with lots of stuff. We'll see if we actually get to do it all. First place we went to after we checked in at our hotel was straight to our luau at Paradise Cove. Oh man, lots of food and entertainment. Everyone seems kind of pooped, but I'm still wide awake. I'm thinking of walking around, but I think I'll stay in for tonight. There's wi-fi in the room, so it makes it easier to blog in here. Anyway, some pics from the luau:

Paradise Cove

My plate (plus extra dessert a little later)
Finally, a sunset. I haven't caught a sunset this entire trip. Hopefully I'll take some better shots in the next couple of days.

Ready To Go

6/1/08
Packed up and ready go. But not ready to go home quite yet. We're catching a flight later this afternoon over to Oahu. City life, here we come. Here's one thing I've learned and one thing I've noticed during my stay here in Kauai.

One thing I've learned: sunblock - as I mentioned before, be sure to spread evenly... but also, as I learned yesterday, be sure to reapply. Um... I'll make sure not to post any pictures of this.

And one thing I've noticed: funny thing... I've noticed that I've had the same pattern late at night here as I do back home - I end up dozing off on the couch sitting in front of my computer. But the view I have here is much better; I've been sitting on the couches in the lounge area overlooking the pool and the ocean. Picture this, late at night, quiet, with no one in the pool, warm, with a slight breeze, and the ocean in the background. So cool.

Anyway, next stop: Oahu.

Going Coastal

5/31/08
Today we went on a snorkel tour over to the beautiful Napali Coast. Some amazing, breathtaking sights. Just more of God's incredible creation.

Saw some sea turtles but even more dolphins.
Us supposedly doing the "Titanic" pose... sorta
Check out this sea cave.
More of the Napali coast in the background. This pic doesn't do it justice.

Strange

"Why should we complain as though some strange thing had happened to us?... The idea of strangeness in our trials must be banished at once and forever." This is from today's selection of Spurgeon's morning by morning. He's speaking here of the commonness of our trials. He refers to 2 Samuel 15:23 where King David passed over the brook Kidron into the wilderness - just like all the other people. David was the Lord's anointed, yet he still had to pass through the wilderness and through affliction.


Why is it that sometimes when we go through trials, we feel like that we're the only one going through it or that we're the only who it has ever happened to? What makes us any different? Nothing. Our trials are nothing new. God has taken people through them times and times before. He was and is faithful to rescue and deliver. "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."(1 Corinthians 10:13) Our trials are common - nothing new; it may be new for us, but it isn't new for God. God will take us through. We have Christ as our example. He was tempted in all ways and yet did not sin. "Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted."(Hebrews 2:17-18) God sent His Son to be like us (yet without sin), thus, He experienced all the pain and suffering that we may experience. We have Someone who's gone before us and God delivered Him. He'll do the same for us as well. So instead of complaining or worrying about feeling like we're the only one going through a particular trial, we need to look to Christ and see that the Father sustained Him in His trials, and He'll do the same for us.